Dear BFE subscribers

The first Musedelica symposium will be held June 14-15th, 2016 at the Sussex Humanities Lab, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. The symposium will bring together students, early career researchers, independent researchers and music producers from the field of psychedelic music and related areas. 
The symposium focusses on psychedelic music, especially (but not limited to) electronic dance music and other fields related to psychedelic drugs and music. Proposals are welcome from researchers in any field; see the list of topics below for more details.
In addition to giving students and early career researchers the chance to present their research in an intimate and friendly academic setting, Musedelica will bring together researchers from a range of fields, facilitate the sharing and synthesis of new ideas, and help to shape an exciting and  interdisciplinary field of research. 
  
The deadline to submit proposals is March 15th, 2016
(Notification of acceptance by March 31st, 2016)
To submit your proposal, please visit www.musedelica.co.uk and click on ‘submit proposal’ at the top right corner of the page or email as an attached document to [log in to unmask] Proposals should be around 300-500 words.
 
Presentations
20-30 mins. We are interested in submissions that address the topics listed below. Proposals should outline how the work relates to one or more of the conference themes.  Please also provide a 150-word (maximum) biography.
 
Performances/Demonstrations 
10-20 mins. This could be a performance of a piece of psychedelic music, perhaps incorporating a short talk about its psychedelic or trance state-inducing elements. A demonstration of your composition practice or performance practice would also be of interest. Proposals should outline how the work relates to one or more of the conference themes and should comprise: A description of the work (including duration), 150-word (maximum) biography and a technical rider (technical specifications of the venue are available on request).
 
Topics of interest
    Electronic dance music, the psychedelic experience and/or trance state
    Psychedelic music (of any genre) and the psychedelic experience and/or trance state
    The embodied experience of composing, appreciating and/or dancing to psychedelic music
    Music festivals and the psychedelic experience, including issues surrounding well-being and harm reduction
    Psychedelic substances and the composition, perception and/or appreciation of music
    Dancing and the trance state and/or psychedelic experience 
    Music cultures and the psychedelic experience and/or trance state
    Music cultures and the prohibition of recreational drugs
    The process, practice and/or experience of composing psychedelic music.
    New methodologies/directions in the research of psychedelic music
    Other related topics: this is not a definitive list, so please contact me with ideas.
 
Funding is being sought and I will know whether this has been successful in March. If funding is obtained, the symposium will be free of charge and participants will just need to obtain funding from their own institution to cover the cost of travel and accommodation. If the symposium does not attract funding, the cost of registration will be around £40.
I look forward to receiving your proposal!

Best regards

Gemma Farrell