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Albright Professor Publishes Book on Culture and Practice of Digital Music Production

by Albright College

Jan 25, 2022

Drawing on music technology industry research and his own practice as a hip-hop and electronic dance music producer, Mike D’Errico, Ph.D., assistant professor of music and computer science at Albright College, has published “Push: Software Design and the Cultural Politics of Music Production,” with Oxford University Press.

The book shows how changes in the design of music software in the first decades of the 21st century shaped the production techniques and performance practices of artists working across media, from hip-hop and electronic dance music to video games and mobile apps. In “Push,” D’Errico examines the social, cultural and political values designed into music software, and how those values become embodied by musical communities through production and performance.

“In addition to the decade I spent in Los Angeles conducting research for this book, so much of the final product was shaped by my experience working with students in my music technology courses at Albright.” said D’Errico.

D’Errico serves in the roles of director of music technology and composition, assistant professor of music and computer science, and music department chair at Albright College, where he teaches courses in music production, sound design, game design and songwriting. His research has appeared in Music, Sound, and the Moving Image, Journal on the Art of Record Production, and edited collections such as The Oxford Handbook of Electronic Dance Music; Electronic Cities: Music, Policies and Space in the 21st Century; Critical Issues to the Production of Music and Sound; and The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop.

As an electronic music producer and sound designer, he makes hip-hop beats, electronic dance music tracks, and sound for video games and virtual reality applications. He is an Avid Certified Instructor in Pro Tools for Music and Game Audio, as well as an Apple Certified Pro in Logic Pro X. He earned his doctorate in musicology from UCLA, his master’s degree in music from Tufts University, and his Bachelor of Music Education from the University New Hampshire.

Hardcover ISBN: 9780190943301 | Paperback ISBN: 9780190943318

Named a top national college by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Albright College (founded 1856) is home to a diverse community of learners who cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience. Through learning experiences that engage a student’s creative and innovative capacities across all disciplines, both inside and outside of the classroom, an Albright College education guarantees that each student learns how to engage the world, understand the world, and is prepared to make an impact on a rapidly changing world. Located in Reading, Pa., Albright is home to undergraduate students, adult learners and graduate students.

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