Welcome to the Low End Theories conference website.
Date held: 19–20 May 2023
This free online conference was a response to the multidisciplinary field emerging around low-frequency sound and the sound system-enabled dimensions of popular music, especially from the African diaspora: what is increasingly termed bass culture.
The conference aimed to identify important research issues and develop a diverse network of researchers that can foster future activities. Over two days, we brought together researchers from across music studies and the wider arts & humanities for talks and discussion.
With its name inspired by the multiple meanings of A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 hip-hop album The Low End Theory, the conference strove to generate thoughtful debate about low-end sonic cultures, ideas, and practices with sensitivity to their social and political histories. We went beyond the mere mystification of specific frequencies to critically explore what bass culture is, where it comes from, how it works, and how/why it is—or should be—studied.
Read the archived call for papers.
All talks were recorded via Zoom: access an archive of the videos and abstracts here.
The conference was organized by Dr Ivan Mouraviev and the programme committee included Dr Nabeel Zuberi and Dr Steven Gamble.
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Reference information
Website maintained by: Ivan Mouraviev
First published: 13 December 2022
Last updated: 21 August 2025