Re: [microsound] re: microsound book group/Kahn

[Ian Andrews <i.andrews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>As for the titles, I'd like to reread the Attali. Kahn's take is more
>historical, leaving not as much for discussion save the slant itself in a
>highly critical undertaking upon Kahn's perspective or a sort of
>re-encounter with the ideas of the progenitors under the microscope.

Yes its a rather odd book. While I find much of Douglas Kahn's work quite
interesting, I have a lot of problems with _ Noise Water Meat_ . It seems
to me to be, in a sense, a kind of patchwork and elaboration of many other
writers work.  The problem is that none of these authors are credited.
The years 1986 to about 1994 were an intense peiod of interest in sound
theory in Sydney.  This culture centered around a number of journals (NMA,
Earshot and Essays in Sound) and a newly formed sound theory major within
the humanities faculty at the Univerity of Technology Sydney. I suppose It
was this culture wich attracted Doulglas to Sydney in the first place, were
he met his wife Fran Dyson (who lectured in sound theory at UTS).
Unfortunately it seems to me that Doug has, in typically colonialist
fashion, exploited the Sydney sound theory scene of that period,  using the
work as fodder for his book, bringing back to the centre of academia the
raw material and ideas collected in the periphery. There is one line in the
book which acknowledges some of the above publications but none of the
individual writers are mentioned, some of which provide the seeds for whole
chapters of _Noise Water Meat_.
I suppose that I could be over reacting, and that many writers do this on a
regular basis.  Perhaps it is because I am very familiar with much of the
source material and I know for a fact that Kahn was also very familiar with
the work published in these journals.
That said, I do find much of his earlier work worth reading.

Ian Andrews
Metro Screen
Sydney

Email: i.andrews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.metroscreen.com.au

Metro Screen
Sydney Film Centre
Paddington Town Hall
P.O. Box 299
Paddington NSW 2021
Ph : 612 9361 5318
Fax: 612 9361 5320

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