Electronic Music

Standard Definitions

Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means (electroacoustic music). Pure electronic instruments depended entirely on circuitry-based sound generation, for instance using devices such as an electronic oscillator, theremin, or synthesizer. Electromechanical instruments can have mechanical parts such as strings, hammers, and electric elements including magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Such electromechanical devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, electric piano and the electric guitar.

According to the standard definitions, this frame is a broad genre collecting all the musicians recording and creating music mainly with electronic and computer-based instrumentation.

It stands out from the traditional forms of popular music whose artists' performance are mainly based on vocal power and use of classical instrumentation (although electrified and with a massive use of electronic support).

EML definition separates Electronic Music, whose artists' production is intended for listening, even if some of them have danceable rhythms and including thee broad genres: Downtempo, which collects genres with low rhythm and soft atmospheres,(Ambient, Trip Hop and Dub) Crossover

Electronic (Big Beat, Industrial Music) in which there is a strong contaminations of genres with electronic music and Drum'n Bass (Jungle Drum'n Bass, UK Garage).

EMC Classification

Electronic music has developed mainly around the individual experimentations of great pioneers with careers, professionalism, tastes and goals completely different from each other. Among the many characters that since the end of the early 70’s have developed their own baggage of awareness on what were the primitive forms of samplers, synthesizers, mixing, and computers, we find artists similar to all genres, each of which has contributed significantly and personally not only to the introduction of electronics as a tool, then as a technical element to support the registration or post-registrationproduction, but as a basic element in the creative and productive process of music, bringing the brain and heart of the artist outside the glass of the recording rooms.

Tra questi cito: , La Monte Young, Brian Eno, Philip Grass, Terry RIley, Steve Reich ,Win Mertens and Michael Nymans for the ambient scenario, (Tangerine Dream (Edgar Froese ), Vangelis (Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou) and Mike Olfield for the New Age, Space rock and also ambient, i Throbbing Gristle e Monte Cazzazza , in particolare i primi, come i veri fondatori dell'industrial music, portata nelle sale di registrazione dai teatri di strada dell'art perfomance e dalle sale da ballo, e introducendo il concetto del self made muscic e che la musica può essere fatta da chiunque, anche da chi non ha capacità ne conscenze. Cazzazza e i Throbbling Gristle, così come i primi Cabaret Voltaire,(tutti inglesi e non tedeschi come si pensa siano i fondatori dell'industrial) non avevano certo quialità tecniche di Eno o Froese, ma utilizzavano suoni creati con l'elettronica o creati con semplici oggetti quotidiani, per creare rumore, lamenti, sproloqui,mixando tutto con suoni ipnotiic prodotti dal sintetizzatore. Da loro nacque l'industrial rock e poi il noise rock e loro furono l'altra faccia dell punk, opposta agli M5S o Iggy Pop, The Television , i portatori del suono rock dentro il punk.

 King Tubby pionereed the mixing techinque and turned the old dub movement in what soon wil became the modern dub and then the drum and bass, jungle and so on. Jamaican predated the advent of electronic music and the DJ sets . Lee “Scratch”Perry created the modern sound of reggae, the ragga, electrifying the old sound of rocksteady, ska. U Roy and Alcapone was the pioneer of toasting, mixing voices in a second moment, not during the sound recording, predating the advent of rap, Aafrika Bambaata and his Zulu Nation project, in the late 70s and at the beginnig of 80s, give birth together with DJ Kool Herc , alias Clive Campbell, e Grandmaster Flash 's Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five , Grand Wizzard Theodore to the hip-hop movement, that had been introduced in the Manhatan dance club during the new wave and punk era, beginning to use intensively samplers as Roland TR-808 ,a primitive electronic equipment and a commercial failure that became the Fender's Stratocaster of Hip Hop. Tha Miami Bass movement spread as the most

Minimalism.

“Minimalism had changed the classical western view of music. A composition could evolve like an organism, rather than being designed to stretch over a predetermined narrative or emotional path. The listener, in turn, was required to listen more carefully, to enter into a sort of union with the piece of music, which was, of course, an idea derived from eastern music. Minimalism had introduced improvisation and meditation into western music. “ Piero Scaruffi [1]

Pauline Oliveros's Accordion & Voice (1982). The Roots Of The Moment (1988), Harold Budd's Bismillahi Prahmani Brahim (1978), Brian Eno's Discreet Music (1975) Win Mertens's Close Clover, Michael Nyman's Water Dances (1985)

• La Monte Young – video documentary [2]

