Il progetto della hauntology

By working with materials and devices from the era of reproducibility (and often even with the “residues” of the cultural industry) hauntological music positions itself as a practice which is both expressive and “theoretical”. In this sense, it shares the strategy of art music, combined with specific elements that characterize the hauntological aural imprint. Starting from the conceptualization of the theme of hauntology in the context of postmodernism, the end of the avant gardes and the proliferation of nostalgia and retromania, this paper presents an analysis of musical hauntology, identifying both design aspects and process aspects employed in the creation of “ghostlike” sound works, in which multiple temporal levels are unraveled. By examining several case studies and sifting through existing literature, we highlight some critical issues in the previously proposed theories and categorizations. Finally, we proceed to the identification of a hauntological musical praxis. Recurring timbral and stylistic elements are listed, reviewed and discussed in both their formal characteristics and in the role they play within the hauntological mechanism.

Keywords: hauntology, sonic spectres, phonographic art, sound archeology, nostalgia for the future.