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Zed Beats: A Historical Ethnography of Musical Production and Musical Labor in Zambian Popular Music

Tembo, Mathew (2024) Zed Beats: A Historical Ethnography of Musical Production and Musical Labor in Zambian Popular Music. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Drawing on participant-observation, interviews, musical analysis and published literature on Zambia’s socio-economic history, I analyze shifts in musical labor and musical production of Zambian popular music between 1986 and 2024. I define musical labor as any activity that contributes to the production of music in recording studios and other creative spaces for financial gain or otherwise. Zed Beats, a blend of indigenous Zambian musical elements with musical influences drawn from R&B, reggae, rap, Jamaican dancehall, hip-hop, and other music genres, exposes these shifts.
Socio-economic conditions prevalent in the late-1980s and 1990s, including the decline of Zambia’s economy, the rise in the number of disk jockeys (DJs) and their mobile discos, the dominance of foreign music on Zambia’s radio and television, the demise of many musicians due to HIV/AIDS, and the economic liberalization of Zambia’s economy, facilitated shifts in musical labor and musical production in recording studios.
This dissertation consists of five chapters. In Chapter 1, I present the history of Zambian popular music and examine the socio-economic conditions that led to the emergence of Zed Beats and its subgenres in home studios. In the second chapter, I analyze musical labor and musical production in semi-professional studios between 1986 and 2000 before the emergence of Zed Beats. In chapters three and four, I examine shifts in musical labor and musical production based on ethnographic research I conducted in Zambia between 2021 and 2024. In Chapter 5, I analyze the seeming omnipotence of producers in home studios as they transformed their Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) into musical instruments. The producer’s omnipotence in the production of Zed Beats has significantly influenced its sound and blurred the roles of the musician, engineer, composer, arranger, songwriter, and producer in home studios. In this chapter, I further explore “liveness” as an aesthetic choice by producers who have reincorporated live instrumentation in the production of Zed Beats. I demonstrate how producers’ access to more affordable audio recording equipment, music software, computers and other related accessories has given them a new kind of influence and power over the production of popular music in Zambia.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Tembo, Mathewmathewtembo@gmail.commat593
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairWeintraub, Andrewanwein@pitt.eduanwein
Committee MemberHeller, Michaelmichaelheller@brandeis.edu
Committee MemberConstable, Nicholencgrad@pitt.eduncgrad
Committee MemberAyyagari, Shalinisayyagari@pitt.edusayyagari
Committee MemberKyker, Jenniferjennifer.kyker@gmail.com
Date: 19 December 2024
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 28 October 2024
Approval Date: 19 December 2024
Submission Date: 12 December 2024
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 229
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Music
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Popular Music, Music Technology, Home Studios, Zambian Music, Global Music
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 19 Dec 2024 21:08
Last Modified: 19 Dec 2024 21:08
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/47246

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