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.

Contents: Introduction: rhythm in the age of digital reproduction, Anne Danielsen; Part I Microrhythm and Rhythmic Structure: Here, there and everywhere: three accounts of pulse in D'Angelo's 'Left and Right', Anne Danielsen; Microtiming and rhythmic structure in clave-based music: a quantitative study, Ives Chor; Simultaneous rhythmic events with different schematic affiliations: microtiming and dynamic attending in two contemporary R&B grooves, Kristoffer Carlsen and Maria A.G. Witek; The concept of rhythmic tolerance: examining flexible grooves in Scandinavian folk fiddling, Mats Johansson; Timbral relationships and microrhythmic tension: shaping the groove experience through sound, Kristoffer Yddal Bjerke. Part II Groove and Embodiment: Rhythm/body/motion:Tricky's contradictory dance music, Eric F. Clarke; Moved by the groove: bass drum sounds and body movements in electronic dance music, Hans T. Zeiner-Henriksen; Slave to the supradiagetic rhythm: a microrhythmic analysis of creaky voice in Sia's 'Breathe Me', Serge Lacasse. Part III Mediation and Music Production: Opaque mediation. The cut-and-paste groove in DJ Food's 'Break', Ragnhild Brøvig-Hanssen; Microsampling. From Akufen's Microhouse to Todd Edwards and the sound of UK garage, Paul Harkins; Real and unreal performances: the interaction of recording technology and rock drum kit performance, Simon Zagorski-Thomas; Composing a performance: the analogue experience in the age of digital (re)production, Tellef Kvifte; Bibliography; Index.

About the Editor: Professor Anne Danielsen, Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Norway

Reviews: ‘The largely contemporary focus of both the musical case studies and the technological developments covered in the volume mean that ‘Musical Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction’ is of great potential interest to researchers currently working in a number of fields. The intersection between disciplinary areas, which is at the heart of the underlying questions that have driven the research represented, ensures that there is useful material here for musicologists, technologists, performers and cultural studies scholars, amongst others.’ Journal of Music, Technology and Education

'… a precise, lucid and superbly edited compendium and a rich source of literature on rhythm and groove that lends itself as advanced teaching material… the selection of musical material is brilliant.' Dancecult, the Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture

'Musical Rhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction is a welcome addition to an underrepresented facet of musicology. The book will be a valuable resource for musicologists involved in research in the area of popular groove-based music and musicologists researching rhythm and microrhythm. The text could also be a useful source of inspiration for composers and producers, as it could provide them with ideas for rhythmic motifs that could be explored in their own music or give them the impetus to add more rhythmic complexity to their compositions.' Popular Music

Professor Anne Danielsen's home page on the University of Oslo website.

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Full contents list

Introduction

Index