The behaviour of the people in the Western World is being altered by an aural weapon devised to subconsciously affect those exposed to it. This artificial product, created by scientists, musicians and marketing experts is called “Musak” or “functional music”. The authors of this film carried out intensive research before making “Decoder” as the function of “musak” is to stimulate or soothe, enhancing wellbeing by constructing a particular tonal sequence. “Musak” by its very nature has an undoubted political significance. This production blends reality and fiction: surreal, metaphorical imagery interwoven with music.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
303629
Language
German
Subject categories
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Technology - Social aspects
Experimental
Feature films
Feature films → Feature films - Germany
Foreign language films
Literature → Burroughs, William S., 1914-
Mathematics, Science & Technology → Technology - Social aspects
Music & Performing Arts → Electronic music
Music & Performing Arts → Music
Music & Performing Arts → Music - History and criticism
Music & Performing Arts → Popular music
People → Burroughs, William S., 1914-
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)