For the sixth issue of EastEast, we consider music, in particular, the notion of “Music Technology.” The term tends to conjure up feelings of both potentiality and inaccessibility, accompanied by images of complex synthesizers, flashing computer screens, and tangles of colorful wires. In fact, we believe the term can be more broadly interpreted, incorporating the centuries-long traditions of luthiers, the intersections of electronic music and folk practices, and the multifaceted relationships between the instruments themselves, their creators, and those that use them.
On the EastEast website, we'll share interviews, features, and films with musicians, instrument makers, and scholars that help to expand the meanings of music technology, and help us to conceive of it through a more holistic perspective. We will also be featuring new curated content on EastEast Radio, such as podcasts and mixes by guest contributors.
Join us as we:
— Rethink “Music Technology”
— Resist the binaries of the “Traditional” and “Experimental”
— Redefine the relationships between instruments, instrument makers, and instrumentalists
