Golden Age of Music

Another cause for excitement are the recent happenings in electronic music. As the border between digital and “physical” music become more and more obscure new sounds are arriving that continually amaze me. The electronica scene in the early nineties (near its peak I think?) Since the late nineties and early 2000z new software began arriving. This enabled more sounds and was easier to handle (although many artists such as DJ Shadow and Leftfield have been making amazing electronic sounds WAY ahead of their time.

EM is still very young and growing which is why the new sounds I’m hearing today are so inspirational; its only started and we are producing THIS already?!. With the digital anyone can compose an orchestra of sounds (either by recording their own sounds or getting them from others). Today many people say they don’t like EM, but don’t realize that they are listening to it and liking it. Zero 7 for example is like electronica lite, but the digital is there. Recording studios use sound manipulation constantly. Also, EM is getting popular and is used often in media. See the new James Bond movie? (In addition to all the electronic music throughout the movie) the awesome track during the credits is by Four Tet, one of the driving forces in EM today. The Chemical Brothers are in advertisements and soundtracks.

I think a digital golden age of electronic music is inevitable because it is founded upon other music. In order for EM to survive it needs sounds that already exist. Jazz, Hip Hop, Rock, Metal, Classical, and World are some of the biggest sounds that EM musicians have and continue to use. EM is a giant gelatinous sponge absorbing all sound and emitting something entirely new. Anything that makes a sound can and is used. You can do almost whatever you want with these new technologies, imagination is the limit. After talking and watching some of these musicians work, I am amazed at the fluidity, complexity, and creativity that goes into these productions. I make no claim that everyone will grow to like EM (I’m not that unreasonable), but I do believe we are currently witnessing an explosion of musical creativity. In future decades we might be hearing producers like  Squarepusher, Lemon Jelly,  Boards of Canada, and Blue Tech (to name a select few) on the radio or through crappy headphones.

img taken from google