we can see many examples of a ‘sonic meme’, it could be anything from: a repeating catch phrase, a particular sound/sonic, a beat tag or the overall production style could all be considered memes that reaffirm their respective memeplexes. In an interview with Resident Advisor magazine Donk artist Lobsta B identifies some examples of sonic memes through out the generations, saying “The acid bassline. The amen break. The 909 ride cymbal. Even those with a casual interest in dance music can recognise the sounds and samples that have impacted decades of music history.” (Tippit, Z. and B, L. 2022) Each of these sonic memes are familiar and easily distinguishable which Ione of the many factors which helps them propagate.
Using Dawkins & Blackmore’s framework seeing religion as Memeplex, one could draw the comparison to seeing Genres as sonic/aesthetic Memeplexes with each sonic/aesthetic component being a meme that reaffirms the memeplex that is the genre. The word genre come from the latin word genus which is very similar to Dawkins analogy of Cultural gene clusters. So using this comparison It is not too crazy to link other cultural Custers such as: Aesthetics, Genres and movements. Digital hardcore is a memeplex
I started off making this track but in the end I decided too 180 and created more of a song as opposed to a soundscape as I felt it was more telling of what I was trying to convey. The chorus was originally half time however I felt that a drums break would be way more appropriate in the context of digital hardcore.
I started off by wanting to create a cyberpunk/dystopian soundscape that incorporated a variety of field recording to create a psychoacoustic effect to transport the listener elsewhere. I started off by jamming out in the synth room to gather samples for me to chop up later. After I had got some analog synth sounds I was trying to make a more deconstructed piece of work compared to what I usually make. After making a couple of field recordings I tried to make a piece incorporating various techniques I decided to make more of a song that reflects the current virtual Neo liberal prison that we have arrived at. I want to combine analog instruments/ guitars and combine it with futuristic synths to creat a retro-futuristic and almost nostalgic piece that harks to a more 90’s depiction of the future. My process was starting off with a synth that chopped up and then programmed drums to accompany the synth, after that I played a riff on my guitar and chopped it up and bit crushed it. After that I was chopping up an amen break to reflect on my research on Memetics and how chopping up breaks is mutation that “meme”. For the chorus I created my own bass using Ableton wavetable. After I has structured the whole song I wrote lyrics about being sucked into a vortex of content and information, “virtual vortex”. Once I had everything recorded I cleaned all the Chanel up with EQ and compression and added a little saturation for crunch. Once everything was mixed a ran the bounce through my mastering rack which consists of a limiter and a couple of EQs.
“Plunderphonics is any music made by taking one or more existing audio recordings and altering them in some way to make a new composition. The term was coined by composer John Oswald in 1985 in his essay Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative. Plunderphonics can be considered a form of sound collage.”
Digital hardcore and Plunderphonics share a similar philosophy in the wayy that they view sampling as a weapon against the capitalist concept of copyright and the overtly tedious music industry that a lot of sound exists in. This creates and an anarchic mentality where nothing is out of the public domain and doesn’t have to pay to get a sample cleared, which gives access to less affluent communities the ability to create music without being behind a paywall.
Cyberpunk and the idea of what a possible future will be like has been a strong part of society since 1960s and even before. Books like Neuromancer set a presuppose for the aesthetics of what the future would be. As well as films like THX-1138 created milestones in terms of sound design in films and bringing the future to reality that paradoxically manifests itself through the consumption of its depictions.
Digital hardcore came around in the 90s and felt like a sonic extension of the overall cyberpunk aesthetics coming both the cyber and the punk aspects into one homogenous entity. My goal with my track was to reference digital hardcore but add a modern edge with the technology available to me because of Ableton.
In the 1950’s, composers began experimenting with new sounds and needed another way to write down their music. They developed a new way of visualising music known as graphic scores or graphic notation.
Graphic scores often look very different to traditional musical scores. Instead of lines and dots on a musical stave, graphic scores can use all sorts of different images and symbols to tell the performer what to play.
In lesson we ended up creating our own Graphic Scores and then picked a few and played them in groups of 3-4. It was interesting to see how no graphic score was the same and the sheet music being abstract it forced the players to communicate more and react to both what they’re hearing but feeling. My score ended up being played by the class and it was interesting for me to see that because i left out an index it stripped away any direction that the players could follow and they spent most of the time deciding what line to play for each instrument. Int the future i feel clear differentiation of each instrument as well as an index would make my next graphic scorer easier to follow.
Examples:
Clockwise Graphic Score
Futuristic Graphic Score:
1. What is a graphic score? Unlike the more traditional five-lined musical stave, with each line and each space representing a different pitch, a graphic score is a different way of notating a piece of music.
2. Art and music togetherScores can blend conventional elements notation with the unconventional. The performer has to use the pictures to inspire his or her performance – it’s more like a guide, or a musical map.
