Electronic music Books

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Book SynopsisExtravagantly opaque, willfully vaporous — Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II, released by the estimable British label Warp Records in 1994, rejuvenated ambient music for the Internet Age that was just dawning. In the United States, it was Richard D. James's first full length on Sire Records (home to Madonna and Depeche Mode) under the moniker Aphex Twin; Sire helped usher him in as a major force in music, electronic or otherwise. Faithful to Brian Eno’s definition of ambient music, Selected Ambient Works Volume II was intentionally functional: it furnished chill out rooms, the sanctuaries amid intense raves. Choreographers and film directors began to employ it to their own ends, and in the intervening decades this background music came to the fore, adapted by classical composers who reverse-engineered its fragile textures for performance on acoustic instruments. Simultaneously, “ambient” has moved from esoteric sound art to central tenet of online culture. This book contends that despite a reputation for being beatless, the album exudes percussive curiosity, providing a sonic metaphor for our technologically mediated era of countless synchronized nanosecond metronomes.Trade ReviewMarc Weidenbaum packs a lot into these 130 pages: a mini-biography of a ground-breaking artist, a capsule history of ambient music, and an example of how digital technology determines how we hear and interpret music. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *Weidenbaum ... is a lucid listener. His book offers deep insights into what makes the individual tracks so startling. * The Wire *Weidenbaum avoids an obvious track-by-track breakdown, instead focussing on creating a narrative of the album’s history and reception through the book’s seven chapters. Nevertheless there are several highly compelling accounts of tracks from the album, providing the attentive and imaginative readings that form the book’s backbone. ... Weidenbaum is at his best when he writes about the non-musical issues of the album ... [His] journalistic tone leads the reader effortlessly through his carefully constructed narratives, always respectful of Aphex’s artistry without ever falling into uncritical hagiography. ... One of the biggest appeals of SAW II lies in the invitation to find meaning in it and Weidenbaum’s account is the perfect vehicle to do this, helping the listener to connect up the disentangled sonic fragments and re-assemble them in a personal way. * Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture *It's not easy writing about ambient music. It is hard to describe how it sounds, and it is also hard to describe how it makes you feel. Weidenbaum avoids these problems by writing about the track listing, the names of the songs, the circumstances of the creation of the album, the reception of the album, and how it was used in movies...Some of Weidenbaum's approaches to discussing the album are illuminating. He explains how SAW Vol II was developed for chill out rooms at raves when people were coming down from long hours of dancing and drugs, and they needed something both restful and energizing. -- Christian Perring * Metapsychology Online Reviews *Mentioned on LineOut. * The Stranger.com *If you're already a fan of Aphex Twin, you'll revel in Weidenbaum's deep dive into one of the artist's signature works. If not, you'll be surprised to learn that you've likely already heard his music in one form or another. -- S.T. Vanairsdale * The City (SacTownMag.com) *the ‘extravagantly opaque, willfully vaporous’ chillout room masterpieces of electronic composer Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin -- basically what everyone in the 1990s listened to as they swept up/came down after the rave -- get the business from incisive SF writer and archivist Marc Weidenbaum. And really, the pairing couldn't be any more delicious. -- Marke B. * San Francisco Bay Guardian *Like all good critical studies, Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II doesn’t provide the illusion of closure; rather, it expands minds, fostering the creation of textual meaning. I can offer no higher praise. -- Caught in the Carousel * Paul Gleason *Table of ContentsThere Is No Volume I Background Beats A Chill-out Room of One's Own Synesthetic Codex Transcribing Vapor Embedding Vapor Selected Ambient Works Volume III Thanks and Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisIn November 2020, Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Dave Gahan, accepting the honour, said: “I’d like to thank Anton Corbijn who thank God came in at the right time and actually made us look cool.” Also in the fall of 2020, TASCHEN released the limited edition Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn (81–18) signed by Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn, and it became one of the fastest selling collector’s editions in the publishing company’s history. This pocket-sized and wallet-friendly edition is a testament to Corbijn’s unique vision, and indeed “cool” as Gahan acknowledged so movingly in his speech; an illustrated history of how Corbijn, who became in 1986 the band’s de facto creative director, and helped cement Depeche Mode’s reputation as the biggest cult band in the world.Featuring over 150 photographs from Corbijn’s extensive archives, including formal and informal portraits from places such as Madrid, Hamburg, the California desert, Prague and Marrakech; a multitude of off-the-cuff, candid images; and stunning live shots from all their tours since 1988 right up to 2023. Created with the full collaboration of the band, who share some insights on working with Corbijn, Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn trumpets how one man’s original aesthetic, that has encompassed all of their photography, most of their music videos, album graphics and set designs, helped shape the band’s enduring popularity. Reflecting on his role in Depeche Mode, Corbijn recalls in the book’s introduction: “A lot of it came down to me, and I wanted it to be right for them. I wanted to think for them. To be great for them.” This book is a tribute to the depth and breadth of that greatness, a celebration of one of the most creative and enduring collaborations in rock history.Trade Review“Anton was able to give the DM sound, that we were beginning to create, a visual identity.” * Dave Gahan *

