Thank You Biology
The next time you show someone Strobe and they look at you with a 'So?' look on their face you can possibly blame their biology, not their horrendous taste in music.
Love the music
Has there ever been a time when you were listening to an amazing tune that just gave you the chills? Have you ever felt an overwhelming physical sense of well-being and happiness at a live concert when the lights flash, the tempo climbs, and the beat drops?
If you’re not at SoundGrail by some accidental click, we’re willing to bet a hefty sum that you know exactly what we’re talking about. So, like us, you may have thought to yourself something along the lines of, “Damn, this is amazing. I’m so lucky I learned about and love this music. So many other people are missing out so bad.”
Well, if you have thought this, you’re right. Other people are missing out, but it may not really be their fault. The next time you show someone Strobe and they look at you with a “So?” look on their face you can possibly blame their biology, not their horrendous taste in music. (yes, I’m listening to the 10:33 extended mix of Strobe on loop during the writing of this post)
Research done at McGill and Ohio State University have given us greater insight into a phenomenon dubbed “music frisson.” Which has shown that music is in fact capable of stimulating intense dopamine responses in the human brain, but only in a minority of the human population. Yes, thats the same stuff that gets you addicted to, well, just about everything that is addictive. The next time you see the ubiquitous “Music is my Drug” shirt, buy it – its true.
We won’t go into the details as they are quite complex. But they’re a fascinating read if you have any eye for scientific papers. The key takeaway for us is this: we are so lucky. Apparently only 35% of the general population is even able to feel this feeling, and apparently the EDM community heavily overindexes in this population (of course).
So the next time that random person at a party clicks to another song during the buildup of your favorite tune, don’t hate them, pity them.
Our favorite excerpt:
According to Huron, researchers have discovered that several of the frisson’s acoustic…correlates include rapidly large increases in the loudness of music, abrupt changes in tempo and rhythm, a broadening of frequencies and an increase in the number of sound sources, among other factors. – Our comment: Oh hells yes, it most certainly does.
If you would like to read more about this topic please check out the following sources:
Article 1 Article 2 Great Scientific Paper
A small selection of my personal frisson inducing tunes, yes, I’m the SoundGrail trance writer :)
Deadmau5 – Strobe
Matt’s Mattara ft. Rockman – Opera (World Extended Mix)
Signum ft. Kate Louise Smith – Liberate
Armin van Buuren – Orbion
Everything by Above & Beyond, but here is “Sun & Moon”
