The ÒPoumTchakÓ Pattern:
Correspondences
Between Rhythm, Sound,
and
Movement in Electronic Dance Music
PhD
Thesis by Hans
T Zeiner-Henriksen
2010
The twist and the turn, Part I
The twist and the turn, Part II
The project: choices,
limitations and terminology
Corporeality in music listening
Corporeality in the field of music psychology
Corporeality in
ethnomusicology and popular music studies
Corporeality in music analysis
The approach of the dance music producer
Chapter 1: Introduction to the cultural context of electronic
dance music
The approach of the disco DJ, part 1: the focus on the dancers
The approach of the disco DJ, part 2: the obscure tracks
The approach of the disco DJ, part 3: the focus on good sound
The approach of the disco DJ, part 4: the underground position
The 1980s continuation of
dance music culture
(Paradise) Garage and (The Ware)house
American dance music in Britain
The ÒBelleville ThreeÓ and the rise of techno
The dance music culture of the 1990s
A presentation of two dance acts
Chapter 2: Dance music production and the development of
music technology
Dance music production
from the 1970s to the 1990s
The production of Chicago house music
Dance music production in the 1990s
The development of music
technology during the 1980s and 1990s
MIDI: musical instrument digital interface
Music technology and
issues of authenticity
Chapter 3: The poumtchak pattern and body movement
The poumtchak: a basic
beat in electronic dance music......
A presentation of the poumtchak
Examination of the poumtchak effect
The poumtchak pattern in aerobics music
Survey on the poumtchak pattern and body movement
Preliminary exploratory survey
Main survey: limitations
and future research
Chapter 4: Theoretical contributions to the study of music
and movement
Affordances of the poumtchak pattern
Entrainment and
attentional energy
Motor memory and perceptual learning
Chapter 5: Introduction to the analysis of rhythm
An approach to the study of rhythm
The activation of structural schemes
The perception of the level of measure in electronic dance music
The beat level or sensation of pulse
The perception of subdivisions
Rhythm in the production of electronic dance music
Chapter 6: Analysis of rhythm in electronic dance music
The presentation of the analytical work
Example of the procedure in relation to one specific track
Anacruses (pick-ups) and the production of drive
Other elements in the
production of drive
The diminished (time) interval
Influences from earlier genres
Vertical movement in basslines
Microrhythm in electronic dance music
Chapter 7: Introduction to the analysis of sound
Sound, body movement, and the club environment
Methodological
challenges for the study of sound
The use of the term ÒsoundÓ in musical contexts
The description of sound as timbre
The visual representation of sound
Chapter 8: Analysis of sound in electronic dance music
Analysis of the poumtchak sounds
The downbeat: pitch movements in bass drum sounds
Analysis of synthesizer
sounds
Pitch movement in synthesizer sounds
Analysis of sound in
effect processing
The gradual opening low-pass filter
Analysis of sound in the
total mix
The cultural context, the
basic beat, the rhythm, and the sound
Rhythm, sound, and cultural context
Relevance,
limitations, and future research
This
study is part of the project ÒRhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction,Ó led by professor Anne Danielsen, and co-funded by the Norwegian Research Council and the Faculty
of Humanities at the University
of Oslo.
Numerous
people have supported and helped me in the completion of this study First and
foremost, I will express my gratitude to my supervisor Anne Danielsen for her thorough critical reading, for
many inspiring discussions, and a true interest in and support of my work.
Several
persons at the Department of Musicology at the University
of Oslo have read parts of my thesis and given me valuable
feedback: Here I will like to thank Stan Hawkins, Alexander Refsum Jensenius, StŒle WikshŒland, Hallgjerd Aksnes, Tellef Kvifte and Mats Johansson. The two last mentioned have also
participated in a research group affiliated with the project ÒRhythm in the Age of Digital Reproduction.Ó
The other participants, Ragnhild Br¿vig-Hanssen, Eirik Asker¿i, Kristoffer Bjerke, Kristoffer Karlsen, and Kjetil Klette B¿hler, have also taken part in the many fruitful
discussions on rhythm in music. Furthermore, I will like to thank Maria Witek and Anne-Britt
Gran for helping me with my survey in chapter 3. At the Department
of Musicology, I will also mention Rolf Inge God¿y for recommending literature and helping me with
scientific terms, Eystein Sandvik for providing me with material on
eighteenth century music listening, Mia Gšran and Odd SkŒrberg for several inspiring conversations, and
the administration for support and assistance
Outside
of the department, I will like to thank deejay/producer Gaute Drevdal for sharing his knowledge on dance music
production, for giving me access to his huge collection of music magazines, and
for pointing me to the French house music label Poumtchak I will also thank producers Ola Haampland, Kai Rob¿le, and Ulf
Holand for discussing production techniques and
deejay/producer/A&R Mike Pickering for sharing his experiences from the
British dance music scene
Nils
Nadeau, my copyeditor, has not only corrected errors and improved my English,
but has asked several critical questions along the way He has also helped me
with several English terms
Arnie Cox and Guy Madison have participated in discussions on
related topics via e-mail, while Kai
Fikentscher, Eric F Clarke, Serge
Lacasse, Susan McClary, Simon
Zagorski-Thomas, and Mark Butler have all, in relation to their visits to
Oslo during these last three years, given me valuable feedback on my
project
I
will also like to mention my friends Atle B¿ckman who introduced me to the club scene of Oslo in the
early 1990s and has provided me with several albums and compilations that have
been essential, and MD Morten Hagness who has participated in discussions of perceptual and
cognitive processes
Last,
but not least, I will express gratitude to my family: Kristin, for her
fantastic support, and Kajsa, Julie, and Linnea for their inspiration