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Book SynopsisOpening with David Mancuso's seminal "Love Saves the Day" Valentine's party in February 1970, this title tells the definitive story of disco - from its murky subterranean roots in NoHo and Hell's Kitchen to its gaudy blossoming in midtown Manhattan to the out-of-town networks that emerged in the suburbs and alternative urban hotspots.Trade Review“Love Saves the Day is what we need for generations to come: it’s the real history of dance music and dj/club culture.”—Louie Vega, dj/producer, Masters At Work & Nuyorican Soul"A fantastic history of the birth of disco." -- Tracey Thorn, Everything But the Girl * The Guardian *“As authoritative as it is gossipy, Love Saves the Day is the ultimate backstage view of disco, the underground phenomenon that ended up defining a decade. Tim Lawrence talked to virtually everyone who shaped ‘70s urban nightlife, but he keeps his prime focus on the djs who created its seductive soundtrack. With them as your witty, opinionated guides, you’ll find yourself well past the velvet ropes, deep inside a scene that has never been so thoroughly or lovingly illuminated.”—Vince Aletti, Village Voice“At last disco gets the history it deserves. Tim Lawrence tells the story of ten years that shook the musical world with the scholar’s concern for detail and the fan’s concern for honor. Great tales of the humble and the ahubristic, of money, sex, and the utopia of the sound system. Illuminating and moving.”—Simon Frith, author of Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music “At long last, a candid, detailed, and authoritative look back on one of dance music’s most seminal moments in time. This book on the genesis of the movement in 1970s New York will delight anyone from the researcher wanting some serious unbiased fact-checking all the way to the casual music lover curious for juicy anecdotes. It’s about time!”—François K., dj and founder and president of Wave Music“I wish I'd written it myself.”—Barry Walters, Senior Music Critic, Rolling Stone“[A]n extraordinarily rich work that ought to transform the ways we write the history of popular music. . . . [A] marvelous book. . . .” -- Mitchell Morris * Journal of Popular Music Studies *"[A] fine, groundbreaking history filled with fresh information and thoughtful perspectives on the disco decade, the result of his hundreds of interviews and exhaustive research. Scores of photographs and signature discographies nicely complement the text." * Library Journal *"[A]s Tim Lawrence illustrates in Love Saves The Day, the story of disco is richer than its battered reputation lets on. . . . [A]n exceedingly well-reported history. . . . Love Saves The Day works as an eye-opening history of a movement that found a nation taking time out to dance." -- Andy Battaglia * The Onion *"[P]acked with detail . . . without turning dull; [Love Saves the Day] offers a non-hagiographic treatment of dance-music icons. . . and, perhaps best of all, Lawrence's riveting storytelling puts you deep in the proto-disco moment. . . . Love Saves the Day not only gets dance-music history right--it refocuses that history to include those unjustly excluded from it." -- Ethan Brown * New York *"[T]his is as close to a definitive account of Disco as we're likely to get, and as entertaining as a great night out." -- Richard Smith * Gay Times *"[T]o some, a respectful history of disco may seem as perverse as a paean to strip malls. Tim Lawrence's Love Saves the Day boldly overturns that story. . . . I, for one, won't be able to dismiss dance culture so quickly, and his book should become a fixture in the libraries of serious students of American pop." -- Philip Christman * Paste *"Lawrence has documented the scene with a fan's affection and a scholar's thoroughness. . . . His interview subjects, veteran DJs and clubgoers all, best convey in their own words what it was like to be on the dance floor at the Loft, the Gallery or the Paradise Garage when the crowd--drenched in sweat, screaming and whistling, arms in the air--gave itself up to rapture." -- Tom Beer * Newsday *"Thanks to an impressive amount of research Tim Lawrence . . . creates an evocative portrait of the Big Apple DJ demimonde of the 1970s." -- Peter Shapiro * The Wire *"THE book on club music in America—a massive volume that contains more information about the New York scene than we'd ever hoped to learn! The book fills in gaps that we've always been unsure of, and tells the full story of the evolution of New York dance in the 70s—going way past the hype!" * Dustygroove.com *"Tim Lawrence's disco culture tome is one of the sharpest books on dance music to date, striking a balance between you-are-there club descriptions, socioeconomic analysis, and musical critique." -- Tricia Romano * Village Voice *Table of ContentsFigures vii Preface xi Acknowledgments xvii Introduction 1 1. beginnings House Parties and Discotheques 5 2. consolidation Party Pariahs and the Path to Permanent Revolution 33 3. pollination The Rise of the Downtown Party Network 55 4. recognition The Crystallization of a Sound 83 5. visibility The Message of Love and the Disco Mix 117 6. expansion Record Pools, Music Labels, New Clubs 155 7. prominence Forums, Formats, Franchises 205 8. ascendancy Eurodisco, Midtown, Downtown, Out-of-Town 251 9. dominance Disco Takes Over 303 10. turbulence Backlash and Survival 363 Epilogue 433 Notes 443 Selected Discography 457 Selected Bibliography 473 Index 477

