thenewmusic

Avant Garde music, instrumental, orchestral, and pure electronic.

This page is devoted to a number of composers and performers I came across in the 1960's onwards. There were several specialist LP labels in those days, with very high sights set on the future!

It is my intention to find current issues of these tracks, should there be any, but the Avant Garde nature of some of the work could mean it has vanished from the catalogues! As regards the merit or otherwise of the works, I leave you to judge. Scroll down to find this section!

I do not pretend to have access to all the current musicians involved in this area today. Any help or references are very welcome. There is the tendency for some to say "Turn that crap off!" or something similar, but that's too facile an "argument".

A few sources and tools you might use.

Short wave radio. This can provide a whole range of material, some from outside the Earth even.(see Zin Zin.). A random sweep should reveal many and varied sources.

White noise and other random noise sources, including filtered sampling. There is a French guy who has treated Radiohead tracks in a very original way. Think that's the right link!

Reverse play. This can be mixed in with forward play, as done by the Stone Roses, or the whole track can be reversed. Was "Sgt. Pepper" the 1st. pop music attempt? To a certain extent the DJ Scratching technique has evolved from this

Tape Loops, notably with synthesised percussion. These were initially REAL loops of tape, possible on reel to reel or even cassette. Today you can get a computer to do it. The "drumming" on a lot of Dance and Trance tracks would kill off a poor live drummer! That's the reason why most is machine created today. Punk band drummers really earn their keep! A whole series of loops can be stacked and blended on a mix desk, or even put together like a score in a powerful computer. SKILL is needed to do this well, but far too often you hear loops flogged to death over and over again YUKKKKK!

The Mix Desk This (allegedly) makes life a lot easier! It gives a central link to a whole range of loops, samples, (often from several computers) AND live input too. In good hands it is really creative, BUT is abused FAR TOO OFTEN! There are too many "faked" one hit wonder efforts!

The Theremin. Was the first electronic instrument (as far as I am aware!)

Er watch this space?

The ondes Martenot was evolved from the Theremin, after a meeting between the two researchers in Russia. It is more complex, with a keyboard and a slide device which modulates the sound. It is still monophonic (one tone at a time as opposed to chords as in mechanical keyboards). Multi note capability had to wait until the synthesiser developed much later. The early "synths" were a mass of wires and plugs and even dated back to the pre transistor age. Some artists today have gone back to this basic system, despite the limitations. Onstage practicalities should be considered though! Refer to the Radiohead page. Kid A includes use of these instruments. As I said pre release. Radiohead has a broad musical ability as a band.

MOOG and other synthesisers.

This is an image of the concert version of the Ondes Martenot, as used by Olivier Messiaen in Turangalila and other works.

Dec 19 2000

This is an early version,

Musique Concrete dates from the postwar years when magnetic tape recording became available. Composers used this new medium by recording sounds, some created electronically from very basic sources, even including short wave radio static. These were then filtered, speeded up, reversed, spliced etc. and re compiled onto a new tape. As multi track tape developed, so did the scope and potential. These experiments led to the development of the Synthesiser, which could produce sounds at will. Stereo sound was first developed and released on tape. If the Second World War had not intervened, Stereo recording might have begun in the fourties, rather than the fifties.

Musique Concrete No:-2 Disques BAM EX242. 7" vinyl 45 rpm

Etude Aux Sons Tendus. Luc Ferrari. Etude Aux Sons Animes Pierre Schaeffer.
Diamorphoses (1958) Yannis Xenakis

Recorded in 1959 by Le Groupe De Recherches Musicales De La R.T.F. Direction : Pierre Schaeffer.

The New Music RCA Victrola Stereo VICS1239 12" LP.

