Scenes of entanglement: Towards a posthuman understanding of the transglobal noise music scene

Abstract

Drawing on the growing interest in affective and relational approaches to scene studies, we use this paper to explore a reimagining of DIY music scenes, and the transglobal noise music scene in particular, through a posthuman lens. This retheorization situates music scenes as becoming entanglements that incorporate space and time rather than historicized communities bounded by these notions. To ground this work, we present an arts-based duoethnographic exploration of the researchers lived experience within one manifestation of the transglobal noise scene at various times and geographic locations. By embodying a posthuman conceptualization of noise music scenes through our analysis, we construct new ways of theorizing, experiencing, and hearing noise music by critically reimagining the musical, spatial, and sociopolitical boundaries that traditionally define DIY music scenes. In doing so, we present a model for future scene studies that embrace the intra-active nature of these socio-musical contexts.