LIMBIC - Personal project Research

Personal project

Limbic Lounge | Limbic Live Lounge

March 4th 2024

Limbic Lounge Research Document 

Reasoning | Logistics | Audience | Inspiration

The Limbic system 

The Limbic system was the primary inspiration for this passion project. It combines all my interests; music, psychology and events. The Limbic lounge was named after the Limbic system. Essentially, this is the process your brain goes through when hearing music. In biological terms, it is a combination of the phylogenetically old limbic lobe and other subcortical structures that are connected to the cognitive behaviour which responds to memory and emotion. What I find fascinating about the Limbic system, is that because of the influence emotion has on developing and working memory, music can retrieve memories you never thought you had. The amygdala, in conjunction with the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe, which is involved in the retrieval of emotional memories, and the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are also involved in the accumulation, elimination and recovery of fears and positive experiences. To explain all of those big words, The hippocampus is critical for long-term memory storage, and the Amygdala serves to transfer information processing between prefrontal/temporal association cortices and the hypothalamus. 

The limbic system refers to the process of how all of these reactions create a powerful, musical connection. As it is a system built up out of many other processes, it means that this particular reaction also shares a link with structures such as Appetite and eating behaviours, the Amygdala, as previously mentioned, plays a role in food choice and emotional food intake. Another is sleep and dreams, in this instance, the hypothalamus interacts with our conscious cognitive thoughts and perceptions and therefore, links together emotions and memories during REM sleep. 

Sleeping and dreaming are huge responders to the limbic system. Two processes called Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that the limbic system is one of the most active brain areas during sleep. The limbic system interweaves unconscious primal emotions by sending axons that die in the forebrain. The major wake-up contributor works as a ‘sleep switch’, which then promotes sleep. Its repetitional connection with the major wake-up technique helps it to work as ‘one half of a ‘flip-flop’ circuit”. This prevents intermediate states of sleep and wakefulness, so you should thank the limbic system for managing your sleep without you even knowing.

The main intriguing factor that contributed to my passion for researching this particular subject, was the way that music could provoke emotional responses. Fear, for example, is produced by the stimulation of the hypothalamus and amygdala, which are again major contributors to limbic. They both work as eliminators or developers, which are also involved in creating that fight or flight response. Amygdalar destroys fear and produces its automatic response, but can also be involved in functional education.

I initially came across Limbic when trying the figure out my own mind. In 2020 I was diagnosed with ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. This affects concentration, organisation and social detection. A year later, during my GCSE I had a seizure at school, which was put down to stress, but we later learned that it was epilepsy. What was different about this diagnostic process against others, was that after two years of intense testing, trialling and investigations, due to more frequent episodes, it was discovered that I had ADHD rather than ADD. In comparison, they are not much different, apart from ADHD, the desperation for that dopamine hit comes out in energetic bursts or emotional dysregulation. It was found that because I had pushed back all the anxiety, stress, emotional exhaustion and hyperactivity, it had basically, scrabbled my head and caused my cognitive receptors to glitch, leading to irregular electrical activity and therefore epilepsy. Complicated right? Well, imagine receiving all of that information at 16 years old. I was and still am so desperate to understand how and why stuff like this happens. 

With that said, this does relate to the limbic system. The strange thing that consistently showed up in my EEGs (electroencephalogram) and trials, was that the only thing that seemed to regulate my electrical activity and my BPM, was music. I was a dancer, and to be honest, dance was the only time through all of these health complications, that I could switch off and feel normal, but it was also a moment/ situation where I’ve never had a seizure. The strange, mind-blowing indication was that at each recurring instant where an episode would arise, I was relaxed, and in a stable environment, but the key emerging factors were that beforehand I was either incredibly bored or in a heightened moment of confinement or emotion dysregulation, such as needing to concentrate, sit still for a long period of time or often overwhelmed. In a one-word summary, I just needed to stay away from Exams. I now know of course that it could have been easily avoided, through communicating with others in moments of stress or anxiety, or keeping active/ knowing it was okay to fidget or get up and walk about; but at this point two years ago, I didn’t even know I had ADHD never mind a life-long seizure disorder, so as you can imagine, no one knew what was going on. 

