Electronic Music - Introduction
Information about some forays into algorithmic electronic music generation.
Musician I Am Not
I want to make one thing clear - I am not a musician.
Discussions about whether this is 'music' or not are, therefore, irrelevant.
The material here is presented as just another hobby pursuit of mine.
If you like the tracks presented here, that is good. If not, this is also good.
Purpose and Scope of this EM Webpage
I have long been fascinated by the marriage of electronics and music. The existence of electronic 'musical instruments' allowing some level of automated control of musical performance is an intriguing subject.
The wide range of parameters that can be manipulated by such electronically created instruments provides a rich diversity of investigations for the curious and experimentally minded individual.
While not a musician myself by any means, I am, nonetheless, attempting to create 'compositions' that are aurally pleasing. These attempts can be listened to via the section 'Experimental Album'.
Whilst engaging in those common-place endeavours, I am probably more engaged by why one 'composition' is pleasing to the ear, while another is not.
I only 'discovered' EM a couple of years ago and so am ill-qualified to make assertions about the quality or credibility of any material contained on this website - I am, however, entitled to my opinion.
It is useful to observe that 'tastes' in musical affinity are perhaps no different to 'tastes' or 'preferences' in other areas of activity. These 'quantisations' of tastes and preferences of individuals/groups give rise to, in the case of music, to the various genres and their faithful following.
Embarrassingly, I must confess to not being diligent enough to have travelled any further than merely having an affinity to those musical compositions that I find pleasing to the ear, whichever genre they may belong to.
Accordingly - I will, from time to time, drift from genre to genre in search of those examples from each genre I find appealing. Bit like my taste in wine really - don't care what vintage it is, or whether it has a 'cheeky after-taste with a hint of spicy pretension' - or not - if it tastes good - I drink it....
So you will find here my idea of what 'tastes good' in the EM sense. You might have a different opinion.
I may give reasons as to why I like those examples of EM referenced on this site - but it will be only an OPINION - not an argument or statement... So Just What Do I Like?
Mmmm - difficult that is... Probably the best way to describe it would be 'something that is unique in sound while having some melody or lilt (hook ?) that leaves a lasting impression - but not so uncomplex as to be readily recalled'.
So there you have it - my own 'wine buff's waffle' description of what I like. I hope you noticed my use of 'uncomplex' instead of 'simple' and are suitably impressed. I must confess to having lifted it from this description of a chardonnay...
Nice, buttery, light uncomplex body, maybe a little peach after-taste...Favourite Artists
The artists below are in no consistent order - it may be my preference or it may be historical. Unfortunately, because webpages are linear space it is impossible to appear egalitarian - musically speaking. Therefore, the order here should not be regarded as indicating anything at all...
Early Favourites
- Kraftwerk - I have a few albums
- Tangerine Dream - When the money is there I will probably
build a collection of their work
Contemporary Favourites
- Zero One - I have bought all this artist's albums
- Fin - I have bought all this artist's CDs (AFAIK) - seems
to have vanished now... This was one of the first artists I listened
to when I 'discovered' EM a couple of years ago