THE PROJECT

It remains largely unexplained what the defining sounds for popular music are and how they are created and developed.

On the basis of the year-end Top 40 of the Billboard Charts from 1960 to 2014 (2200 Songs), this research project collected, categorized and examined the sound forms of prototypical sounds. Through this process, some dominant or even iconic sounds were identified.

This website serves as a tool to explore these sounds and the actors connected to them in an interactive way.

To learn about the project in more detail, take a look at the accompanying book.