After my diagnosis, I began to research and found that it was more explainable and common than I thought. I have left temporal lobe epilepsy but in general Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common epilepsy in adults. The way my epilepsy is affected by my ADHD is actually through the limbic system. Although my seizures are not triggered by musical responses, the electrical and anatomical abnormalities are disrupted due to an emotional led frequency, which happens through or in the hippocampus, amygdala, frontal cortex, temporal cortex, and olfactory cortex. The limbic system is also responsible for the function of anxiety disorders, PTSD and depression. It can work by in my case disrupting receptor frequencies, or in others being responsible for blocking out emotions or memories, which can disturb the natural function of chemical balances and cognitive decision-making, leading to environmental disorders such as anxiety or depression. ADHD however is not caused by a fault in the limbic system, it affects the limbic process by having an enlarged hippocampus. The hippocampus is the reason we feel things so deeply when we’re upset, overwhelmed or anxious, which is why it’s said that people with ADHD feel things at a greater level, and can sometimes come across as sensitive or dramatic. This is because we actually feel things 3x more than neurotypicals, as our hippocampus has a volume of 3.35 compared to 0.02. So next time we seem a bit too much, just give us a bit of credit, our brain is a lot more busier and emotional than yours. 

So, what does the limbic system have to do with music? The thing that is key in the brain’s emotional, and musical resonance is limbic. Limbic is the neural pathway where emotions and impulses are transmitted. The amygdala is responsible for emotional processing and the hippocampus is integral for activating memory, so when music is introduced it enhances the effects of the amygdala and hippocampus, reaching the maximum potential of the limbic system. Auditory stimuli can transport you right through the system and can create visual memories provoked by those emotional responses, leading to enhanced creativity, passion and feeling. The emotions then created send signals to your temporal lobe, sending physical reactions such as goosebumps, chills or that heavy feeling in your stomach. This all works through emotion, and lucky for us, music is one of the easiest ways of conveying that. Whether a piece of music is attached to a memory or not, it still has the power to create feeling; frequencies in music have the power to raise dopamine levels to boost mood. My next question then was why does some music make you feel sad? Most research suggests it is due to memories and associations through watching TV and films growing up. The stereotypes of slow music at a funeral, or most slower songs being about heartbreak, I guess the association started from when we were young. However, I like to listen to ‘sad songs’ when I’m studying or out for a walk because it helps me think. Thinking in my case could be anything, but nine times out of ten, if I’m on a walk its because I want time to think and it’s usually something I’m feeling pretty emotional about, therefore I think I’ve answered my own question.  

Limbic Lounge was created through something very close to my heart and I’m excited to see it blossom into something incredible for all to celebrate. 

Live Event Logistics 

According to thefestival.uk setting up a festival is simple. I would say that’s a slight overexhaduration when speaking to someone like me, who has zero experience in producing events. You may say now, well how do you know you will like it? The truth is i don't, but now is a great opportunity to find out. I have worked a few festivals, including YNot, Creamfeilds North, Leeds and soon to be Boardmasters and Victorious, but only by doing bar work, stewarding or selling merchandise so nothing too fancy. However, i work with events all year round as an entertainments crew member at alton towers. Specifically over the past two years i have specified in merlins spectacular events, and i can definitely say its provided me with a great insight into the operational aspects of producing a live event. 

This document however, is not about what i do know, but more about what i don't. thefestival.uk says the first step to producing a festival style event is to set a goal and objective. The more i read up on this process, it was identical to the idea generation i do in my media projects. It says to define clear aims and aspirations, and also give your event a success point- what does success mean in the circumstances of your event? In terms of my event i would say a success goal would be to end with atleast one video of a live performance of a musician, with stage lighting and sound, but also a collaborative effort with a multicamera set up. The next bit of advice was to set achievable golas and distribute them out to the team. This makes sure the event stays on tack and will be completed on time. 

I guess the key difference ive noticed already in comparison to a media production, would be the importance of sticking to a deadline. With a media production there is always the classic saying of “its only abit of film and tv” the world wont end if its not finished bang on time. However, the world wont end if an event deadline isnt achieved, but a ticket loss will be and a very angry audience and crew. People are relying on this event, they have planned for this date and expect it to be there at its full potential. If not, your reputation is ruined, and it just doesnt look great. It would be more hassle to reschedule an event than it would be to get it to run on time, whereas a media production would benefit highly from extra time or pushbacks, with less of a financial burden. 

