In this Book
- Punk Ethnography: Artists & Scholars Listen to Sublime Frequencies
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: Wesleyan University Press
- Series: Music Culture
This ground-breaking case study examines record production as ethnographic work. Since its founding in 2003, Seattle-based record label Sublime Frequencies has produced world music recordings that have been received as radical, sometimes problematic critiques of the practices of sound ethnography. Founded by punk rocker brothers Alan and Richard Bishop, along with filmmaker Hisham Mayet, the label's releases encompass collagist sound travelogues; individual artist compilations; national, regional and genre surveys; and DVDs—all designed in a distinctive graphic style recalling the DIY aesthetic of punk and indie rock. Sublime Frequencies' producers position themselves as heirs to canonical ethnographic labels such as Folkways, Nonesuch, and Musique du Monde, but their aesthetic and philosophical roots in punk, indie rock, and experimental music effectively distinguish their work from more conventional ethnographic norms. Situated at the intersection of ethnomusicology, sound studies, cultural anthropology, and popular music studies, the essays in this volume explore the issues surrounding the label—including appropriation and intellectual property—while providing critical commentary and charting the impact of the label through listener interviews.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-iv
- Part One Background Context
- pp. 1-2
- Introduction
- pp. 3-23
- Meet the Sun City Girls
- pp. 55-63
- Part Two Visual and Sonic Culture
- pp. 105-106
- Interview with Chris Becker: Composer
- pp. 171-173
- Part Three Local Forays
- pp. 177-178
- Trekking Africa
- pp. 179-180
- Bush Taxi Mali: Taking the Long Way Home
- pp. 181-205
- Interview with Tucker Martine
- pp. 206-209
- Middle East Steps
- pp. 235-236
- Asian Emissions
- pp. 293-294
- Interview with Laurent Jeanneau
- pp. 320-322
- Radio Java
- pp. 323-339
- Blaring Americas
- pp. 365-366
- Funk Carioca and Urban Informality
- pp. 388-402
- Discography
- pp. 403-410
- About the Contributors
- pp. 411-416