Uploaded July 2019 | Updated September 2026, 23 minutes ago
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
Making Music With Traffic Noise, The Transformation of Negative Sound into Music
José Manuel Cubides-Gutiérrez – London College of Music, University of West London
/// ABSTRACT
For more than a century, vehicular traffic sound has become a major element in the urban society’s soundscape, and the debate about its impact in people’s every day life is still an ongoing subject amongst academics and researchers. However, it is clear that traffic sound is often seen as a negative phenomenon and it is regularly called ‘Undesired Sound’ or ‘Noise’. According to Paul Hegarty “Music heightens the separation of the world into desired, organised sounds, and unwanted noise”. (Hegarty 2007, 7) However, ‘noise’ can become accepted in music if it is framed in the right context. Composers and artists from Steve Reich to Kraftwerk have explored the idea of implementing traffic noise in their compositions, continuing the debate on the ‘musicality’ of traffic noise. With regard to that concept, this presentation aims to demonstrate how my doctoral research continues the investigation on the implementation of traffic noise in various compositions. It aims to transform the negative association into a positive affirmation using this audio source as the only sound material, in not only academic music but also within the current popular music practice. The presentation will be divided in two sections, the first one introduces the theoretical side of the research based on previous studies by Attali, Schafer, Hegarty, Kahn, Bull, LaBelle. The second one will show the practical side of the project where some videos and audio examples of the process will be shown to the audience in order to explain the applied methodology in order to obtain the final musical piece.
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
Making Music With Traffic Noise, The Transformation of Negative Sound into Music
José Manuel Cubides-Gutiérrez – London College of Music, University of West London
/// ABSTRACT
For more than a century, vehicular traffic sound has become a major element in the urban society’s soundscape, and the debate about its impact in people’s every day life is still an ongoing subject amongst academics and researchers. However, it is clear that traffic sound is often seen as a negative phenomenon and it is regularly called ‘Undesired Sound’ or ‘Noise’. According to Paul Hegarty “Music heightens the separation of the world into desired, organised sounds, and unwanted noise”. (Hegarty 2007, 7) However, ‘noise’ can become accepted in music if it is framed in the right context. Composers and artists from Steve Reich to Kraftwerk have explored the idea of implementing traffic noise in their compositions, continuing the debate on the ‘musicality’ of traffic noise. With regard to that concept, this presentation aims to demonstrate how my doctoral research continues the investigation on the implementation of traffic noise in various compositions. It aims to transform the negative association into a positive affirmation using this audio source as the only sound material, in not only academic music but also within the current popular music practice. The presentation will be divided in two sections, the first one introduces the theoretical side of the research based on previous studies by Attali, Schafer, Hegarty, Kahn, Bull, LaBelle. The second one will show the practical side of the project where some videos and audio examples of the process will be shown to the audience in order to explain the applied methodology in order to obtain the final musical piece.