KONTRA-PUNKTE for 10 instruments Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Threnody For The Victims of Hiroshima Krzysztof Penderecki
Available forms 1 for Chamber ensemble. Earle Brown.
Rimes Pour Differentes Sources Sonores Henri Pousseur

Philips released a series of albums under the "Fourfront" logo. One of the four was electronic or "modern" music. They also released a series, "Prospective 21 siecle". DGG, not to be outdone, put out the "Wergo" series under the Heliodor banner. Most of these LPs have probably not been re issued! At the time they were at mid price too, Perhaps Naxos will move into this area too!

This Page PKM 2000 Created 18th. Nov. 2000 Edited 26th. Dec 2000

A few sources and tools you might use.
Short wave radio. This can provide a whole range of material, some from outside the Earth even.(see Zin Zin.). A random sweep should reveal many and varied sources.	White noise and other random noise sources, including filtered sampling. There is a French guy who has treated Radiohead tracks in a very original way. Think that's the right link!	Reverse play. This can be mixed in with forward play, as done by the Stone Roses, or the whole track can be reversed. Was "Sgt. Pepper" the 1st. pop music attempt? To a certain extent the DJ Scratching technique has evolved from this
Tape Loops, notably with synthesised percussion. These were initially REAL loops of tape, possible on reel to reel or even cassette. Today you can get a computer to do it. The "drumming" on a lot of Dance and Trance tracks would kill off a poor live drummer! That's the reason why most is machine created today. Punk band drummers really earn their keep! A whole series of loops can be stacked and blended on a mix desk, or even put together like a score in a powerful computer. SKILL is needed to do this well, but far too often you hear loops flogged to death over and over again YUKKKKK!		The Mix Desk This (allegedly) makes life a lot easier! It gives a central link to a whole range of loops, samples, (often from several computers) AND live input too. In good hands it is really creative, BUT is abused FAR TOO OFTEN! There are too many "faked" one hit wonder efforts!
The Theremin. Was the first electronic instrument (as far as I am aware!)		Er watch this space?
The ondes Martenot was evolved from the Theremin, after a meeting between the two researchers in Russia. It is more complex, with a keyboard and a slide device which modulates the sound. It is still monophonic (one tone at a time as opposed to chords as in mechanical keyboards). Multi note capability had to wait until the synthesiser developed much later. The early "synths" were a mass of wires and plugs and even dated back to the pre transistor age. Some artists today have gone back to this basic system, despite the limitations. Onstage practicalities should be considered though! Refer to the Radiohead page. Kid A includes use of these instruments. As I said pre release. Radiohead has a broad musical ability as a band.
MOOG and other synthesisers.

Musique Concrete dates from the postwar years when magnetic tape recording became available. Composers used this new medium by recording sounds, some created electronically from very basic sources, even including short wave radio static. These were then filtered, speeded up, reversed, spliced etc. and re compiled onto a new tape. As multi track tape developed, so did the scope and potential. These experiments led to the development of the Synthesiser, which could produce sounds at will. Stereo sound was first developed and released on tape. If the Second World War had not intervened, Stereo recording might have begun in the fourties, rather than the fifties.
Musique Concrete No:-2 Disques BAM EX242. 7" vinyl 45 rpm	Etude Aux Sons Tendus. Luc Ferrari. Etude Aux Sons Animes Pierre Schaeffer. Diamorphoses (1958) Yannis Xenakis	Recorded in 1959 by Le Groupe De Recherches Musicales De La R.T.F. Direction : Pierre Schaeffer.
The New Music RCA Victrola Stereo VICS1239 12" LP.	KONTRA-PUNKTE for 10 instruments Karlheinz Stockhausen. Threnody For The Victims of Hiroshima Krzysztof Penderecki Available forms 1 for Chamber ensemble. Earle Brown. Rimes Pour Differentes Sources Sonores Henri Pousseur
Philips released a series of albums under the "Fourfront" logo. One of the four was electronic or "modern" music. They also released a series, "Prospective 21 siecle". DGG, not to be outdone, put out the "Wergo" series under the Heliodor banner. Most of these LPs have probably not been re issued! At the time they were at mid price too, Perhaps Naxos will move into this area too!