Soul Music Multimodal

SOUL MUSIC

The Old & New

INDEX

01

02

03

Introduction

Welcome to Soul

Scouring Social Media

04

05

06

Precise Production

What Do The Pros Say?

Sound & Success

Introduction

The soul music community acts as a discourse community through it's shared interests & goals surrounding modern soul music. As someone who grew up listening to soul music, I've noticed the scarcity of soul music in mainstream music today. When most people think of soul music, we point it back to the greats: Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, etc. However, we never really hear many contemporary soul artists being named in these conversations. There is some tension within the community surrounding the bridge between a modern soul sound whilst retaining the aspects of soul music that made it so popular in the past. This has sparked some controversy, namely with the band "Lawrence". Thus, my research question was born: How does the dialogue within the soul music community address the tension between raw sounds and commercial success in a market that often prioritizes overproduced tracks?

SCOURING SOCIAL MEDIA

I began my search into the soul music community by delving into the social media presence of the genre. There are many social media sites, with different pages/subreddits where soul music listeners gather to discuss soul music.

It became very clear, very fast, that there is tension within the community about what is really soul music. Some are more open to the idea of modernizing it, while others treasure the beauty of past soul music, wanting it untouched.

Here are some examples of soul music pages, where the comment sections frequent soul music listeners. Questions are asked, information is shared, and the love for soul music is exchanged amongst the followers & commenters.

This illustrates the soul music community's general dislike among mainstream artists, especially those whose music is deemed "inappropriate".

As you can see, some soul music listeners clearly exepress their dislikes about modern music.

WELCOME TO SOUL

There is not really a level of knowledge needed to be a part of the soul music community. Many of the members are super open and welcoming to new members, extending their arms out to recommend new & old tunes for listeners to check out.

This screenshot depicts someone asking, in the r/Music subreddit, about modern soul music that has a similar sound to 60s and 70s soul music. As you can see, many people respond with suggestions of artists to check out. One person even offering full record labels to check out, featuring soul artists.

PRECISE PRODUCTION

• "I listen to older soul music because of how it's recorded."

She emphasized how she prefers the analong sound of older soul music.

My next influx of information came from a music major & close friend on campus. She primarily plays Motown & Soul music on her primary instrument, bass. She offered some insight into the soul music sound in recent times.

• "There are some [soul] artists out there, but it's harder.

She described how she has trouble finding contemporary soul artists, but they are out there. They are trying to modernize soul music like Lauvey is modernizing jazz.

• "But, some artists are modernizing it too much, where it's not even soul."

She articulated how she believes some artists are modernizing the genre too much, where the sound is not reminiscent of soul music anymore.

When did we step away from using analog in music production?

WHAT DO THE PROS SAY?

A vital part of soul music was the “spontaneity [within the] recording sessions” (Stephens 30). As Booker T. Jones put it, “it was not uncommon for a song based on [a] concept to emerge as a completely different entity” (Stephens 30).

SOUND & SUCCESS

GENRE

GOALS

LEXUS

It's clear that:

It's clear that:

It's clear that:

The soul music community wants to stay true to its roots, not straying too far from the greats who pioneered the genre back in the 60s and 70s, whilst ushering in a new age of soul music.

Terms like “analog”, “raw”, and others are used to distinguish the soulful, unpolished sound that soul music exemplifies from overproduced pop sounds that command the mainstream music industry.

The soul music community is defined by key characteristics that make up its genre: raw vocals, themes of love & connection, authentic sounds, spontaneity, among others.

WORK CITED

Stephens, Robert W. “Soul: A Historical Reconstruction of Continuity and Change in Black Popular Music.” The Black Perspective in Music, vol. 12, no. 1, 1984, pp. 21–43. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1214967. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.Demary, Liam, “Instagram Page Left”, 2024, PNG file. Demary, Liam, “Instagram Page Right”, 2024, PNG file. Heck, Isabella. Personal Interview. October 28, 2024.

THANK YOU!