THE DIFFERENT WORLDS OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC

 

 

                                          (“Emmett Williams' Ear” Dick Higgins - 1977)

 On reflection, I have the impression that under the label of "electronic music", there are different worlds that coexist, overlapping or not...

— heirs of the Berlin School: they offer variations on a now "classic" musical genre, based on the great ancestors, Schulze and Tangerine Dream. They use hardware synthesizers, often modular, and produce a highly electronic sound coupled with sequence loops. Is this an illusion, or are the main musicians in this genre (mostly) men and women of a certain age already, who in their youth experienced the heyday of this musical trend?

— the "cinematic" genre, designed to provide soundtracks for films or TV series, but also a commercial label for many virtual instrument manufacturers, offering emulations of classical instruments and orchestras. The target audience is assumed to master certain classical orchestration and composition techniques. It is interesting to note a certain standardization of soundtracks, with sound and stylistic conventions that are often repetitive (Hans Zimmer set the standards for the genre).

— the ambient genre, which is distinct from, but sometimes overlapping with, the previous two. Today's ambient music, as I perceive it, covers a fairly broad spectrum: at one extreme, what used to be called "new age" music, a fairly uniform sound environment without too much relief, accompanying meditation, relaxation, sleep and so on. At the other extreme, more sophisticated music, moving towards minimalism, abstraction, dark ambient and drone.

— scholarly or experimental electro-acoustic or acousmatic music, developed in particular by institutions such as IRCAM or GRM (in France), where profitability and commercial distribution are not the primary objectives; composers are often subsidized, benefit from residencies and so on.  It's a place of innovation in sound, technique and form. It's worth noting that the new tools developed in these institutions are gradually becoming more widely available, as demonstrated by granular synthesis plug-ins, 3D spatialization plug-ins, multi-channel broadcasting, etc.

— techno in its various sub-currents, which constitutes a culture in its own right, with its own audience, its own venues, its own subdivisions...

Of course, there are many hybridizations between these categories.

I'm particularly interested in the emergence of the "modern classical" or "contemporary classical" movement, represented in particular by musicians like  musicians such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Roger Eno and others, who offer a synthesis of classical music, electro-acoustic music, minimalism and ambient, and cinematic music. The fact that this demanding, sometimes experimental and relatively "academic" trend is enjoying real public and commercial success is encouraging....

As for me, I feel I've been through all these different genres (with the exception of techno), but that my "musical anchor" is now at the epicenter of "serious" ambient and "contemporary classical", with a zest of abstraction and sound experimentation to spice things up...