Dissonance

Soundtrack to Hellworld #0

Since several chapters of Hellworld use certain songs or music genres as illustrations for broader socioeconomic dynamics, I figured it would be helpful to produce a series of playlists to help readers actually listen to the music being mentioned. For example: hanmai (喊麦) from China’s Northeast, luk thung (ลูกทุ่ง) from urbanizing Thailand, and singeli from the working class neighborhoods of Dar es Salaam. But why stop there? The idea soon evolved into an entire series of playlists for each chapter, either showcasing certain genres mentioned in that chapter or simply chosen according to the vibe and general themes of the content. Though a larger portion of the music in the playlists will come from the regions being discussed, a few of the “global” chapters will simply draw from my own taste, curated to match the tone of each section.

Below, I’ve posted the playlist for the Introduction: “The Descent.” This first playlist is simply thematic, with different varieties of dissonant metal illustrating the intended feel of the section. There’s really not much more to say about this first playlist, aside from noting the series of tongue-in-cheek references to factory farming, the militarized police state, and of course the infernal themes of hell and sin sprinkled throughout. Enjoy: