ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Turntablism: A Different History of Phonoscience

publication · 2026-04-23

The article 'Manipulations / machinations : Turntablism une autre histoire de la phonoscience' critiques the Marxist legacy of the artist-engineer as mastering technology, arguing this view fails to address contemporary art where machines are central. It presents turntablism as a collective musical experience developed exclusively through the turntable, a sound diffusion machine.

Key facts

  • The article discusses turntablism as a musical form based solely on the turntable.
  • It critiques the Marxist view of the artist as a master of technology.
  • The article argues that this Marxist perspective cannot address contemporary art involving machines.
  • Turntablism is presented as a collective musical discipline.
  • The source is artpress.com, published December 1, 2002.
  • The article is in French.
  • A PDF download is available via the source link.
  • The title includes 'Manipulations / machinations' and 'Turntablism une autre histoire de la phonoscience'.

Entities

Institutions

  • artpress

Sources