Books & ideas

The Union of Choruses

Noémie Villacèque — 2023-09-28T12:20:44Z

In Athens, choral performance was much more than a dramatic method: it was a civic and collective experience, a kind of democratic embodiment of plurality. V. Azoulay and P. Ismard see in it the profound identity of a society overcoming its divisions.

Summer Mix

Editorial Team — 2021-07-19T07:03:17Z

Books & Ideas is slowing down for the summer and will be back at the end of August. In the meantime, here is a selection of interviews, reviews and essays on popular music published over the past year.

Drill, Gangs, and Social Media

Clément Petitjean — 2021-06-28T07:00:00Z

Al Capone's city is regaining a reputation for crime—and is setting it to music. This latter is known as “drill,” a new form of rap that claims to document street life and violent criminality.

U.S. Hip-Hop Studies: Formation, Flow and Trajectory

Séverin Guillard — 2020-11-30T08:00:00Z

How did Hip-Hop Studies emerge as a legitimate field of study? This interview with Murray Forman, who has contributed to the development of this field in the United States, shows the links between the recognition of rap and related art forms and the rise of academic analyses.

Against the “Grain of the Voice”

Catherine Rudent — 2020-07-06T07:00:00Z

From crooning to auto-tune, the voice is at the heart of popular songs. However, it has proved difficult to study: how can something as personal be analysed? Catherine Rudent provides an overview of current approaches of the voice in popular music studies.

The Birth of Stars

Alain Chenu — 2020-01-16T08:00:00Z

Our interest in celebrities is a major structuring element of contemporary societies. According to Sharon Marcus “stars” appeared in the 19^th century in theatre, and the case of Sarah Bernhardt allows us to characterise the type of interaction that arises between the media, publics and celebrities.

Hacking Through Contemporary Electronic Music

Clément Canonne — 2019-12-02T08:00:00Z

With electronic music comes the possibility of hacking instruments. How does hacking affect musical instruments and the ways of playing them? In this interview, Nic Collins, a pioneer in musical hacking, describes his journey at the crossroads of experimental music, computer music and sound art.

Music and Politics

Editorial Team — 2019-07-22T07:00:00Z

Books & Ideas is slowing down for the summer. In the meantime, here is a selection of essays, reviews and interviews published over the past year, exploring the relationship between music and politics.

Taking Metal Music Seriously

Catherine Guesde — 2019-07-04T07:06:26Z

Over the past twenty years, a new field of study has developed: metal studies. The scholars in this field are often also music enthusiasts, investigating their own passion. How can fandom be articulated with academia?

Protest Music in the Age of Trump

Ron Eyerman — 2019-04-25T07:00:00Z

The presidential election campaign and the unexpected election of Donald Trump was cause for immediate reaction from the music world in the United States and beyond. Ron Eyerman gives us an overview of that reaction.