Atomisation of sound

Davismoon, SM

Abstract

The following paper seeks to draw attention to the significant and increasing amount of creative enquiry - over the last two decades or so – converging about the fulcrum of microsound. This is as true for electroacoustic, acousmatic or soundscape composers, as it is for minimal techno, glitch, noise, ambient, and other IDM or EDM sub-genres.
Initially, in the discussions that follow I will outline the cultural and scientific origins of microsound; then offer a cross-genre survey of its creative appearances since the 1950s. I will then embark upon discussions that explore the possibilities and consequences of microsound upon our aesthetic landscape. For example, I suggest ways in which certain microsound techniques might be seen to resonate with, or even parallel, the historically ‘tried and tested’ compositional strategy of consonance and dissonance; as well as offering for consideration the profound ways in which such techniques can blur one’s notion of object and subject, promoting an active, multiplicitous state of listening - thereby directly interfacing with the philosophical ideas of phenomenology. My dialogues will come to a close by way of an aesthetic discussion of some of my recent soundscape/acousmatic works that have employed microsound techniques and sensibilities.

Citation

Davismoon, S. (2016). Atomisation of sound. Contemporary Music Review, 35(2), 263-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2016.1221629

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 1, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Sep 16, 2016
• Publication Date: Sep 16, 2016
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2016
• Journal: Contemporary Music Review
• Print ISSN: 0749-4467
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 263-274
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2016.1221629
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2016.1221629
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gcmr20/current#.VvFlUn2LTcs