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[Commlist] Call for papers: Low End Theories 2023 online conference
Wed Dec 21 12:21:12 GMT 2022
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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