 The object of rhythmanalysis is to access the obscure property of the rhythm called ‘presence.’ The sensory events through which the rhythmanalyst perceives the rhythm are called ‘simulacra,’ or simply ‘the present.’ The need for rhythmanalysis arises out of the propensity of the present to simulate presence.Lefebvre describes presence as the “facts of both nature and culture, at the same time sensible, affective and moral rather than "imaginary"” (author’s emphasis).