(Rock) Music and the Environment

By Ludwig Kuchinke
Supervisor: Gesa Lüdecke

How is such an (at the first glance) immaterial thing like music connected to the environment? Of course, there are many elements we could consider: the production of music and mediums like LPs, CDs, and digital streaming contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and result in resource consumption. The same can be said for concerts and festivals and the use of musical equipment used in recording. Yet, on the other hand, music has many positive benefits, so how can it make a positive contribution to environmental movements? Does music just reflect current environmental issues and themes? These questions were discussed within this project and developed through a song I wrote.

From a theoretical perspective, music is influenced by its circumstances, reflecting a particular moment in time, with nature and the environment often used as sources of inspiration. As part of political movements, songs can play a role in creating awareness, including awareness of environmental issues. All these topics can be found within the wide transdisciplinary field of ecomusicology, which shifts one's perspective from the visual to the audible, connecting human concerns with environmental factors.

In music practice, a variety of songs, both new and old, can be found that deal with environmental themes across several genres, which were used as sources of analysis and inspiration for my project. This project focussed on the genre of Rock, as it is my favorite musical genre. As I make music as a hobby guitarist, and I am engaged in the environmental movement, my work can be categorized as auto-ethnographic. Music is a form of emotional expression and the lyrics are mostly told from a personal perspective. So, my song was created by drawing on my own style of music and the environmental, political, and scientific topics discussed throughout the Environmental Studies Certificate Program at the RCC. Nevertheless, as a musician, I cannot control how people respond to and interpret my music. This is dependent on the audience and other contextual factors. Even a political song, which usually has a simple structure and clear lyrics so that it can be easily understood, is still conditional on the listeners, their musical taste, and their awareness of the song's topic.

The song "Half-natural" (the title resembles the state of the planet and the semi-unplugged recording) explores the problems caused by fast-paced and consumption-orientated lifestyles from the perspective of a member of the younger generation with fears for the future. It calls for immediate action because “we are running out of time!” The solution, as suggested in the song, is that we slow down our lives.

Have a listen and experience the shifting soundscapes, which begin with natural sounds and end with mechanical, human-produced sounds. Also, pay attention to the mood and expression of the two guitars and the lyrics of the soundtrack. Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/cakenham/half-natural

You can also listen to an older song from 2015, which I produced with my band, which also covers environmental topics. It was used as inspiration for the project.

https://soundcloud.com/cakenham/10-past-12-2020-reissued

As a result of this project, I hope listeners will pay more attention to the soundscapes of their everyday life and the environmental messages contained within their favorite types of music. Is it possible that listeners miss the political messages contained in today's music because they are so caught up in our fast-paced society? Listen attentively, while also paying attention to the amount of equipment used at concerts and the amount of streaming involved in listening to music. Altogether, these were the main topics I addressed within this project, which contribute interesting insights to the field of ecomusicology and music-making.