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PODCAST

Phantom Power

SpectreVision Radio

Sound is all around us, but we give little thought to its invisible influence. Dr. Mack Hagood explores the world of sound studies with the world"s most amazing sound scholars, sound artists, and acoustic ecologists. How are noise-cancelling headphones changing social life? What did silent films sound like? Is listening to audiobooks really reading? How did computers learn to speak? How do race, gender, and disability shape our listening? What do live musicians actually hear in those in-ear

society & culture

All Episodes

61:36

African Music Technology: Branding, Identity, and the...

Phantom Power ·

2025/11/28

Today host Mack Hagood is joined by three remarkable scholars whose work sits at the intersection of African music, technology, and culture.Dr. Louise Meintjes is Marcello Lotti Professor at Duke University. She's a distinguished ethnomusicologist whose groundbreaking research on South African music has transformed how we understand the recording studio as a site of cultural negotiation and creative production. Media anthropologist Dr. Reginold Royston is an Associate Professor

en-US

54:38

Irv Teibel’s Environments, AI Audio, and the Future...

Phantom Power ·

2025/10/31

How did we humans become so dependent on white noise machines, noise-canceling headphones, lo-fi girl and other technologies that help us privatize and individualize our soundscape? An important character in that cultural history is Irv Teibel, whose environments series helped change how we listen. These records were the first to use recorded natural soundscapes as technologies to change how we feel and function. My guests this episode are Joel Stern and James Parker, two thirds of the art and

en-US

61:07

Horror Film Sound Designer Graham Reznick on Crafting...

Phantom Power ·

2025/09/26

Graham Reznick is a multifaceted sound designer, screenwriter, director, and musician, best known for his work on indie horror films like Ti West's X and the critically acclaimed video game Until Dawn. In this episode, Reznick discusses Rabbit Trap, a film based on Welsh folklore blending analog synthesis with supernatural soundscapes. Host Mack Hagood and Reznick begin talking about horror sound design as a technical and creative process, examining how he crafted specific uncanny soundscapes in

en-US

81:06

Maurice Rocco and the Psychedelic Roots of Thai...

Phantom Power ·

2025/08/29

With movie star looks and a raucous piano style, Maurice Rocco made a splash in the 1940’s, influencing future rock and rollers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. By the 60s, however, he was a has-been in the U.S., playing lounges in Bangkok, Thailand until his grisly murder by a pair of male sex workers. In his deeply insightful book ⁠Bangkok After Dark, ethnomusicologist Benjamin Tausig reclaims Rocco’s forgotten story and reveals its broader context, exploring the intersection of race,

en-US

3:43

Phantom Power Trailer

Phantom Power ·

2025/08/13

Sound is an invisible force that most people rarely notice and barely understand. Dr. Mack Hagood explores the world of sound studies with the world's most amazing sound researchers, artists, and designers, as well as musicians, writers, voice actors and others. We've broken down how computers learned to talk, Yoko Ono's scream, John Cage's silence, chopped and screwed cassette tapes, the politics of EDM, film soundtracks, field recording, and audio ink blot tests for blind people. Phantom Power is

en-US

1:15:21

Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier on Critical Listening

Phantom Power ·

2025/06/27

This month, we have a guest pod in the feed: It’s the debut episode of Critical Listening, music technology criticism from journalist Liz Pelly and composer-educator Max Alper, “two lifers of the Northeast underground and independent scholars of streaming era … Continue reading →The post Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier on Critical Listening appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

52:21

Yvette Janine Jackson: Decomposing Boundaries

Phantom Power ·

2025/05/30

Yvette Janine Jackson is a composer and sound artist who creates immersive compositions, drawing on a wide array of genres and life experiences. Her compositions have been commissioned internationally for a variety of mediums. Yvette Jackson often works in a … Continue reading →The post Yvette Janine Jackson: Decomposing Boundaries appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

Cassette Theory: A Mixtape (Eleanor Patterson, Rob...

