Beats and bullets. Reproduction of violent sounds in funk proibidão.

S.E. Gilsing

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractOther research output

Abstract

In many favelas in Rio de Janeiro daily life normality is deeply intertwined with the rule of drug trafficking gangs in these areas. The “law of the favela” not only informs the ways favela inhabitants speak (or hold silent) about illegalized and legalized authorities, but also plays a role in how they experience the power regimes at play in their city in a sensorial way. An important factor in the soundscape in which the legitimation of drug gangs takes place is funk proibidão, a type of music that by some is described as an apology of crime, and by others as the voice of the favela. In this paper I scrutinize the role of funk proibidão in the distribution of the sensible (Rancière 2006) in and around favelas in Rio. By analyzing how the music has an influence on what makes sense and what is sensible for its listeners, I show how popular culture is an important factor in processes that evolve around authorization and legitimization of non-state sovereign actors. To take the sensory experience of listening to music seriously, I do not just focus on an analysis of lyrics, but I especially listen in on the sounds of violence that can be heard in the music. I explain how the experience of hearing gunshots and other sounds surrounding the almost daily violence in favelas is related to hearing these sounds in a reproduced fashion in music.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusUnpublished - 2017

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