Medialab Prado

 

 “Music is nothing more than an adequate combination of sounds and silences with the capacity to move us. It is our articulation with particular forms (melody, harmony, rhythm) what allows us to distinguish noise from music when listening to an acoustic disturbance.

In our quest for the commons in popular music we, hence, recur to the analysis of cross-overs between levels that occur regularly in our research:

Repertoire level. In this case, the level refers to the acoustic qualities and musical patters marking the styles that allow us to differentiate flamenco and indigenous music from Monteverdi´s madrigals or Joaquin Sabina´s songs.

• Disposition level. Here, our musical capacities play an important role. For example, if our techno musical capacities are not tuned, this sound might seem noise to us.
• All this takes place in a scenario that, in the case of popular music, is marked by the game between the social relations that builds and reinforces what we have called a specific group of people.

We will focus the discussion in trying to define which “commons” characteristics can be found in these repertoires and musical capacities that express and build ”a way of feeling” of a community or population. We will take under consideration the historical and social frames that allowed flamenco, Argentinean tango and hip-hop to exist and develop.

Let them not decline!”

By Rosa Lamamié de Clairac