The Industrial Music of the Spray Can

A short extract from the first draft of my thesis: Graffiti ruins but also enhances with the sounds of creation. Audible art.

Dreary walls, city places, bus shelters and alleys. Stairways and underpasses. A concrete and brick canvas. So called "new towns". It can't be brought under control or tamed. People will still try. You can always tell. Ironmongery set up in the mind for a personal prison. The brutal, scabby environment haunts you still, it's a common experience. 

What does it all mean? Water colours in the rain and territorial markings. Scrawl and protest. Stencils if you care to be consistent. Make your mark.

"Don't bring that messy message back down here again," said the angry community hygiene worker. "Somebody has to pay for all that." They certainly do.

Music? The spray can produces a variety of distinct sounds, including:

• Pressurized Hiss: The continuous release of aerosol resembles steam vents and compressed air, akin to industrial soundscapes.
• Rhythmic Bursts: Quick, percussive sprays create patterns reminiscent of drum machines and mechanical beats.
• Metallic Shaking: The internal ball bearing, or "rattle," inside the can generates a rhythmic, percussive effect when shaken, evoking industrial clanks and rattles.

These elements make the spray can an organic component of industrial music, capable of being integrated into compositions as both a rhythmic and textural element. Maybe not so easy.