SOUNDBREAKING: STORIES FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF RECORDED MUSIC

The Southeast Museum of Photography will begin screening episodes from the documentary Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music, starting on Tuesday, January 23 at 6 p.m. in the Madorsky Theater. The 8-part documentary provides unprecedented access to some of the most celebrated artists, producers and music industry pioneers of all time. 

Certain screenings will be followed by a special presentation or lecture by a distinguished guest speaker, a list which includes musicians, industry professionals and educators. As with all museum events, these screenings are free and open to the public. The Madorsky Theater is housed within the Southeast Museum of Photography, located at Daytona State College, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach 32114.

A complete schedule of our GUEST PRESENTERS is available here.

“Soundbreaking makes us hear the songs we love in a whole new way, and illuminates the sonic alchemy by which the music we listen to becomes a fundamental part of who we are.”

OVERVIEW

“Produced in association with The Beatles’ legendary producer, the late Sir George Martin, this remarkable series takes on the daunting task of chronicling the history of music recording and producing. This series combines exclusive interviews with over 150 celebrated artists, producers and innovators from across the music spectrum, with rare archival studio footage and an extensive soundtrack. 

Moving between past and present, Soundbreaking tells the stories behind the sounds that have defined generations. From the Beatles’ groundbreaking use of multi-track technology to the synthesized stylings of Stevie Wonder, from disco-era drum machines to the modern art of sampling, the series highlights the dynamic tension between the artificial and the natural––between the man-made and the god-given––and explores the way in which that tension has continuously redefined not only what we listen to and how we listen to it, but our sense of what music is and can be.”

Soundbreaking was produced and directed by Emmy and Peabody Award®-winning filmmakers Show of Force.

LIST OF EPISODES AND SCREENING DATES

Episode 1: The Art of Recording

TuesDAY, JANUARY 23, 6-8PM

Soundbreaking begins where a recording does––at the intersection of inspiration and execution. There stands the enigmatic figure of the record producer, the person charged with the critical task of both realizing an artist’s vision and capturing it for posterity. Profiling some of the most accomplished and revered producers in the recording industry, Episode One offers a study in contrasting styles and approaches.

Episode 3: The Human Instrument

TuesDAY, JANUARY 30, 6-8PM

Celebrating the most powerful of all instruments––the human voice––the third episode of Soundbreaking surveys the range of ingredients that go into a perfect vocal track. Featuring rare studio footage of some the world’s most renowned vocalists––from blues divas to suave crooners to rock star screamers––the show considers the gamut of tricks and techniques that can both enhance and alter the human voice.

Episode 5: four on the floor

Tuesday, february 6, 6-8PM

If the vocal track is the heart of a song, the rhythm track––the beat––is its body. It’s the sonic element that taps into the most primal part of us and makes us want to move. Four on The Floor breaks the beat down, and examines the endless experimentation that has taken place at its core, the very bedrock of all music. Charts the progression of the beat from drum and bass to beatbox and beyond––from Little Richard and James Brown to disco and EDM.

Episode 7: sound and vision

THURSDAY, february 15, 6-8PM

Chronicling the era in which MTV forged an indelible and inextricable link between recorded music and the newly emergent music video, Sound and Vision considers what it means to see music as well as hear it. Tracking the music video from MTV to the internet, Sound and Vision tells the story of how a one-time marketing tool became a powerful mediator between artist and audience. lluminates the role of the music video in popular music.

Episode 2: PAINTING WITH SOUND

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 6-8PM

The advent of magnetic tape and multitracking technology allowed artists to experiment with music in new ways, from the 4- and 8-track productions born of the friendly rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach Boys, to the 16- and 24-track productions created by Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac, to the digital innovations that today fuel the work of artists such as Beck, Bon Iver, and Radiohead.

Episode 4: Going Electric

THURSDAY, february 1, 6-8PM

Tells the story of the most elemental force in recording–-electricity––and the musical revolution it sparked. Highlighting the way in which electricity has been harnessed and channeled to create new and never-before-heard sounds, Going Electric traces both the chain reaction unleashed by the invention of the electric guitar and the evolution of synthesized music. Highlights how the power of technology is used to redefine music.

Episode 6: the world is yours

tuesDAY, february 13, 6-8PM

The World in Yours looks at a musical revolution that was not only inspired by recording but born from its history: the art of sampling––a kind of musical equivalent of Adam’s rib.  Beginning with the pioneers of hip hop, the episode tracks the way in which the practice of borrowing fragments from existing records created a new genre––a potent musical form that emerged from the margins, up-ended the establishment, and set in motion a controversy over copyright that has yet to be resolved.

Episode 8: i am my music

TueSDAY, february 20, 6-8PM

Shifts the focus away from the creation of music to the experience of listening to it, and to the formats that have shaped and ultimately defined that experience. From vinyl, cassette tape, CD, and MP3, each generation has had a piece of musical media to call its own– a way of listening that determines not only how and where we listen, but also the manner in which we collect, store, and share the music we love.

• All episodes to be screened in the Madorsky Theater at the Southeast Museum of Photography

PRODUCTION CREDITS

About Higher Ground
Higher Ground is the creator of the SOUNDBREAKING entertainment brand.  The firm was founded by David H. Langstaff and a small group of music lovers to produce the SOUNDBREAKING project, which grew out of a relationship between Sir George Martin and the Langstaff family.  Through SOUNDBREAKING, Higher Ground aims to educate audiences on the relatively brief history of sound recording – just over one hundred years – which is one of the most important stories of the twentieth century.

About Show of Force
Show of Force was founded in 2006 by veteran film and television producers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre and is known for creating award-winning feature documentaries, event television series and groundbreaking transmedia projects. Their work includes the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present for HBO, Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace, the 2014 SXSW Jury Prize winner for Best Documentary Short; Mann v. Ford, a feature-length documentary for HBO; the 6-hour PBS series Circus; and the Emmy Award-winning 10-hour PBS series Carrier.  Their projects A Path Appears and Emmy Honors recipient Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, based on the bestselling books by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, were broadcast on PBS/Independent Lens.  These multi-platform initiatives reached more than 50 million people worldwide, garnered some 3 billion media impressions and included mobile games and a Facebook game with over 2 million players worldwide.

Further information can be found at: www.showofforce.com, @SOFfilm, @SOFsocialgood.