I remember how shallow the then new CDs of the late 1980s with their 16-bit engineered recordings sounded. No overtones to the harmonic first, a flat sound that forced recording to accentuate the pitches: the highs, the bass-lines, the beat. The sound never felt voluminous.

This changed a bit with the advent of 32-bit recording in the early 1990s, but then the new listening habit of clear high pitches, bass- and rhythm driven groundlayer, repetitious melodies rarely going beyond a third or quart, had already influenced listening and markets.

The emphasis on almost violent expressivity over phrasing and modulation can best be heard by comparing Dolly Parton's tender "I will always love you" (1973) with Whitney Houston's paroxysmal rendition (1992).

Thus, looking back, I feel like noticing some parallels in music as in cinematography. In both depth and nuance has been lost, replaced by harsh contrasts, and the attempt to balance the feeling of sensory deprivation by adding effects.

Obviously it had the side effect – welcomed by the industry – of nudging people to purchase even more of the same sensory malnutrition to satisfy their hunger.