BOOK REVIEW: DJ SPOOKY – SOUND UNBOUND

Sound Unbound
Paul D Miller (AKA DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid)
The MIT Press

Sound Unbound is a theoretical exploration of the development of sound, digital music and information based culture. Organised as a series of essays, topics veer from discussions of copyright law and the blurred line that divides using a source as an influence and blatantly plagiarising a piece of work, to hip-hop MCs sampling of Muslim religion through to a piece on the history of the design of the bell (appropriately written by Brian Eno).

Digital music is a broad church and the books fragmented insights complement the potential of such diverse subject matter. In his own words “it is a big mix-tape, and a literary mash-up”. Particular highlights are Carlo McCormicks interview with Alex Steinweiss. Steinweiss was the first designer to put artwork on music packaging. A fascinating character, his career is an extension of his passion for visual culture and this conversation is essentially a historical document. Key points of interest are when Steinwiess reveals that the first set of designs he created for Columbia Records increased sales so dramatically that he not only landed the job permanently (and birthed what has become an art-form) and when he takes about the time he spent designing visual communication pieces for the Navy (during WWII).

Another article I enjoyed was by spoken-word poet Saul Williams. Williams piece, entitled the Future of Language, critiques the power of words to influence our present. Tracing a line through the development of man, the denouement is thought-provoking; Williams suggests that MCs talking about street life has created a limited vision, essentially keeping it real, that “When we recite the same ol’ shit into microphones which increase sound vibration the same ol’ shit continues to manifest in our daily lives, and only gets more deeply embedded?”. For Williams lyrics that explore street life narratives and are dispersed through MP3s, radio and CDs, encourage and perpetuate these themes in reality (sic. real life). Williams encapsulates this idea by posing the question “If Biggie’s album had not been entitled Ready To Die would he still be alive today?”

Anyone familiar with Miller’s previous work, both as a writer and in his alternative guise as DJ Spooky, will be aware that he revels in pushing technological boundaries and challenging musical culture. ‘Sound Unbound’ is a demanding and rewarding read, it provides a real depth to music that, for many of us, simply sounds good when we drop the needle. Sound Unbound is a worthwhile read for any-one wishing to learn more about the cultural undercurrents shaping electronic music.

James Griffin

Filed under: Book Reviews, Reviews by P.A.