Elliott Associate Professor of Fine Arts Victor Szabo received a historical research award for his book Turn On, Tune In, Drift Off: Ambient Music's Psychedelic Past.
The award, Best Historical Research in Popular Music, presented by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), is part of the 2024 ARSC Awards for Excellence. According to the ARSC website, the awards “recognize and publicize the very finest research into the history of recorded sound published each year, and to encourage others to emulate those same high standards.” Eligible works must substantially contribute to expanding knowledge or enhancing appreciation of recorded sound's role in establishing and preserving cultural heritage. Additionally, submissions must meet rigorous academic standards, displaying innovative research methods, comprehensive analysis, and presenting findings in a clear, accessible manner.
“The book-writing process can be at times doubtful; you’re crafting a long, complex argument, and can’t be totally sure how it will land in the scholarly community when all is said and done,” Szabo says. “My book made the case for placing popular audio production at the center of ambient music’s history, rather than avant-garde composition, sound art, or background music as in most other histories. It felt highly validating to receive this award from the primary scholarly association dedicated to audio, considering audio’s role in my book’s central argument. The argument landed!”
It felt highly validating to receive this award from the primary scholarly association dedicated to audio, considering audio’s role in my book’s central argument. The argument landed!
Elliott Associate Professor of Fine Arts Victor Szabo
The ARSC Awards for Excellence feature categories such as historical research in recorded classical music, recorded jazz, recorded blues, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop, recorded rock and popular music, recorded country, folk, or ethnic music, as well as studies on record labels, manufacturers, phonographs, and general research on the history, preservation, or reproduction of recorded sound. Each category may present up to two annual awards—Best History and Best Discography—with additional recognition given through Certificates of Merit.
“This book wouldn’t be what it is without the support and insights offered by my colleagues and students at Hampden-Sydney,” Szabo says. “Students in my Experiencing Music and Electronic Music courses offered refreshing perspectives on ambient music that gave me clarity in my own writing. Library staff made the research process smooth, and College funding allowed me to connect with other music scholars during writing—a crucial step in crafting a compelling argument. I’m so grateful for this support!”
The awards will be presented during a ceremony at ARSC's annual conference, scheduled for May 14 to May 17, 2025, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 2024 ARSC Awards for Excellence recognize works published in 2023.
The award, Best Historical Research in Popular Music, presented by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), is part of the 2024 ARSC Awards for Excellence. According to the ARSC website, the awards “recognize and publicize the very finest research into the history of recorded sound published each year, and to encourage others to emulate those same high standards.” Eligible works must substantially contribute to expanding knowledge or enhancing appreciation of recorded sound's role in establishing and preserving cultural heritage. Additionally, submissions must meet rigorous academic standards, displaying innovative research methods, comprehensive analysis, and presenting findings in a clear, accessible manner.