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Book SynopsisWhen Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii, struck an iconic pose with his arm in the air, he did more than get the crowd to dance - he redefined electronic music. This official photo book pays tribute to Tim Bergling's musical career and traces his life in almost 200 images from his childhood to some of his biggest gigs, including rare personal moments behind the scenes.During his short life, Avicii became one of the biggest stars of his time. He began his career at the age of 16 by posting remixes on internet forums, which eventually led him to sign with a record label. His breakthrough came in 2011 with the song Levels, which became an international super hit. He staged more than 800 concerts all over the world and worked with stars including Madonna, Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz and Robbie Williams. When he died in 2018 at the age of 28, he had forever changed the musical landscape.The book also includes an essay written by Måns Mosesson, the official biographer of Tim Bergling.

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Book SynopsisPaused in Cosmic Reflection is the definitive story of The Chemical Brothers. Told in the voices of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, with contributions from friends and collaborators, it is fully illustrated with 30 years of mind-bending visuals.Trade ReviewA ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023Rich in anecdotes, the book chronicles their evolution from DJing in basements to shaping modern electronic music. Complemented by archival photos and unseen visuals, it's a visual feast for fans, an intimate journey into the pulsating heart of The Chemical Brothers' world * Clash *An abundance of yarns... the visual presentation is exceptional, as-photoshoot outtakes, video stills, ecstatic snapshots and assorted ephemera sumptuously encapsulate the Chemicals' mind-altering universe * MOJO *Sumptuous new graphic autobiography * Daily Telegraph *A block-rockin' coffee-table tome... the definitive story of this groundbreaking duo * Electronic Sound *Excellent * Creative Boom *

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Book SynopsisIn the mid- to late 1980s, rave culture developed. It influenced music, design, art, drugs, fashion, language and even the law. Originally emerging in the USA, it was refined in the UK by people who wanted to dance, party and express themselves in terms of art and music. It started in in small, sweaty clubs but such was the popularity that soon enormous Raves, with tens of thousands of people, were common. 'House' music and illegal drug ecstasy were the driving forces behind what turned into a global phenomenon. Events that started as secretive nights in underground clubs, with word-of-mouth advertising grew from one-off take-overs of unusual venues into huge open land-based events. Pager and telephonic communication became the medium of message-passing, and flyers were key to it all: informing the right people about the right place at the right time. Chelsea Berlin was there from the beginning, attending many of the now legendary events, from Club Shoom to Energy and beyond. In Rave Art, the whole exciting movement is documented through the flyers that were handed out freely (often privately) to inform partygoers of the next venue. Flyer design became an artform, and this book contains hundreds of the most significant and rare examples from Chelsea's huge collection. Together with personal reminiscences and quotes from famous, infamous and not-so-famous attendees, Rave Art paints a vivid picture of what is probably the last significant youth culture movement of modern times. Table of ContentsForeword by Mark Moore. Introduction: A look back at the roots of dance music and how rave culture emerged. The musical, political and cultural heritage of the movement. Flyers, Invites and Membership Cards: Hundreds of the most interesting, colourful and significant pieces of art from a ten-year period. Chelsea provides a commentary, drawing the reader's attention to particular events and places where necessary. Chronology: The key moments including the 'freedom to party movement', the music of the times and people documented (prominent DJs, organisers and others involved).

