The Magic Circle
Sonic Substance in Psychedelic Music
$127.35
- Paperback
344 pages
- Release Date
24 November 2026
Summary
In the mid-sixties, the Beatles abandoned live performance, complaining they could no longer hear themselves on stage. Obsessed with the latest records of Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson, and with imaginations fueled by weed and acid, they retired to the studio. With the help of their producers and engineers, the Beatles left a trail of novel recording practices, audio technologies, and records in their wake. But their realization that the act of listening to recorded sound was itself a means for …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262551731 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 026255173X |
| Author: | Trace Reddell |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 344 |
| Release Date: | 24 November 2026 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
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Critics Review
ENDORSEMENTS
“Profound, brilliant, and mind-expanding, Trace Reddell’s The Magic Circle will change how we think about recorded sound. A dazzling work of psychedelic media theory.”
—Ido Hartogsohn, author of American Trip
“Reddell’s masterstroke is that music is psychedelia’s third thing, the sonic substance dissolving the boundary between set and setting. A landmark work at the crossroads of sound studies, media theory, and psychedelic science.”
—Graham St John, author of Strange Attractor
“A potent brew that combines great stories about how the classics of psychedelic music were created with novel thinking around the relationship between sound technologies and hallucinogenic drug experience.”
—Randolph Jordan, Champlain College Saint-Lambert; author of Acoustic Profiles
Trace Reddell
Trace Reddell is Professor of Art, Culture & Technology at the University of Denver. He is the author of The Sound of Things to Come, and his audiovisual performances and video works have screened at over thirty international venues.
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