[Commlist] Call for papers: Low End Theories 2023 online conference

Low End Theories: Bass Culture, Sound Systems, and Popular Music

Call for papers - online conference
19-20 May 2023

Bass and Afro-diasporic sound system culture are defining elements of 
many popular musics today. Dub-reggae practices are embedded in the pop 
industry as well as mainstay genres such as hip-hop, dancehall, and 
jungle/drum ‘n’ bass, while sound system-powered subcultures proliferate 
in scenes such as footwork, Miami bass, and beyond. ‘Bass music’ is an 
established, and contested, category of electronic dance music culture. 
Sound system events have persisted through and adapted to the COVID-19 
pandemic, despite its impact on night life industries worldwide.

Researchers in music and the wider arts and humanities are today 
increasingly paying attention to various manifestations of bass culture 
and low-frequency vibration through theoretical and cultural lenses. 
Landmark projects include ‘Bass Culture’ (2016–19), a ‘response to the 
disengagement and lack of education surrounding the heritage of Jamaican 
and Jamaican-influenced music in Britain’, and ‘Sonic Street 
Technologies’ (2021–25), which examines diasporic sound system cultures 
in the Global South and ‘what they tell us about technology and 
scientific knowledge’.

Key publications from the last two decades explore a range of other 
topics an interdisciplinary fashion, including: the foundational 
artists, principles, and sounds of Jamaican dub; sonic materialism and 
sonic epistemologies; the development of local sound system cultures & 
music scenes globally; ‘the drop’ as a musical and cultural phenomenon; 
the development of bass culture alongside ‘treble culture’; a call to 
develop a ‘musicology of bass culture’; and more.

This free online conference responds to this developing field by 
bringing together researchers from across music studies and the wider 
arts & humanities for talks and discussion. With its name inspired by 
the sonics and multiple meanings of A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 album 
The Low End Theory, the conference aims to generate thoughtful debate 
about low-end sonic cultures, ideas, and practices with sensitivity to 
their social and political histories.

We hope to go beyond the mere mystification of specific frequencies to 
critically explore what bass culture is, where it comes from, how it 
works, and how/why it is (or should be) studied. The conference aims to 
identify important research questions and issues and develop a diverse 
network of researchers that can foster future events and activities.

We invite proposals for presentations of 15 to 20 minutes, followed by 
10 minutes of questions. Visit the website to submit a proposal, 
including a presentation title and abstract of up to 250 words. The 
deadline for submitting a proposal is at 12:00 noon GMT on Friday 10 
February 2023. Successful participants will be notified by the end of 
February.

The conference will take place entirely online on Zoom and registration 
will be free. Please keep an eye on the conference website for further 
information.

www.lowendconference.com

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