Phantom Power ·

2025/04/26

Today we present a cassette theory mixtape. Three excellent scholars help us understand consumer-focused magnetic tape and its history as a medium for the masses: Eleanor Patterson, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Auburn, whose new book just won the … Continue reading →The post Cassette Theory: A Mixtape (Eleanor Patterson, Rob Drew, and Andrew Simon) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

53:01

How Music Became an Instrument of War (David Suisman)

Phantom Power ·

2025/03/28

University of Delaware historian David Suisman is known for his research on music and capitalism, particularly his excellent book Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music (Harvard UP, 2009), which won numerous awards and accolades. Suisman’s new book, Instrument … Continue reading →The post How Music Became an Instrument of War (David Suisman) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

5:50

Remembering Jonathan Sterne (1970-2025)

Phantom Power ·

2025/03/23

The sound studies community is reeling from the death of Jonathan Sterne this past Thursday. Jonathan’s presence and work were–and are–incredibly influential on the intellectual and ethical commitments of our field. He was a generous mentor to so many, including … Continue reading → The post Remembering Jonathan Sterne (1970-2025) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

49:44

How Spotify Dulls the Musical Mind (Liz Pelly)

Phantom Power ·

2025/02/28

Liz Pelly is our foremost journalist/critic on the Spotify beat. Her byline has appeared at the Baffler, Guardian, NPR, and many other outlets. She is also an adjunct instructor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Liz is also been … Continue reading →The post How Spotify Dulls the Musical Mind (Liz Pelly) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

1:08:25

Are AI art and music really just noise? (Eryk Salvaggio)

Phantom Power ·

2025/01/29

In this episode, host Mack Hagood dives into the world of AI-generated music and art with digital artist and theorist Eryk Salvaggio. The conversation explores technical and philosophical aspects of AI art, its impact on culture, and the ‘age of … Continue reading →The post Are AI art and music really just noise? (Eryk Salvaggio) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

52:19

Podcasting’s Obsession with Obsession (Neil Verma)

Phantom Power ·

2024/05/24

Today we discuss how narrative podcasts work, the role they’ve played in American culture and how they’ve shaped our understanding of podcasting as a genre and an industry. Neil Verma’s new book, Narrative Podcasting in an Age of Obsession, offers a … Continue reading →The post Podcasting’s Obsession with Obsession (Neil Verma) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

32:39

Second Line: Footwork in New Orleans (Lowlines by...

Phantom Power ·

2024/05/10

A new podcast called Lowlines takes us to a New Orleans Second Line, the brass band tradition that comes out of Black funeral processions and social clubs and is known not only for the power of the music but for amazing dancing known as footwork. Continue reading → The post Second Line: Footwork in New Orleans (Lowlines by Petra Barran) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

1:00:01

Beyond Listening: The Hidden Ways Sound Affects Us...

Phantom Power ·

2024/04/26

Dr. Michael Heller examines sonic experiences that go “beyond listening.” Moments when sound overpowers us. When sound is sensed more in our bodies than in our ears. When sound engages in crosstalk with our other senses. Or when it affects us by being inaudible. Continue reading →The post Beyond Listening: The Hidden Ways Sound Affects Us (Michael Heller) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

48:36

Noise and Affect Theory (Marie Thompson)

Phantom Power ·

2024/04/12

Feminist sound scholar and musician Marie Thompson is a theorist of noise. She has also been one of the key thinkers in integrating the study of sound with the study of affect. Continue reading →The post Noise and Affect Theory (Marie Thompson) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

50:42

From HAL to SIRI: How Computers Learned to Speak...

Phantom Power ·

2024/03/29

Learn how computers learned to speak with computer historian Benjamin Lindquist. Ben tells the the fascinating backstory to HAL 9000 and the strange the analog history of digital computing. Continue reading →The post From HAL to SIRI: How Computers Learned to Speak (Benjamin Lindquist) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

1:06:41

Publishing for Nonfiction Authors (Jane Von Mehren)

Phantom Power ·

2024/03/15

Jane Von Mehren, Senior Partner at Aevitas Creative Management and a former Senior Vice President at Random House, explains how to find a literary agent, how to write a query letter to an agent, and how to craft a book proposal that your agent can shop to publishers. Continue reading →The post Publishing for Nonfiction Authors (Jane Von Mehren) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

1:08:48

Noise and Information in the Office (Joseph L. Clarke)

Phantom Power ·

2024/03/01

Ever wonder who's to blame for the noise and distraction of the open office? Architectural historian Joseph L. Clarke has answers! Theories of acoustic communication accidentally inspired the sonic disaster of the open plan. Continue reading →The post Noise and Information in the Office (Joseph L. Clarke) appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

1:10:45

Robin Miles: Talking Books

Phantom Power ·

2024/02/16

Today we bring you a master class in audiobook narration and acting with acclaimed actor, casting director, audiobook narrator and audiobook director, Robin Miles. Beyond technique, we talk about the audiobook industry and the politics of vocal representation. Continue reading →The post Robin Miles: Talking Books appeared first on Phantom Power.

en-US

77 results

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