Barricade Sounds: Music and May '68
Barricade Sounds: Music and May '68
Forthcoming, ships December 2026
Josh MacPhee
Preface by Grégory Pierrot
Art & Culture / Capitalism / Labor / Social Movements
In this short, graphic volume, Josh MacPhee explores the role of music and sound in the student and worker revolt on May 1968 in France through the lens of the vinyl records that emerged out of—and were produced to comment on—the struggle. From the chanson enrages that sung on the barricades, the birth of an independent and politicized music infrastructure in France, the explosive emergence of free jazz and rock scenes, and the enduring legacy and embedding of the sounds and aesthetics of '68 into experimental and pop music to this day, this book shows the impact of liberatory politics and action on our audio landscape.
Product Details
ISBN: 9781945335860
Published: December 15, 2026
Format: Paperback
Size: 7 x 7 in
Page count: 148
Other Formats
ISBN: 9781945335969
Format: EPUB
-
“Barricade Sounds is a brilliant book about the unruly space where music and politics collide. It is the latest installment in Josh MacPhee’s impressive documentation of the role of music in social movements. A beautiful and inspiring read about music as a form of resistance, imagination, and collective action.” —Brage Aronsen, Norwegian bookseller, publisher, and record label manager
“Even without being able to listen to the records under discussion, Barricade Sounds drops the reader into the center of that brief but exhilarating mix of political discourse, street combat, and cultural style. Speaking of style—even a brief flick through this book reminds us how important the sights and sounds of popular culture are in any political movement: when the forces of oppression look so grindingly dull, boring, and unimaginative, it says so much that radical ideas look so progressive, open, and visionary. ‘Power to the Imagination,’ as the 1968 graffiti read.” —Boff Whalley, Chumbawamba
“By centering the fugitive vinyl records, militant songbooks, and underground audio ephemera that emerged directly from French students and striking workers, MacPhee constructs a compelling auditory archaeology that reveals how sound was not merely a passive backdrop to rebellion, but a vital terrain of struggle and organizing. From the chansons enragées sung on the barricades and explosive free jazz to revolutionary rock tunes, this graphic volume charts how anticapitalist politics forged an independent music infrastructure while permanently altering our global sound landscape. Barricade Sounds is an essential, inspiring text for anyone passionate about radical history, political art, and the enduring power of sound.” —Mehdi El Hajoui, archivist, private collector, and board member of The Book Club of California
-
“Undertaking a praxis of activist crate digging, Josh MacPhee’s Barricade Sounds challenges us to confront the sensual imaginaries of revolution in recorded sound and music from May 68 in France. Uncovering an astonishing sonic archive, MacPhee reminds us that revolution is not just an event; it is also a feeling with impetus. ‘DOWN WITH THE POLICE STATE.’ ‘You will not murder the freedom of the people.’ ‘What is revolution?’ These affective refrains reverberate anew as we continue to struggle against authoritarian regimes.” —Dr. Abigail Susik, author of Surrealist Sabotage and the War on Work
“Josh MacPhee offers us the music that fed and was influenced by the May 68 uprising in this indispensable book. From free jazz to songs of protest coming directly out of the factories, these records bear historical witness to the layered attack that powered May 68. If you have never seen the unforgettable visuals of Atelier Popular, Barricade Sounds includes many of the prints that papered the streets of Paris, capturing the electricity and mayhem of this modern revolution. But until now the sounds of Mai 68 have been silent. Barricade Sounds brings us back to a vital moment where vinyl records propelled social struggle.” —DJ Trouble, WFMU
"If you're looking for the definitive vinyl guide to May 68 in France - here it is! MacPhee's lavishly-illustrated guidebook is a perfect showcase for the recordings that soundtracked the May uprising and its aftermath." —Ian Thompson, author of Synths, Sax and Situationists: The French Musical Underground 1968-1978
-
Josh MacPhee is a designer, artist, and archivist. He is a founding member of both the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative and Interference Archive, a public collection of cultural materials produced by social movements based in Brooklyn, NY. MacPhee is the author and editor of numerous publications, including Strike While the Needle is Hot: A Discography of Workers’ Militancy, An Encyclopedia of Political Record Labels, and Graphic Liberation: Image Making and Political Movements. He has organized the Celebrate People's History poster series since 1998 and has contributed to the art and culture of the campaigns of dozens of community organizations and unions.
Grégory Pierrot teaches literature at the University of Connecticut. He studies the cultural networks of the Black Atlantic. He has translated into English Philippe Carles and Jean-Louis Comolli's Free Jazz/Black Power, and is the author of The Black Avenger in Atlantic Culture and Decolonize Hipsters, as well as several books in French.
-
introduction
sounds of revolution
weight in vinyl
singing on the barricades
revolution in the ear
talk talk talk
caught in the wake
jazz, black power, and intercommunalism
regional autonomy
and we can’t forget the rock
'68 as source material
the enduring image of mai
la lutte continue
discography
Forthcoming, ships December 2026
Josh MacPhee
Preface by Grégory Pierrot
Art & Culture / Capitalism / Labor / Social Movements
In this short, graphic volume, Josh MacPhee explores the role of music and sound in the student and worker revolt on May 1968 in France through the lens of the vinyl records that emerged out of—and were produced to comment on—the struggle. From the chanson enrages that sung on the barricades, the birth of an independent and politicized music infrastructure in France, the explosive emergence of free jazz and rock scenes, and the enduring legacy and embedding of the sounds and aesthetics of '68 into experimental and pop music to this day, this book shows the impact of liberatory politics and action on our audio landscape.