4. Techno cities and sonic fiction

In 1998, the London publishing house Quartet Books published More
Brilliant Than The Sun. Adventures in Sonic Fiction by Kodwo Eshun.
Today, the concept of Sonic Fiction is applied in the fields of
music theory, sound studies, cultural studies, experimental music,
sound art and even political theory. “Sonic Fiction is a tool for
anyone who wants to write about music, culture, for people
passionate about club culture, artists, thinkers and
activists.

Sonic fiction is not a label to be applied taxonomically, but
rather a vessel that is triggered by sensations moving from the
outside to the inside, objects in which music materialises”. These
are the words of Holger Schulze, professor of musicology at the
University of Copenhagen and coordinator of the Sound Studies Lab.
In this episode of What Do Sounds Want?, together with him and
Giada Della Bontà, we retrace the history of the notion of Sonic
Fiction and its implications. Last but not least, we go back to
Steve Goodman and his sonic fiction Astro-Darien.