Unsound Supplies: Noisy Matter and the Making of Modern Sound

Join us to celebrate the launch of Unsound Supplies: Noisy Matter and the Making of Modern Soundscapes (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025). Unsound Supplies delves into the provenance of the many materials that have shaped modern music and audio technology, uncovering the global—and often colonial—sources of ivory, Brazilian wood, shellac, steel, wax, and other materials used in instruments and recording media. Bringing these long-hidden histories into view, the volume traces the supply chains, labor regimes, and political forces that underpin modern soundscapes. The event will feature the volume’s co-editors Fanny Gribenski (NYU) and Viktoria Tkaczyk (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), OUP-series editor Gavin Steingo (Princeton University), and contributor Matthew Hockenberry (Fordham University).