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David Toop

デイヴィッド・トープ

David Toop

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-05-05 （Enfield, England）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Residence History
Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire → London

Career

Occupations
Author, Musician, College professor, Curator
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
London College of Communication, University of the Arts London
Memberships
London Musicians Collective (founding member), Alterations (member of improvising quartet)
Influenced By
Brian Eno, Max Eastley, Hugh Davies
Influenced
Contemporary sound artists and experimental musicians

Education

The Broxbourne School
Period: 〜1967
Country: United Kingdom
Completed secondary education
Hornsey College of Art
Period: 1967-?
Country: United Kingdom
Studied art
Watford School of Art
Period: 1967-?
Country: United Kingdom
Studied art

Awards

American Book Award
2000
Work: Exotica: Fabricated Soundscapes in a Real World
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
Penderyn Music Book Prize
2017
Work: Into the Maelstrom: Music, Improvisation and the Dream of Freedom, Before 1970
Organization: Penderyn/organisers
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip Hop

1984 Non-fiction / Music criticism

A study tracing the emergence and development of hip hop from African roots to the New York scene.

Hip hopCultural originsMusic history

Ocean of Sound: Aether Talk, Ambient Sound and Imaginary Worlds

1995 Non-fiction / Music criticism

A poetic survey of contemporary musical life, traversing ambient and experimental music and the imaginary worlds of sound.

AmbientSoundscapeImaginary worlds
Adaptations
  • [Curation / 2-CD set] Ocean of Sound (curated 2-CD set) (1996)

Exotica: Fabricated Soundscapes in a Real World

1999 Non-fiction / Music cultural studies

Examines how 'exotica' soundscapes are fabricated and their cultural contexts.

ExoticismCultural imaginationAcoustic representation

Haunted Weather: Music, Silence, and Memory

2004 Non-fiction / Essay

An essayistic work exploring the relationships among music, silence, and memory.

MemorySilenceMusic and place

Sinister Resonance: The Mediumship of the Listener

2010 Non-fiction / Criticism

A critical exploration of the listener's relationship with sound from a mediumistic perspective.

ListeningSynchronicityOccult imagination

Into the Maelstrom: Music, Improvisation and the Dream of Freedom, Before 1970

2016 Non-fiction / History & Improvised music

A study of the history of improvisation before 1970 and its dream of freedom.

ImprovisationFreedomMusic history

Star-shaped Biscuit (opera)

2012 Music theatre / Opera

An experimental opera project created/performed as part of the Faster Than Sound project at Aldeburgh.

Experimental musicSound art
Adaptations
  • [Opera performance] Star-shaped Biscuit (2012)

Bibliography

  • Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip Hop (1984)
  • Rap Attack 2: African Rap To Global Hip Hop (1992)
  • Ocean of Sound (1995)
  • Exotica (1999)
  • Haunted Weather (2004)
  • Sinister Resonance (2010)
  • Into the Maelstrom (2016)
  • Inflamed Invisible: Collected Writings on Art and Sound 1976-2018 (2019)
  • Two-Headed Doctor: Listening For Ghosts in Dr. John's Gris-Gris (2024)

Adaptations

  • Star-shaped Biscuit (opera performance, 2012)

Translations of Works

  • Flutter Echo (Japanese edition, 2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Poetic, essayistic proseDescriptive linking of sound and imagery
Recurring Motifs
SoundscapesMemory and silenceImprovisation and freedom

Legacy

David Toop has had wide influence across audio culture, experimental music and music criticism. Through his writings and curatorial work he has introduced new perspectives on listening and music history.

Academic Societies

  • London Musicians Collective (association)
  • University of the Arts London (affiliation / emeritus status)

Archives

  • University of the Arts London research repository / related materials

In Popular Culture

  • Performances at international art-music events such as the Venice Biennale (2015)

Quotes

  • I have always been interested in the way sound tells stories.
    Source: Ocean of Sound (book / essays) (1995)

Trivia

  • Was a member of The Flying Lizards.
  • Founded the record label Quartz Publications in 1977.
  • Curated the exhibition 'Sonic Boom' in 2000.