April 12, 2018
Jonathan Weinel
Inner Sound examines how altered states of consciousness—such as dreaming, psychedelic experience, meditation, and trance—have influenced the design of electronic music and audio-visual media. The book reviews shamanic traditions to show how indigenous societies expressed visionary experiences through art and music, then considers how analogue and digital audio technologies represent or induce these states in genres like psychedelic rock and electronic dance music. It also discusses altered states in films, visual music, VJ performances, video games, and virtual reality. The author identifies common mechanisms and proposes a conceptual model for 'Altered States of Consciousness Simulations,' describing how sound can simulate subjective states from a first-person perspective. Ethical implications for digital society are explored.
Inner Sound
April 12, 2018
Jonathan Weinel
The concluding chapter of a book on electronic music and altered states of consciousness traces a historical continuity from ancient shamanic rituals through psychedelic rock shows, raves, outdoor electroacoustic concerts, synaesthetic films, and hallucinatory video games. It argues that while underlying principles have remained consistent, evolving technologies have produced increasingly accurate representations of altered states in electronic music and audio-visual media. This trajectory leads to 'Altered States of Consciousness Simulations' that replicate sensory experiences using immersive technologies like fulldomes and virtual reality headsets. The chapter explores possible uses and ethical implications of these simulations at the frontiers of electronic music and art.
Inner Sound
April 12, 2018
Jonathan Weinel
Music technologies and electronic studio processes have been used to create altered states of consciousness in popular music. Audio technologies such as multi-tracking, echo, and reverb have illusory capabilities. In 1950s rock 'n' roll, distortion enhanced energetic and emotive properties. Surf rock used echo and reverb to evoke teenage surf culture. In 1960s and 1970s psychedelic rock and space rock/jazz, warped sounds elicited impressions of psychedelic experiences, outer space voyages, and Afrofuturist mythologies. Sound design communicates various forms of conceptual meaning, including the psychedelic experience.