Insights in Music and Culture
The Spiritual Roots of Electronic Dance Music (Part 2)
This article continues on from the Part 1 which describes the evolution of Electronic Dance Music’s (EDM) spiritual roots. Part 2 expands on this understanding, outlining the musical tropes that evolve from ritual, used within House music, and developed into modern EDM. These tropes are included within a philosophy for music creation and performance which aims for altered states, such as experiences of trance, ecstasy, and euphoria. This modern evolution comprises new music technologies, performance approaches, and sounds, incorporated within modern music events and festivals.
The Multi-Sensory Nature of Music Rituals
It is well-known that music affects our emotions, alters our states of being, and is used to treat various diseases from Alzheimer’s, trauma, pain, to Parkinson’s (Levitin 2024). Yet, we often forget that the context in which music is experienced is critical to the successful outcomes of music as therapy. This article argues that music is most powerful when considered within the context in which it is experienced, a holistic practice known as ‘music ritual’. Music rituals use a variety of methods- aural, kinaesthetic, conceptual, olfactory, visual, psychological to create an immersive environment where music can have the most impact.