Alike most projects budget is next on the list of importance, this was similar advice to others, but there was a great point regarding susutanability. It was said that festivals are extremely competitive when it comes to being cost-effective and sustainable. The key is negotiations and cost-effective strategies. Venue selections and legal contributions were also similar, despite now having to factor in licnecing, noise levels and surroundings laws, so permits are even more important, especially when thinking about an outdoor venue.

One thing that wasnt alike media was line up booking and vender collaboration. As for us this isnt majorly important, but if i were to take this information and produce a large scale event such as a festival, then this is decent advice. Having an engaging line up is half of your work done, with a good line up, tickets will sell themselves, big names equal free promotion. The next thing was to gain goof connections an drelationships with venders and collaborators, this not only saves you money by getting a good deal, but it also leads to networking opportunities and brand promotion to likeminded individuals. Negotiating talent contracts are apparently tricky tasks, you need to be able to cover logistics, fees an their technical experience. You want the event to be enjoyed by the talent aswell as the audience. Having good relationships all round will ultimately leave you with an easier job when it comes to operations; being able to trust your collaborators is the sectioned half of a successful event, the event will run itself with the right staff, talent and collaborators, also leads to positive reviews and lasting memories, making your event a standout success.

Most festivals rely on volunteers to keep their event running, i say from experience we deserve more credit than is given. Festival volenteering is paid, and its pretty good money, free camping, good people and free festival entry. On the flip side its hard to find a balance between those who are there to earn money and make friends, and those there for the free tickets and free booze. Ive been on both ends, and ive seen volunteers come and go like busses. However, That’s why choosing your volunteers wisely and assigning them to tasks to focus on is a great idea. Its said to try allocating volunteer roles according to peoples strengths to ensure they are a motivated and skilled team. Providing comprehensive training will also enhance your volunteers’ capabilities and confidence on the job. Having a user-friendly communication platform to promote a sense of community among volunteers was something that was previously trialed at YNOT with Hap solutions, which i found to be very useful, unless your phone and powerbank were dead. Being able to regularly acknowledge and appreciate volunteers will create a positive experience again leading to free promotion or returners the following year. By prioritizing these elements, not only do you ensure a well-coordinated event, but you also create a community passionate about contributing to the success of your event.

So , how long does it take to plan a music event/ festival? According to thefestival.uk “Organizing a music festival usually takes several months, and more significant events might require a year or more of preparation to secure performers, venues, and logistics”. So I better get planning seen as its now 5 weeks away from the main event.

Event Promotion | Victorious Festival

“Carousel delivered a stellar PR campaign for Victorious Festival, the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival, managing and crafting a bespoke campaign from the event’s initial line up announcement to on the ground, on-site press office management, securing top-tier and impactful coverage along the way.”- Carousel.co.uk

A bold statement from Carousel, but in all honestly ill proudly give it to them, they did an incredible job with victorious festival 2021-2023. This project was the primary reason for reaching out to them regarding an internship, as this was some of the best PR work in the industry. Before the work they did on the 2021line up ancouements in 2020, no one had heard of victorious, then suddenly january 2021 everyone was talking about it. Including me! Who ended up attending the festival for the first time that year due to the incredible line up. 

Their brief was to collect pre and post-event coverage across national, music, broadcast, family, regional and influencer media types. By tapping into their extensive knowledge of the media landscape and press relations, they managed to position Victorious Festival as the UK’s biggest and best metropolitan festival, which is impressive work. With their years of experience in festival PR campaigns, the team was firmly tuned into the developing industry and press landscape. Carousel had extensive knowledge and experience which leveraged and secured a long lasting and relevant flow of coverage onto socials.

They started by strategically planning and delivering multiple sell-ins to a vast list within their network to ensure coverage was targeted at Victorious’ key demographics, whilst also tapping into new audiences. As a team they proactively and reactively targeted national audiences and music industry experts, securing some top tier national coverage in The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Metro, Daily Mirror, The Sun and Daily Star. Carousel also worked with a team of celebrities and influencers who posted about the festival both pre and post to the event. Which allowed maximum reach, and targeted those aspirational audience types, as previously mentioned. The team also secured and managed a partnership with national PR legends, The i newspaper, which drove ticket sales via prints, digital advertising and competitions.

