A Guide to Electronic Music in Athens and Beyond
By Ted Knight - 02/22/2000
The 20th century has seen fantastic advances in music. More new forms of music, both popular and academic, emerged in the last century than every previous century combined. Contrary to popular belief, electronic music is not a new phenomenon. The first experiments in generating sound in a manner other than acoustic began as soon as technologies such as electricity, the wax cylinder recording process and amplifiers came into existence. In the 1920's, primarily in Europe, universities and state run radio stations began setting up labs to explore the musical capabilities of such technologies as oscillators and multiple turntable/wax cylinder setups. These technologies of course gave way to banks of oscillators grouped with filters and other modifiers, which we know as synthesizers, as well as tape recorders and the modern phonograph.
|
The idea of creating music generated in part or entirely through electronic means quickly took hold and by the 1950's pioneers such as Bob Moog were experimenting with machines that would change the world of music forever. The idea of the sequencer, a recorder that records the notes played on an instrument, as opposed to the tone produced, also began to take hold and by the 70's it was possible to program an instrument to play back the original notes input by the musician.
Technology aside, there is also a cultural explanation for the electronic music revolution. The idea of the DJ is not a new one; disc jockeys have been around since records have. One only needs to follow the evolution of black music to see where how the DJ has come to assume such an important role in the dissemination of music, as well as it's sound. From blues "juke joints" to reggae sound systems in Jamaica, the record has been responsible for making the music of countless musicians known. Now this is where the argument of live musicians comes in.
Why bother with a DJ, if it's real music then why can't the artist just perform it live? The answer to this question lies in the way the music is created. Electronic music is not made by machines, it is made with machines. These machines allow one person to not be just a band, but a symphony with an endless palette of sounds and textures at their disposal. The complex arrangements of a jungle track could never fully be realized by any group of live musicians. This of course is where the DJ comes in.
There is of course a distinction between DJ's, even in Athens. I will agree with any live music loyalist that there is nothing inherently interesting about watching somebody crossfade from one commercial club or rap song to another, this is a mediocre DJ. A good DJ, however, must be a master of not only crowd manipulation, but sound manipulation as well. DJ's are able to take the simple tools of turntables and a mixer and provide an ever-changing set of music that is at once energizing and thought provoking, which brings us to another point of contention.
Is there substance to the music? Are the songs designed to be mindless and ephemeral? The answer to both of these questions is yes, but. Any fan of any of the many genres that make up electronic music will probably agree that there is a bunch of mindless crap out there. But we'd all be kidding ourselves if we didn't concede that a good portion of all music is mindless crap.
The point I'm making is that there is also a significant portion of the music that is anything but. Many electronic compositions are the result of countless hours of thought, sweat and swearing at various boxes festooned with blinking lights. There is one last ingredient that goes in as well, soul. This music is designed to spur the body and mind in a new direction, be it a dance floor epiphany, or that perfect trip-hop tableau at sunset, this music, through it's deep rooted experimental nature is designed to manipulate the soul.
Interested... Follow these Links
