There’s something quietly seismic about a man who hears the hum of a train and thinks, “That’s music.” Not background noise. Not static. Not filler. Music. Pierre Henri Marie Schaeffer (1910–1995) didn’t just push the boundaries of what music could be—he erased them entirely and invited us to listen again like we’d never heard anything before. And in doing so, he laid the foundational philosophy for sampling, remix culture, modular synthesis, sound design, tape manipulation, ambient music, glitch, and pretty much everything else we still call “cutting edge.” He was a composer. A writer. A theorist. An engineer. A French Resistance member. A radio renegade. But above all, he was a listener. The kind of listener who made the rest...
John Chowning, a pioneering composer and researcher, played a pivotal role in the development of FM synthesis and computer music. His journey from traditional musician to electronic music innovator illustrates the power of curiosity, perseverance, and interdisciplinary collaboration in driving technological breakthroughs. Early Musical Journey Chowning's musical journey began conventionally. He learned violin at age eight, understanding concepts like vibrato from an early age. During high school, he played cymbals in the band, later transitioning to drums. He recalls, "I was playing cymbals, watching the snare drummer next to me, and I thought, that looks like a lot more fun and learned to play rudimentary, rudimentary drumming, not just drumming, but rudimentary drumming like drum and bugle corps stuff, really...
While many electronic instruments and synthesis methods have become commonplace, a fascinating array of rare and unconventional approaches have emerged, often fading into obscurity despite their ingenuity. We will explore these lesser-known synthesis methods, their inventors, and their place in the evolution of electronic music. Early Innovations (Late 19th - Early 20th Century) The dawn of electronic music synthesis can be traced back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest and most ambitious attempts was the Telharmonium, developed by Thaddeus Cahill in 1897. This massive instrument, weighing 200 tons, used rotating electromagnetic tone wheels to generate electrical signals, which were then converted to sound. Despite its innovative approach, the Telharmonium's size and power consumption made it impractical for...
The Art and Evolution of Tape Looping: From Musique Concrète to Digital Frontiers In the vast landscape of musical innovation, few techniques have proven as versatile and enduring as tape looping. From its humble beginnings in the experimental studios of post-war Europe to its current digital incarnations, tape looping has continually pushed the boundaries of sound manipulation, composition, and performance. This essay traces the fascinating journey of tape looping through the decades, exploring its technical evolution, artistic applications, and cultural impact. The Birth of a Revolution The story of tape looping begins in the late 1940s, amidst the burgeoning movement of musique concrète. Pierre Schaeffer, working in the studios of French radio, discovered that by creating closed loops of recorded...
n the evolving landscape of digital art, glitch aesthetics have carved out a unique niche, challenging our perceptions of perfection and control. Traditionally, techniques like DataMoshing—the intentional corruption of video compression for artistic effect—have been time-consuming, esoteric practices. These methods have long been the hallmark of underground digital art movements, operating on the fringes of mainstream creativity. However, the advent of convenient tools like DataMosh Deluxe and DataMosh Reactive has ushered in a new era, presenting a paradox that strikes at the heart of glitch art's identity. The traditional process of creating glitch art, particularly DataMoshing, is notoriously labor-intensive. Artists spend hours, sometimes days, meticulously manipulating digital files to achieve the desired effect. This grueling process has become more than...