• Philip Glass [3] . The works who introduced him to a wider audience was Glassworks (Album 1982), for his short accessible pieces of piano and keyoboard solo [4] [5], The Fall of the House of Usher (opera in two acts for ensemble and soloists, 1987)[6] [7], and the pieces for movies, among which are mentioned : the three Academy Best Original Score works for Kundun (1997) The Hours (2002-winning BAFTA Awards Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music ) Notes on a Scandal (2006-) and the 1998 Golden Globe Best Original Score  pieces for The Truman Show (1988)[3]. Philip Grass 's music is so described in Wikipedia : minimal music, having similar qualities to other "minimalist" composers such as La Monte Young, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. Glass describes himself as a composer of "music with repetitive structures” which he has helped evolve stylistically [3]. One of his most significant minimalist album are: Music in Twelve Parts [8] The entire set can be over three hours long when performed, and also if a casual listener would not notice any change during its listening, the pattern vary imperceptibly in all the piece. It is considered one of the major work of the second half of 20th century[7]

• Steve Reich is an American composer who pionereed minimal music in the mid to late 1960s with his use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons [9]. His innovations include using tape loops to create phasing patterns, as the so-called psycho-acoustic effects of pulsing added-note harmonies a techhique based on a cycle of eleven chords listening in Music for 18 Musicians [10] (Album 1978), in which: the player plays the pulsing note for as long as he can hold it, while each chord is melodically deconstructed by the ensemble, along with augmentation of the notes held. All Music, The Guardian,PItchfork reviewed the album with the top score. In its AllMusic review we found this desription: “the pulsing added-note harmonies and the sustained power and precision of the performance were the music's salient features; and instead of the sterile, electronic sound usually associated with minimalism, the music's warm resonance was a welcome change” [11][12] . Reich's works  as Electric Counterpoint (Album 1987) recorded for the fisrt time with Pat Metheny influenced many contemporary artists as the Orb [13]

• Brian Eno is one of the main pioneer of the electronic era in rock and pop music. His career began in th middle 1960s . He is so described by Wikipedia: A self-described "non-musician", Eno has helped introduce unique conceptual approaches and recording techniques to contemporary music. He has been described as one of popular music's most influential and innovative figures. [14] .His fundamental contribution is not only in the 20 studio albums and in the 8 ambient installation albums, but in the countless collaborations with the biggest names of rock and pop as Roxy Music [15] (registrando ed editando al sintetizzatore due album nel 1971 [14] prima del loro avvento nel mainstream ) ; David Byrne [16] ( ‘My Life in Yhe Bush Of Ghost”  Album 1981 [17] ), David Bowie [18] (“Moss Garden“ [19] o 'Neukoln' [20]Robert Fripp, Cluster, Harold Budd. He produced albums by artists including John Cale, Jon Hassell, Laraaji, Talking Heads and Devo, and the no wave compilation No New York (1978). He also collaborated in the following decades with U2, Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Slowdive, Coldplay, James Blake, Kevin Shields, and Damon Albarn. [14]

Industrial music

The 'musical apocalypses' in its various forms of experimentation of Industrial Music were born in the 70s around the Industrial Records (official website) an UK record label in which , among his artists stood out the names of

• Throbbing Gristle ,who founded the label for publishing firstly themselves, now under contract to Mute Records (official website ) is an UK music and visual artist group , who pionereed industrial music and that latter turn in to the post punk, new wave, house music scene [21] . “ 20 Jazz Funk Greats “ e “What a Day” singles in 20 Jazz Funk Greats (Album 1979) [22] D.o.A.:The Third and Final Report (Album 1978) is an examples of how industrial music came out from the underground and experiment art music , and how its sound was at the beginning based on creative use of electronics , good recording equipment, early computers and primitive sampling techniques. had a strong influence on depeche Mode, Nine inch Nails, Carl Craig, and Andrew Weatherall, other innovators in electronic music. AB/7A is a is a magnificent kraftwekian tribute to Abba. [23]

• Monte Cazazza is an American artist and composer best known for his seminal role in helping shape industrial music [24]. He is also described as one of Industrial Culture's most colorful figures that originally coined the term "industrial music" [25] in the mid-1970s. In the recent The Worst of Monte Cazazza (Compilation 1992) are collected many significant tracks from 1970s to 1992 that had been fudamental for the development of the industrial music. This compilation includes his earliest singles , the ridiculously rare new wave masterpiece "Sex Is No Emergency" and a selection of previously unreleased gems [25] In Something For Nobody (Album1980) [26] wee can hear som of what in cui il rock si fuse con il rumore della vita contemporanea e le grida di ribellione degli artisti ,i suoi ultimi suoi lavori , The Cynic (Album 2010) [26] “Interrogator”[27] ,

