'The Aesthetics of Distortion', in Distortion in Music Production: The Soul of Sonics

Sitting somewhere between interference and blemish, distortion has a rich and fascinating relationship with aesthetics. Whether heard as an acoustic feature of live performance or as an audio technique deployed in the studio, distortion inherently brings the listener toward an encounter with re-signification; a multi-layered and complex experience which this chapter will attempt to untangle and demystify from the standpoint of aesthetic theory. In this chapter I argue that there are three basic functions that distortion can perform: (1) to question, through the highlighting of imperfection and difference; (2) to challenge or confront, in the form of violent noise or other modes of alienation; or (3) to oppose as a mode of resistance to normative structures and hegemonies. I will conclude by arguing that, whilst offering distinct modes of aestheticizing, in effect all three aesthetic functions have the same modus operandi: they question and challenge in order to reveal, offering the listener a point of enhancement, different or confrontation to the expected norm in a manner which prompts an altered and refreshed form of attending to the sonic object.