3. John Cage – AriaJohn Cage, the man behind so much groundbreaking music including the famously silent 4’33”, was a keen graphic score composer. It might look like random squiggles, but each line indicates a different style of singing, notated in wavy lines in ten different colors, and the black squares indicate non specified ‘non-musical’ sounds.
4. Bergstrøm-Nielsen – Towards An Unbearable LightnessOne feature of many graphic scores is they can be played by any number of players, of any standard, on any instrument. No two performances sound the same, but all the players will be following the same instructions.
5. Crumb – Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified PianoWith so many notes, this score would be difficult for any pianist to read if it was laid out simply on the page. Luckily, this piece by Crumb also contains three detailed pages of instructions, with movements including Primeval Sounds, Crucifixus and Spiral Galaxy.
6. Ligeti – ArtikulationLigeti wrote his electronic piece, Artikulation, in 1958. Although it existed as a recording, there was no score for musicians to ‘see’ the music. Rainer Wehinger studied the piece in the 1970s and created this colourful explanation of the music, with a vast key explaining all the colours and symbols.
7. Cardew – TreatiseThis is just one fragment of the 193-page score for this lengthy work. Unlike many graphic scores, this piece has no instructions as to how it should be played, so every performer has to make up their own rules!
8. McQueen – PicnicGraphic scores serve a dual purpose: as well as looking beautiful, they explain abstract ideas about how the music should be played. In this piece, written in 2006, each line represents a different instrument, with the colours and shapes informing how the music might sound.
9. Phillips – Golden Flower PieceGraphic scores first developed in the 1950s as an alternative way of showing how music could be played. But they’re not entirely straightforward for inexperienced players. This piece by Tom Phillips uses uppercase letters to show notes that should be played in the bass, and lowercase letters played in a higher register. You’re allowed to add flats and sharps as you please. And the dots around the notes are supposed to help with how loud to play the note, and how long to hold it for. He’s blocked off a few notes too (you’re not allowed to play a B flat at all).
10. Berberian – StripsodyOne of the most famous (and most cartoonish!) graphic scores is by composer Cathy Berberian. Written in 1966, it uses lines just like a traditional musical stave, indicating an approximate pitch for the singer. The difference being, the singer doesn’t sing notes – she sings noises and words, with actions, including pretending to be a radio, roaring like Tarzan, and urging a kite to come down from a tree…
11. Cage – Water MusicDon’t be fooled by the title: this work is nothing to do with Handel’s work of the same name. The number of seconds is written on the top, with instructions as to the props to be used, accompanied by a tape.
12. Smith – Luminous AxisAny ideas how this one might sound? Because of the flexible nature of graphic scores, they can provide instructions for a live performance, or just give a graphical interpretation of an electronic piece of music. This is a score from a piece by Smith, which he describes as: “An Electronic Sonic Garden of Delights and Transformations, Events 1-15”
13. Escot – Your Kindled Valors BendSometimes graphic scores aren’t just abstract images or drawings. Many include more traditional musical notation like key signatures or musical staves – just in an unexpected layout!
14. Vitiello – First VerticalLuckily, there’s no need to work out how on earth to play this piece of music. It’s another graphic score interpreting music that’s already been recorded – a bit like listening to a piece and drawing what comes to mind.
15. Nomura – Shogi CompositionEver played Consequences? This is the musical equivalent. Find a piece of paper and some friends, and each grab a coloured pen. Write a musical phrase or draw a picture that might inspire you, and pass it on to create your very own composition. The beauty of this piece is that any paper will do: this one’s written on the back of a Natural History Museum paper bag…
16. Antosca – One Becomes TwoIt doesn’t look all that different from a traditional musical score… until you realise there are no barlines and there’s no stave. Still, the music gives an idea about rhythm and pitch, even with some of the traditional features missing.
17. Loyato – Celestial Spheres Fantasy For ImprovisersWritten for 40 performers, this solar-system-inspired piece asks groups of performers including choirs, duos, trios and quartets to start playing in an orbit-style cycle.
18. Kwi – Drawing the airThis nature-inspired score is a representation of an electronic piece by composer Slavek Kwi. He explained: “There is nothing to be understood, no comprehension required accessing this work… only intensive listening.”
19. Schorn – NebulaComposer Brian Schorn is as much a visual artist and graphic designer as he is an expert in eletroacoustic music – that is, music using electronic sounds. Nebula is written for three instruments, with each player taking inspiration from one of the three interlinked dark clouds.
20. Phillips – OrnamentikIt might look a bit like a load of unusual road signs, but Ornamentik is actually a piece for trombone. It was drawn at the request of an American player, Stuart Dempster, who asked for a piece that would provide various provocative challenges to corner him into inventing new sounds or techniques.
21. Schnee – ChollobhatWhen it comes to imagining what this experimental jazz-inspired composition might sound like, your guess is as good as ours. Composed by abstract artist and musician, Daniel Schnee, the highly detailed symbols all inform how the music should be performed.
