ABSTRACT

Musical Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction presents new insights into the study of musical rhythm through investigations of the micro-rhythmic design of groove-based music. The main purpose of the book is to investigate how technological mediation - in the age of digital music production tools - has influenced the design of rhythm at the micro level. Through close readings of technology-driven popular music genres, such as contemporary R&B, hip-hop, trip-hop, electro-pop, electronica, house and techno, as well as played folk music styles, the book sheds light on how investigations of the musical-temporal relationships of groove-based musics might be fruitfully pursued, in particular with regard to their micro-rhythmic features. This book is based on contributions to the project Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction (RADR), a five-year research project running from 2004 to 2009 that was funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

chapter 1|16 pages

Introduction

Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction

part I|86 pages

Microrhythm and Rhythmic Structure

chapter 2|18 pages

Here, There and Everywhere

Three Accounts of Pulse in D'Angelo's ‘Left and Right’

chapter 3|14 pages

Microtiming and Rhythmic Structure in Clave-Based Music

A Quantitative Study

chapter 4|18 pages

Simultaneous Rhythmic Events with Different Schematic Affiliations

Microtiming and Dynamic Attending in Two Contemporary R&B Grooves

chapter 5|16 pages

The Concept of Rhythmic Tolerance

Examining Flexible Grooves in Scandinavian Folk Fiddling

chapter 6|18 pages

Timbral Relationships and Microrhythmic Tension

Shaping the Groove Experience Through Sound

part II|54 pages

Groove and Embodiment

chapter 7|16 pages

Rhythm/Body/Motion

Tricky's Contradictory Dance Music

chapter 8|20 pages

Moved by the Groove

Bass Drum Sounds and Body Movements in Electronic Dance Music

chapter 9|16 pages

Slave to the Supradiegetic Rhythm

A Microrhythmic Analysis of Creaky Voice in Sia's ‘Breathe Me’

part III|74 pages

Mediation and Music Production

chapter 10|17 pages

Opaque Mediation

The Cut-and-Paste Groove in DJ Food's ‘Break’

chapter 11|18 pages

Microsampling

From Akufen's Microhouse to Todd Edwards and the Sound of UK Garage

chapter 12|18 pages

Real and Unreal Performances

The Interaction of Recording Technology and Rock Drum Kit Performance

chapter 13|18 pages

Composing a Performance

The Analogue Experience in the Age of Digital (Re)Production