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Book SynopsisFully authorised, this book on Moby draws from exclusive interviews conducted over the last seven years with Moby himself, as well as in-depth insights provided by those closest to him - fellow band members, his road crew, music writers and his management. Illustrated with photos taken from Moby's own extensive personal collection, it charts his compelling climb to the top of the music charts and offers the inside take on the enigma behind that success.

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Book SynopsisWilliam L. Weir lives in Connecticut and writes regularly about music and the history of music technology. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, The Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, and other publications.Trade ReviewThis book is a concise history of the Radiophonic Workshop and to some extent a history of electronic music -- David Harris * Practical Wireless *Table of ContentsIntroduction: An Improbable Stew 1. Before the Workshop: Beeps, Bloops, and a Battle for the Nation’s Identity 2. “Vive Le Workshop!” 3. “Time Beat” and the Soul of a Machine 4. Way Out and Catchy! Doctor Who, and a New Era for the Workshop 5. Fragile Ribbons of Iron: A Chapter about Tape 6. Around the Office 7. The Art of Making Something from Nothing 8. Goons, Singing Dogs, and Chirping Percolators 9. The World as Their Instrument 10. The Impact of the Radiophonic Workshop 11. Team Tape versus Team Synth 12. The End, and a New Appreciation Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisWe live in an electronic world. Electronic sounds and electronic music have long permeated our sonic landscape. What began as the otherworldly sounds of the film score for the 1956 film Forbidden Planet and the rarefied, new timbres of Stockhausen’s Kontakte a few years later, is now a common soundscape in technology, media and an array of musical genres and subgenres. More people than ever before can produce and listen to electronic music, from isolated experimenters, classical and jazz musicians, to rock musicians, sound recordists and the newer generations of electronic musicians making hip-hop, house, techno and ambient music. Increasingly we are listening to electronic sounds, finding new meanings in them, experimenting with them and rehearing them as listeners and makers. Live Wires explores how the five key electronic technologies – the tape recorder, circuit, computer, microphone and turntable – revolutionized musical thought. Featuring the work of major figures from Schaeffer, Varèse, Xenakis, Babbitt and Oliveros to Eno, Keith Emerson, Grandmaster Flash, Juan Atkins and Holly Herndon, Live Wires presents many of the powerful musical ideas that are being recycled, rethought and remixed by some of the most electrifying composers and musicians today.Trade Review'The writing is easy to read, knowledgeable without being painfully esoteric . . . This is a wonderful guide through a still-evolving phenomenon and one that now, more than ever, deserves our attention.'-Spectrum Culture; 'A good introduction to the artistic aims and means of an ever-expanding sound world, and – from Varèse to Blondie to Squarepusher to DJ Shadow – makes for an invigorating and nostalgic playlist.'-BBC Music Magazine; 'A sonic adventure well worth reading.'-Leonardo; 'Definitely best consumed whilst imbibing his excellent chapter of recommended listening.'-Shindig; 'If we dare mention Christmas, this book would make a perfect stocking filler for Electronica fans… oh, right. Yes, that’s you. Self-gift?'-Electrowow; 'There can’t really be two ways to say this: Dan Warner’s Live Wires is a good book. Dan Warner’s intimately experiential/technical descriptions of his favorite instances of every kind and genre of electronic music in the experimental culture – a culture that almost obliterated the boundaries between “classical” and “pop” – will get you right inside of his sensitively perceptive ear and his deep knowledge and understanding of the sense and implication of what he has, and you will, come to hear.'-Benjamin Boretz, composer

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Book SynopsisBefore she became Smokin Jo - the most famous and visible of the first generation of ''superstar DJs'' - Joanne Joseph was a young girl growing up in a children''s home with her sister. Until her mother returned and whisked the siblings away just before secondary school to a flat on the Portobello Road, her life was devoid of music: the home didn''t allow it, apart from hymns and carols at Christmas.As she entered the turbulent years of adolescence, Jo found herself pulled towards Soho and the burgeoning underground acid house scene, instantly finding herself at home amongst other artists, musicians and misfits who breathed and survived on dance music and ecstasy. Within a couple of years, in a lightning-fast ascent, Jo claimed her permanent place as one of England''s most exciting and revered DJs of the British rave scene. In 1992, Jo was awarded DJ of the Year in DJ Magazine''s list of Top 100 DJ''s. To this day she is still the only woman to achieve this accolade.<

