DOI: 10.4149/SH_2024_3_2

The Axiology of Pop Music at the Bratislava Lyre Festival The Political Interpretation Does Not Fit the Bratislava Lyre The author examines the critiques found in period journals and magazines, offering an aesthetic, critical, and stylistic interpretation of pop music at the Bratislava Lyre festival (1966–1998) in former Czechoslovakia. She compares the defining features of the festival’s songs and the values praised by critics with the broader perspectives of prominent theorists on the nature of pop music. Although the rock subculture, particularly hard rock, influenced the festival’s development from 1968 onward, Bratislava Lyre’s pop music maintained its distinct characteristics, incorporating disco, new wave, dancefloor bands, and more. In her analysis of pop music’s axiology, the author considers political, social, musical, aesthetic, stylistic, and technological factors. Given the broad impact of pop music, she explores whether the intersection of politics and pop music is genuine or reflects political manipulation of the festival during politically charged events. The author raises the question of whether the current politicization of the festival is a temporary phenomenon or if it stems from misinterpretations by historians, critics, and producers.

Keywords
Bratislava Lyre; festival; axiology; pop music; politics; interpretation

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2024_3_3

Ambient music as a genre of music focuses on blending with or enhancing the listener’s sonic environment, often ignoring traditional musical elements such as melody, harmony or rhythm. Although these elements may be present, ambient music serves more as an unobtrusive backdrop. Composers focus on aspects such as slow tempos, cyclical loops, drones, and unique immersive atmospheres. Brian Eno, known as the “father of ambient” is a very important figure in the creation and further development of ambient music. His album Ambient 1: Music for Airports represents an important step and piece in this genre. Slovak and Czech musicians also contribute to the ambient genre. This scene is presented through interviews with a selected number of musicians, which form the Appendix to the present study. The research includes an analysis of the album Music for Airports and of musicians’ approaches and techniques.

Keywords
Brian Eno; ambient music; contrast; electronic music; keyboard instruments; background music; environment; soundscape

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2024_3_4

The study analyses music of several significant Russian and Polish bands and their songs in relation to the political developments in Russia and Poland in the selected period. We have chosen three Russian bands (Kino, Lumen, Ezechiel 25:17) and one Polish band (Big Cyc), whose activities are remarkable in connection with the changes in society and politics over several decades. The aim of the analysis was to offer a detailed view on the influence of the political situation on the musical life of Russian and Polish groups from the spheres of rock, hip-hop and rap.

Keywords
rock; hip-hop; rap; politics; Poland; Russia; 1990s; 21^st century

DOI: 10.4149/SH_2024_3_5

This paper explores the significance of Afrofuturism in contemporary music, focusing on the album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan. We focus onto the meaning behind the lyrics, features of music, and visualization of the tracks in videoclips, tracing back the inspirational sources of the artists. The analysis of Wu-Tang Clan’s album explores the band’s unique style and mythology, drawing from old Hong Kong kung fu films, American comic books, the philosophy of the Five-Percent Nation, chess, and African and African American culture. The study reveals the ways in which afrofuturism informs and shapes contemporary music, drawing from various cultural sources to create a unique and dynamic genre.

Keywords
Afrofuturism; African culture; Asian culture; film; videoclip; analysis; rhythm