Tomb

Other than the usual naughty confessionals, hug-the-Earth New Age experiments and Barry White tributes, the audio equivalent of print and video porn has been a much-neglected arena. Perhaps this is because, as evolved human beings, we’ve become reluctant to publicly admit to being aroused by something more primitive than spoken language. Tell that to purveyors of cherry red lipsticks and musky colognes.

In his 1982 bestseller The Sensuous Couple, Dr. Robert Chartham described the sounds of lovemaking as erolalia — the erotic ululations heard through the paper-thin walls of one’s apartment. Taken to the commercial level, as seemingly every other aspect of human sexuality has been, erolalia, as Dr. Chartham coined, it is now a readily available commodity.

Porn princess Jenna Jameson’s Jenna Tales and Sounds Erotic’s Vegas Confessions can flow from your personal listening device for only $1.99 per MP3 download. And if that leaves you limp, your sexual technique can now be perfected with the help of Tantra’s Tantric Sex CDs offering sexually enlightening “vibrational sounds.” Behold a veritable Kama Sutra in the form of educational discs featuring guided imagery, visualizations, affirmations and, somewhat alarmingly, post-hypnotic suggestions, all provided by a soft, sultry female voice.

More to the point, the Cyborgasm series from Passion Press offers a voyeuristic collection of recordings of real-life amorous situations and enactments of erotic fantasies designed to fuel the listener’s sexual imagination. Likewise, Aphrodisia — Music of Love, Indulgence, Euphoria and Erotic Moods 1, 2 and 3 from the Sinclair Intimacy Institute provide supposedly irresistible soundtracks with seductive musical selections ranging from crashing waves to Enya, to jungle drums, to saxed-up jazz numbers. Aiming to cover all the bases, some productions layer steamy fantasy readings between sound effect tracks of heavy breathing and sighing. Private Pleasure Traxxx: A Virtual Erotic Audio Experience (Ultimate Innovations) claims to be geared specifically to a male audience, combing funky music, authentic sex sounds and erotic stories read in the first person by a variety of women.

Upon closer inspection, the shelves of your local music or booksellers may reveal some of these audio delights and their ilk masquerading as mood music or relegated to the “relationships” section. Hot on the heels of the ever-popular mass marketed world and electronic music compilations, the market for audio erotica is steadily expanding. Audiophiles can now access a veritable candy shop of sensually themed mixes aimed at turning lounge music on its side. Promising to kiss your ear with something a little spicier than your average motivational “work-out mix,” audio erotica is guaranteed to renew your love affair with headphones.