Sonic Identity, House Music and Heritage
Wonderful news. One of the many great developments I was hoping to occur has finally happened. As of last week, this brand new book has been released by Routledge. Music and Heritage: New Perspectives on Place-making and Sonic Identity is available in hardback, paperback, and as an ebook. Most excitingly for me, I was half of the team that put it together. In collaboration with the world-renowned and incredibly supportive Prof John Schofield (someone who very first encouraged me to dive into this whole research project), we have compiled this edited collection an incalculably broad and diverse array of research into music and heritage.
From metal to Morris dancing, via Manchester, Malta, Morrissey and Memorials, the book is certainly wide ranging. As far as Foundations of House is concerned, there is a chapter explicitly focused on Chicago house and an expanded and formalised version of this article on socio-economic factors in house music’s history.
It’s been a real pleasure to work with John and all the authors on it. And fabulous to have a bit more house music scholarship out there in the world. In fact, there’s an Accepted Manuscript pre-print available on my ResearchGate.
Oh, and the reviews are also incredibly lovely:
'In this ground-breaking and thoughtful volume, Liam Maloney and John Schofield have brought together a series of excellent contributions that focus on the role of sound and sonic identity in a wide-ranging set of environments. Some of the case studies focus on rural, urban, and deindustrialized landscapes and others concentrate on particular soundscapes such as music making venues, and places of commemoration, memory, and archiving. Within the volume is a sort of mini monograph, an intensive multi-angled examination of the sonic environments of Manchester, UK. The work offers new and original insights into what heritage can do and be as the volume shifts effortlessly between tangible and intangible heritage. The book reorients the scope of heritage research in a manner that will be of great interest to scholars, students, and anyone interested in the many ways that sound is threaded through human experience.'
~Carolyn L. White, University of Nevada, USA
'Music and Heritage is an exciting and timely contribution to understanding the significance of popular music as cultural heritage. This collection includes an impressive range of international perspectives, capturing the dynamic interactions between time, place, and music as makers of local and global identities. Accessibly written and engaging, Music and Heritage draws original parallels with archaeology and frames the concept of heritage as a living archive. For academic researchers, cultural workers, and music audiences, this book can expand intellectual horizons and inform creative ideas.'
~Dr Asya Draganova, Birmingham City University, UK
'At a time when the culture sector is under increasing threat, this collection offers fresh perspectives on music heritage and how music shapes and is shaped by place. Particularly welcome is its examination of heritage through a focus on sound and sound-making, and through cross-disciplinary approaches and perspectives. The contributors cover a wide range of topics, from English Morris dancing to Chicago House Music, and the chapters are engaging and accessible. Together, they illustrate the importance of sonic identity for characterising places, and enable music heritage to be discussed in relation to the iconic and everyday, the tangible and intangible. The book will be essential reading for students and researchers working across a range of disciplines, and interested in music, sound, place-making and cultural heritage.'
~Sara Cohen, University of Liverpool, UK
