Sound Play

by Eldar Tagi

Sound Play is a general outline for the audio-based components featured in the Care(full) Spam methodology within the Inclusi(vE)Sphere environment.

The idea behind these ways & workings is, on the one hand, to derive joy from small moments of listening that distract us from habitual being, while on the other hand, to embark on the journey of listening to a variety of different music selected under the umbrella of one specific theme.

Sound play, therefore, attempts to add certain playfulness in the daily routine-based work (via engaging with the Sonic Riddle embedded within the Care(full) Spam emails or simply broadening the horizon of known music via listening to the playlist/composition shared in the email).

Each Sound Play requires careful consideration of diverse aspects (tastes, background, stories around the compositions etc.) and preparatory work to accommodate these aspects and convey the narrative according to the selected theme. Ideally, the Sound Play methodology is a collective work that is best when prepared by a community.

From the side of the There, there working collective, we are particularly interested in notions of playfulness and broadening of the known through subtle but effective narratives that we also add in the description of each audio-based component of the Care(full) Spam.

For instance, the work on the first playlist (theme: Somewhere Summer) featured tiny hints that unraveled moments of connection between the tracks:

– The playlist starts with the animal sounds. “The first composition is made of abstract animal sounds that remind us of instrumental music because summer is about our connection to the body, environment, and imagination, and the last piece by Felicity Mangan (Until Next Summer) is filled with animal sounds that somewhat resemble the electronic clicks because we want to get lost in imaginary worlds as much as we want to embody full presence in the now.”

– The playlist starts with animal sounds, with the audience noticing “the playlist loosely follows late summer’s narrative: joyous summer thrill transitioning to the summer sadness – a bitter-sweet experience of the warmth of life lived under the sun and joy from the last moments of it as part of an inevitable countdown of days until the upcoming fall season.”

– The playlist doesn’t follow or intend to be a genre-based playlist.“We think music is more of a spectrum, and genres are myths (and it’s plus), but they are also for marketing- so we let go of this methodology too.”

The first Sonic Riddle that featured a field recording depicted somewhere in the world invited the listener to fantasize about the conditions, location, and stories behind the sound. The answer to the riddle incorporated the introduction of an amazing open-source resource that features many recordings published under a public domain license – Aporee Maps.

By sharing this resource with the SoC peers, There, there hopes that its members will take their time at any point to just wander around the planet (as featured on an interactive map) and listen to the various sounds across the world.

One dilemma for sharing the playlist was in selecting the platform. Knowing that many people are using Spotify and this would be the most convenient platform to reach the majority of people, There, there nevertheless chose not to use it.

And here is why:

Disclaimer that was featured as part of the first Care(full) Spam: Knowing how bad Spotify is to musicians, we shifted to Apple Music (which is only slightly better and is subscription-based only). And, of course, no streaming platform can compete with directly supporting artists/labels via their websites, merch tables, and Bandcamp (especially on Bandcamp Friday, when all revenue after payment processing fees goes to artists/labels and compositions cost just a few euro)… With this said, we are sharing the full playlist via Apple (as this is the only platform we both have at hand). However, we are also sending a selection of music with links to Bandcamp (featured within the artwork, available by following the link, and open to listening via Bandcamp and/or YouTube).

You can find the playlist on Apple Music.
or the same compositions embedded within the Spreadsheeting art here.

Published 09/08/2023