Etymology
Modern English Xeno- “strange, foreign, extraterrestrial” < Ancient Greek ξένος (xenos) “foreign, strange” + -pology, derived from Modern English “anthropology” < Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (anthropos, “man, mankind, human, humanity”) + -λογiα (-logia, “discourse” or “study”)
Pronunciation
Noun
xenopology (uncountable)
- The holistic scientific and social study of extraterrestrial cultures, mainly using ethnography as its method.
- The application of semiotics to the specialized vocabularies and symbology of cultures and subcultures.
- The pragmatic analysis of cultural or subcultural evolution following a shift in discursive formations brought about by the introduction and codification of alternate symbolic, semantic and/or syntactic elements.
Usage Notes
- Xenopology, like anthropology, is distinguished from other social science disciplines by its emphasis on in-depth examination of context, cross-cultural comparisons, and the importance it places on long-term, experiential immersion in the area of research.
Derived Terms
- xenopologic
- xenopological
- xenopologist
- cultural xenopology
- social xenopology
- paleoxenopology
- physical xenopology
- biological xenopology
- linguistic xenopology
- socio-cultural xenopology
Related Terms
- xenomusicology
Me and my Taylor 714ce
A Little About Me:
I am an artist, composer, guitarist, poet, web programmer, writer and visionary – which means I am at times multi-faceted, often hyper-focused, and otherwise generally scatter-brained. I am a total Moleskine addict, and it is a rare moment that I don’t have one within arm’s reach. I love humorous T-Shirts based on Sci-Fi movies and/or ones that require someone to pay attention to “get it.” I also love peanut M&Ms.
About My Music
The number one question I get asked when someone finds out I’m a musician is, “What kind of music do you play?”
Science Fusion
I pioneered this exciting new genre and coined the term. I am also the only musician on this planet (or any other, for that matter) playing this music. I often consider myself a musical genius and a god among men, although the truth is… no one really cares.
The music I release as Echo Root is heavily influenced by science fiction, from the sounds, effects and instruments to the song titles and album covers. My methods for producing music also tend to lean a little towards the mad scientist end of the spectrum.
I have created an algorithmic composition construct named Geia to assist me with the creation of my music. Or maybe she created me. Sometimes it’s a little hazy. Anyway, Geia is part software, part hardware, part muse, and fully half of the creative force behind Echo Root.
I have also created my own alternate tuning (“Xenotuning”) and a music notation system (“Xenotation”) which allows for over 48,000 distinct key signatures using hexadecimal clusters that I call “Xenomes.” More on that later.
At its core, my music is a combination of “aleatoric” or “chance music.” and modal fusion. My current focus is on exploring and exposing the unique sonic and emotional qualities of individual modes using a combination of serial and modal concepts. My methods borrow a lot of the same ideas and semi-mathematical methodologies as serial composition, while owing more to the jazz of Coltrane than the orchestral works of 20th century composers.
In my search for original musical ideas, I generally focus on creating exploratory art in quantity, with minimal time spent on post-production. This leads (hopefully) to more innovation as less time is spent perfecting what has already been created and more time is spent on creating new original ideas.
Approximately 90% of the guitar on my recordings is through-composed, i.e. improvised in one take. There are a few exceptions (as there always should be) where something came through that begged for repetition or re-ordering via slicing and dicing, but I rarely sit down and map out and rehearse riffs and solos. In that way, my expression on the guitar at the same time contradicts and complements the structural depth of the underlying music… forming a biomechanical fusion of human transcendence with computerized intelligence.