• dei Cabaret Voltaire [34], in cui l'elettronica fai da te e le macchine a nastro, così come le influenze delle performance art dadaiste hanno contribuito, prima di portarli alla luce nel mainstream come gruppo post punk, EBM, avant funk , house e techno, a farli diventare pionieri della musica elettronica e dell'Industrial music (o Industrial rock) a metà degli anni '70. I loro lavori più legati al mondo dell'industrial , sono : alcune registrazioni documentate su alcune compilation tra cui: Cabaret Voltaire – 1974-1976 (Album su  cassetta della Industrial Records ) [35], il triplo album CD Methodology '74/'78: The Attic Tapes (Album 2002) [36], Chance Versus Causality (Album 1979)  , inzialmente pubblicato da un etichetta indipendente olandese Not on Label nel 1979 e in seguito dalla Mute [37] , qui in una rara registrazione in una rara registrazione del 1976 allo Sheffield Arts Tower del 1976 [38]

  
  

• l'Industrial rock, identificabile e sviluppatosi in seguito nel noise rock nelle sue derivazioni più acute nel punk e in quelle soft del noise pop nell'Alternative Rock

• agli artisti dell'Industrial Metal, nelle varie categorie che vanno dagli artisti più audibili nel mainstream come i Rammstein della Neue …. e di Marylin Manson, fino a gruppi estremi come The Enigma TNG

• le apocalissi sonora della Death Industrial Music [13] come Brighter Death Now, Genocide Organ or Pharmakon []

l’EDM di Marshmello.

Death Industrial artists . Last FM

Sources

[1]Piero Scaruffi (2003). A History of Rock Music . iUniverse. ISBN 0-595-29565-7

[2] La Monte Young. Audio documentary. BBC Radio 3 Profile. (educational purpose). You Tube

[3] Philip Glass. Wikipedia

[4] Top 10 Essential Philip Glass Recordings | Q2 Music | WQXR

[5] Philip Glass, Glassworks (Album 1982) . Discogs

[6] Philip Glass: The Fall of the House of Usher. Opera in two acts for ensemble and soloists (1987). Spotify

[7] Philip Glass: The Fall of the House of Usher. Philip Glass'official website.

[8] Philip Glass . Music in Twelve Parts.(Album 1988] Discogs.

[9] Steve Reich. Wikipedia

[10] Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians. Full live performance at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, February 5, 2011. You Tube. Performance : Eighth blackbird (musical sextet) . Used with Permission by Hendon Music:

[11] Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians  Album (1978). Wikipedia

[12] Steve Reich Music for 18 Musicians album review. All Music, By Blair Sanderson

[13]Steve Reich. Electric Counterpoint - Wikipedia

[14] Brian Eno. Wikipedia

[15] Roxy Music . WIkipedia

[16] David Byrne . Wikipedia

[17] Brian Eno and David Byrne. ‘My Life in Yhe Bush Of Ghost” Album 1981. Spotify

[18] David Bowie . WIkipedia

[19] David Bowie Moss Garden.(*)

[20] David Bowie. 'Neukoln'  (*)

*Single in A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)" David Bowie's You Tube channel. Provided by Parlophone UK

[21] Throbbing Gristle . Wikipedia

[22 ] Throbbing Gristle 20 Jazz Funk Greats (Album 1979) Discogs

[23] Robert Dimery (2018) "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" Octopus Publishing Limited – ISBN 1788400801, 978-17-8840-080-0 . Article by Chris Shade . Page 409 italian edition.

[24] Monte Casazza Wikipedia

[25] Monte Casazza . Worst of Monte Cazazza. (Compilation 1992). AllMusic Review by Dan Warburton

[26] Monte Cazazza ‎– Something For Nobody (Album 1980). Discogs

[27] Monte Casazza “Kick That Habit Man” -Something For Nobody (‎Album 1980). You Tube not official audio.(rare)

[26] Monte Cazazza - The Cynic (Album 2010) .Discogs

[27] Monte Casazza “Interrogator” Single in “The Cynic” (2010 ). Spotify

[34] Cabaret Voltaire  Wikipedia

[35] Cabaret Voltaire 1974-1976 (cassette album -Industrial Records  1980). Discogs

[36] Cabaret Voltaire: Methodology '74/'78: The Attic Tapes (2002). Discogs

[37] Cabaret Voltaire : Chance Versus Causality (Album 1979). Discogs

[38] Cabaret Voltaire Chance Versus Causality Pt 6/ Pt7 - Rare recording from 1976, credited to Richard H. Kirk, at Arts Tower of Sheffield University. credited to Richard H. Kirk , licensed to YouTube by :WMG, [Merlin] PIAS for Mute (Artist Intelligence).

Brighter Death Now. Live. STEREO. Moscow. "Pluton". 12/01/19.-Registrazione privata.You Tube

The Enigma TNG - The Industrial God