Ethics

Ghana has a budding music scene with many talented artists. Over the past ten years, many of them are doing great with little or no support. This however, isn’t stopping these musicians from creating – and churning out greatness.

In this first issue of the Norient Sound Series, we examine how political contexts of our time are transformed into musical production. With case studies from all around the world, this Norient Special approaches sampling as a tool for critical thought and a way of alternative storytelling.

As digital samplers became more prominent during the 1990s, the «soundware» industry grew, providing sample libraries for music producers to use in their derivative works. South Asian sounds have long occupied a place in this market while being advertised as «world» sounds. Here, Chris McGuinness discusses the case of Sohan Lal, a Punjabi singer whose voice ended up in such a sample library and was used in many popular songs.

What are the political implications and ethical concerns of sampling sounds of war? This is a critical question raised by «The End of Silence», a 2013 record from the British composer Matthew Herbert based entirely on a six-second field recording of the Libyan civil war. Musicologist Luis Velasco-Pufleau examines this question and argues that sound and music can enable critical examinations of the rationale of war.