“Carousel managed the festival’s on-site press office, securing the attendance of over 200 press and influencers to ensure high profile on-site coverage via social media content, broadcast coverage, reviews and interviews.” - Carousel.co.uk

As a team they secured 1,034 pieces of coverage throughout the campaign across national, broadcast, music, regional, consumer and influencer media, with a combined reach of over 2.8billion! The coverage communicates key messages and the festival's announcement via front page features, digital festival guides and listings features, artist and organiser interviews, social media content and broadcast coverage whilst positioning the festival as the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival.

Pre-event coverage highlights included hits via BBC News Online, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Independent, NME, Daily Telegraph, Radio X, Metro, DORK and DIY. On-site coverage and review highlights include organiser interviews with ITV Meridian, BBC Radio Solent and BBC 1 South plus coverage via BBC News Online, Daily Star, Mirror Online, Evening Standard, The Independent, CLASH and Louder Than War.

Live audiences | Bastille, Freya Ridings, Hans Zimmer Pompeii

I originally wanted to use this section to explore my discoveries found on audiences and their response to live music, however, i really struggled to find one that resonated with me. My next point of call was to talk about a piece that lead to my next inspiration for the limbic lounge. As you now know the name originated from the Limbic system, however the inspiration behind wanting to create an event with a purpose of connecting audiences through music, owes a huge thank you to this piece of music. 

Pompeii was originally a song by bastille released in 2013, but was reimagined with a collaboration from Hans Zimmer in november 2023, which in december 2023 featured freya riddings in a one off live performance at the earth shot prize in singapore late last year. The song blew up upon its release and more surprisingly took well to a young audience. Although pompeii was a hit for my generation (genz) and most millennials, this twist is very much at the heart of orchestral and classical music. Hans zimmer is known for classics including intastella and the soundtracks to many deeply transforming films, but this surprising collaboration has provided me with the perfect demonstration of the limbic system. 

The moment this song starts I get chills. Emotions of nostalgia bring happiness, sadness, amazement and sends my hippocampus into full force. It immediately creates a cinematic feeling weather you are watching the video or just listening, it creates a sense of royalty with the visual aspects of golden, yellow and red lighting, but then if you close your eyes you are captured by the simplicity of the orchestra starting the prelude. The simplicity gives the perfect demonstration of the power music has. Just from the first 10 seconds, no words are needed; the energy created in the room is breathtaking. Its unexpected but that why its so incredible, the collaboration of something old now made contemporary and fresh. The earth shot price itself was purposly made to celebrate our world and life around us, this soundtrack transports me into a state of power to change or the evolution of new beginnings or new life. It is perfect for the occasion. It also does give me immediate plannet earth vibes or the lion king, but i do think thast baiased down to the visual aestehtic of the peice. 

If the silence of the audience didnt prove its hold on people, then the presence it created online surley would. It wasnt just me that loved the collaboration of pop and classical, but also thousands of other like minded young people. People were talking about it online, through comments and digital streaming platforms, it connected musicians online, people were taking inspiration and wanting to create something similar. I guess you could argue that this performance then loses its niche, but on the contrary it was connecting people on a level that everyone could understand. They were connected by the way music makes them feel. It didn't depend on age, generation, music taste, class. It was just music there for everyone to enjoy. This performance was also a great standing grace for cultural diversity, as it was performed in Singapore, and was sung alongside an incredibly diverse group of people, formed of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities.

As the song progressed the two singers moved out to the front to project the climatic ending of the song. This also signified the emotional journey within the piece, it had moments of reflection, hope and dramatics, which is everything we crave in a piece of entertainment. As humans we chase that sense of story or emotional journey more noticeable through tv, film or visual content, however, music is a huge contributor. We crave a start to finish feeling, which scientifically gives us purpose or fulfilment through dopamine rushes or nostalgic flashbacks from our own unique memories and experiences. This is the limbic system once again. This particular performance has everything an audience member craves in a performance, surprise, narrative, familiarity, a start and an ending. 

Inspiration | Radio one and Radio one Live Lounge

Radio one will always be a huge point of inspiration for me and my work. From their style of content to demographics and psychographic, we share incredibly similar values. As a brand radio one began when Tony Blackburn opened the station on the 30th of September 1967 at 7.00am. The station set out with just a blank sheet of paper in the hope to create a new style of radio, called a ‘DJ style’, but by that time it was only heard of through the pirate radio stations, which at that time had closed down. The presenter, known as Blackburn, played "Flowers in the Rain" by The Move as their first track. The next big music show of the morning was then a mix of tracks with Keith Skues, who can still be heard on air on his local radio.

