Technologies of Hypnagogia: Altered Perception and Religions in Avant-Garde Electronic Music

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is an interesting area of interest to the readership of the journal. At present it reads like an historical account in which various themes are traced.  It would help if the article was broken into subsections, reflecting these emergent themes.  Most importantly one of these sections should be a well judged conclusion drawing the themes together.  It also needs a very brief discussion of the state of the relationship between religion/spirituality of music before and during the period covered by the article.  Hypnagogia is used in the title and not used or explained at all in the article.

Author Response

Review 1: This is an interesting area of interest to the readership of the journal. At present it reads like an historical account in which various themes are traced.  It would help if the article was broken into subsections, reflecting these emergent themes.  Most importantly one of these sections should be a well judged conclusion drawing the themes together.  It also needs a very brief discussion of the state of the relationship between religion/spirituality of music before and during the period covered by the article. Hypnagogia is used in the title and not used or explained at all in the article.

Author: I believe that the contribution my piece makes is better advanced when organized by composer, as it is currently, rather than engaging in the significant revision thematically. I have, however, made sure that the themes are appropriately highlighted throughout, including in a slightly expanded conclusion.

Furthermore, I have incoporated a brief summary and a definition of hypnagogia as recommended.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I think this is wonderful manuscript and will most certainly contribute to a very interesting area of research. I have very little to say, other than the following:

1. I wonder if the author might consider speaking a bit about EDM, rave and trance.  Might be too much to cover, but worth considering.
2. The Christian perspective is covered in the author's discussion on Catholicism, but I wonder about pentecostal traditions that value the "spirit-filled" sounds of clapping and speaking in tongues, which are then recorded and experienced later by consumer-worshippers. But the article certainly stands on its own without this.
3. Perhaps the author could include some more recent work in the references.  On the other hand, those may not exist. Currently the two most recent works included are Chion, Michel. Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016) and Hackett, Rosalind. “Sound,” in Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler, The Oxford Handbook for the Study of Religion (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), pp. 316-328. 

Author Response

Review 2.

1. I wonder if the author might consider speaking a bit about EDM, rave and trance.  Might be too much to cover, but worth considering. Author: I agree that this would be outside the scope of the piece, but I appreciate the comment.
2. The Christian perspective is covered in the author's discussion on Catholicism, but I wonder about pentecostal traditions that value the "spirit-filled" sounds of clapping and speaking in tongues, which are then recorded and experienced later by consumer-worshippers. But the article certainly stands on its own without this. Author: As above, this is fascinating but outside the scope of the piece.
3. Perhaps the author could include some more recent work in the references.  On the other hand, those may not exist. Currently the two most recent works included are Chion, Michel. Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016) and Hackett, Rosalind. “Sound,” in Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler, The Oxford Handbook for the Study of Religion (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), pp. 316-328. Author: Both of these sources were already cited in the text and in the bibliography.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I have two concerns about this otherwise excellent contribution:

1. The definition of electronic music is narrow in its application but not explicitly stated as such. Pioneering composers such as Stockhausen, babbitt and may others are not considered but the rationale for excluding them is not explicit.
2. The 'hypnagogia' rationale - which may explain and answer 1 above, is not satisfactorily defined so we are left to infer a reading of the hypnogogic by detecting similarities across the chosen examples.

Addressing these would strengthen the article in my opinion - and it is definitely worth the effort because this is otherwise a very strong contribution to the field of music & spirituality.

Author Response

Review 3: 

1. The definition of electronic music is narrow in its application but not explicitly stated as such. Pioneering composers such as Stockhausen, babbitt and may others are not considered but the rationale for excluding them is not explicit. Author: I have omitted these and other important composers because they were not significantly engaged with matters of religion or spirituality (although Babbitt got close in places).
2. The 'hypnagogia' rationale - which may explain and answer 1 above, is not satisfactorily defined so we are left to infer a reading of the hypnogogic by detecting similarities across the chosen examples. Author: As with my response to the first review, I have revised the piece to make this clearer. I appreciate all comments.