Phonographic Modernity ? The Gramophone Industry and Music Genres in East and Southeast Asia

Histories of phonographic technologies and industries have long overlooked the East and Southeast Asian contributions to the sonic dimension of global modernity. Fumitaka Yamauchi and Ying-fen Wang address this one-side perspective with a collection of essays that show the nations of East and Southeast Asia as vibrant contributors to and participants in human audible history.

A roster of experts on countries from Japan to Indonesia explores the complicated relationship between the gramophone industry and music genres in East and Southeast Asia. Extending the boundaries of their research across multiple disciplines, the contributors connect the gramophone industry to theories surrounding phonography and modernity. Their focus on phonography combines an interest in discs with an interest in the sounds contributing to the recent sonic-auditory turn in sound studies.

Ambitious and expansive, Phonographic Modernity examines the bloc of East and Southeast Asia within the larger global history of sound recording.

“The first of its kind, the book represents an indispensable go-to source for knowledge of the early recording industry across a vast swath of regions and territories. Out of a wealth of information, we discern clear patterns that transcend localities, and listen in on a new world in the making.”--Andrew Jones, author of Circuit Listening: Chinese Popular Music in the Global 1960s