On the 23rd of July 1973 we saw the first Radio 1 Roadshow. The team started in Newquay, and then toured across more than 50 venues a year until 1999. The DJ’s headlining would play a live set, meet the local people, give away merch and run competitions. The Roadshow was designed to take the station to the listeners, and get out of the studios in London, which evidently was a very successful move, as in 1992 they saw numbers at the Roadshow peak when 100,000 turned up for the 25th anniversary of Radio 1. Fast forward to April 1995 it was then Chris Evan’s debut on Radio 1, which some say was the turning point for a contemporary radio one revamp. His early morning slot was packed with innuendo which for many critics would argue he went too far. He encouraged two female guests to perform a strip show live on the programme, and humiliated some of his team on air. After a tasteless joke about a holocaust victim, a string of complaints followed BBC management rejected his slot and he left the station. With young people now using social media more and more, and were now creating their own music streams to share, the demand for radio one has become bigger than ever. student radio was now considered the new breeding ground for Radio 1’s next generation of on-air talent, which is where Greg James moved across from student radio, and into the studio at BBc radio one. 

Regarding content radio one ticks all the boxes for me. From vts, competitions, interviews and live performances, there is something for everyone. As a station their aim is to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. With a target audience of 15-29 year olds. As I mentioned before they align quite well with my own values. I specialise in content aimed at young adults and teens, therefore it would be smart to take inspiration from them, as their content does well in relation to that demographic. I like the fact they also promote their brand as entertaining and engaging, as it leaves it open for multiple content options. By not limiting the spec, they can gain potential reach each week by targeting different psychographics, through trends or popular ideas; this is a clever approach as they can target a new audience every week, and if something doesn't perform as they hoped, they can do something completely different the next rather than it being a one take wonder or one chance opportunity. By having the platform it also holds a base for their following; gaining more of a loyal audience, then creating a fan base, which is so important when creating a long lasting sustainable business in the entertainment industry. 

The content on the radio one youtube is mainly short form content, with the exception of longer interview type videos. This appeals well to the generational/ contemporary approach, as short form is whats currently trending well through media. The competition is also so high amongst platforms, but with the bbc having the advantage of multiple platforms its given them the opportunity to post all content onto all platforms without changing it too much, giving them flexibility and the advantage of time to focus on generating more content. Their promotional approach is also stunning. The socials side of radio one is in my eyes its own icon in relation to the actual radio station. They now have their own presenters dedicated to socials and also very different vibes and aesthetics between the two forms of entertainment. This however i feel may provide them with an advantage and disadvantage when going forward to create their live events such as radio ones big weekend. This event will now be a collaboration of audiences from visual and audio content, collaborating age groups, ethnicities, class, gender and all the psychographics in between, which gives them a huge combined potential viewing/ listening, but also could cause conflict when trying to create a diverse enough line up and schedule to suit everyone. 

Overall, the success these guys have manage to achieve in the last 5 years alone is inspirational and i feel they are doing extremely well in preparing the bbc to keep moving with the times.

Podcasts | Codes and conventions

Written by jessica-chloe watson

References

National Center for Biotechnology Information- The Limbic System

Science Direct- Limbic and Epilepsy

National library of medicine - the limbic system and neurodiversity 

NHS England - Epilepsy and ADHD

Epilepsy foundation - limbic seizures

thefestival.uk- how to produce a festival

Life at the BBC (youtube) connects career sessions - events session 

Carousel Marketing and PR Agency - Victorious festival case study

Livemusicnow.org- case studies on audience response 

Live DMA - Business Model evolution in a live music venue

Pompeii Bastille Freya Riddings and Hans Zimmer- audience perception and Limbic evidence

Tiny Desk Concerts - music

Mahogany sessions - music

Curriculum beat BBC Radio 1: Newsbeat - radio one

BBC Radio one timeline - history radio one

BBC radio one schedule 

Life at the BBC (youtube) connects career sessions - careers and role development

BBC radio one Youtube - content exploration

media.info - radio one information

Study rocket- radio one

BBC Trust - Radio one