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Book SynopsisThis new edition is the ultimate exploration of the upstart instruments ä and their unique analog growls and screams ä that paved the way over the last four decades for today''s fast-paced electronic music world. Explores the development of the modern synthesizer from 1962 on with in-depth interviews with pioneering designers Bob Moog and Alan R. Pearlman of Moog Music and ARP Instruments fame. These and other designers reveal their initial ideas reflect on their hits and misses and discuss how star performers have used their creations. Histories of groundbreaking instruments examine modular analog & digital synths and samplers plus more unusual instruments like the Mellotron. Noted synthesist Keith Emerson and composer Wendy Carlos ( Switched-On Bach ) offer musical insights and performance techniques. Includes fully updated pricing and production info and more than 200 photos and a stunning color section.

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Book SynopsisThe Arduino platform provides a virtually limitless range of creative opportunities to musicians who are interested to explore new technologies. In Arduino for Musicians, Brent Edstrom provides a comprehensive guide to the underlying technologies enabling the creation of custom instruments that respond to light, touch, breath, and other forms of control.Trade Review"I heartily recommend this book as a way to get started with Arduino or electronics even for non-musicians. But if you ever wanted to make your own Moog synth or Theremin (and who hasn't) then you will love this book."--Dr. Simon Monk, author and maker "A comprehensive and easy to use guide for everything you may need to know about how to use the Arduino for musical applications. The book is well-organized, allowing both technical novices and experienced music technologists to find the information and guidance they may be looking for."--Gil Weinberg, Professor and Director, Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology "Edstrom has developed a very useful resource for musicians interested in using microcomputer controllers and software tools in Arduino for Musicians. This publication, organized in three sections, serves not only as an introduction for those just learning the world of the Arduino, but also for those learning to use the open-source electronics platform to apply creative applications of the core concepts for the more advanced projects. The intermediate and advanced sections are written in a casual narrative style with well-organized sequencing. The book is a welcome addition as a resource or required text for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in music technology or related courses in multimedia performance."--G. David Peters, Professor and Head of Graduate Studies, Music and Arts Technology, Indiana University - IUPUITable of ContentsTable of Contents Forward Chapter 1 Getting Started Chapter 2 Introduction To Programming Chapter 3 Introduction To Electronics Chapter 4 Interfacing With Arduino Chapter 5 Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) I/O Chapter 6 Real-Time Input: Musical Expression Chapter 7 Music-Making Shields Chapter 8 Programming Part II Chapter 9 Audio Output and Sound Synthesis Chapter 10 Audio Input Chapter 11 Finalizing Projects Chapter 12 Standalone Arduino Chapter 13 MIDI Hand Drum Project Chapter 14 Stella Synthesizer Project Chapter 15 Step Sequencer Project Chapter 16 Emöte MIDI Controller Notes Bibliography Appendix A: MIDI Control Changes Appendix B: MMC Commands Appendix C: Introduction to Bit Twiddling Index

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Book SynopsisAll Things Remembered is the story of the man born Clifford J. Price - jungle's most streetwise ambassador who went on to collect an MBE from Buckingham Palace. As one of Britain's most influential DJs, producers and record-label owners, Goldie's contribution to the UK rave scene in the 1990s with Metalheadz provided the blueprint for dubstep and grime. Here is the memoir of an extraordinary life, an explosive story of abuse, revenge, graffiti, breakdancing, gold teeth, sawn-off shotguns, car crashes, hot yoga, absent fatherhood and redemption through reality TV all told in Goldie's unmistakeable, charismatic voice.

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Book SynopsisDaphne Oram (1925–2003) was one of the central figures in the development of British experimental electronic music. Having declined a place at the Royal College of Music to become a music balancer at the BBC, she went on to become the co-founder and first director of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Oram left the BBC in 1959 to pursue commercial work in television, advertising, film and theatre, to make her own music for recording and performance, and to continue her personal research into sound technology – a passion she had had since her childhood in rural Wiltshire. Her home, a former oasthouse in Kent, became an unorthodox studio and workshop in which, mostly on a shoestring budget, she developed her pioneering equipment, sounds and ideas. A significant part of her personal research was the invention of a machine that offered a new form of sound synthesis – the Oramics machine.Oram’s contribution to electronic music is receiving considerable attention from new generations of composers, sound engineers, musicians, musicologists and music lovers around the world. Following her death, the Daphne Oram Trust was established to preserve and promote her work, life and legacy, and an archive created in the Special Collections Library at Goldsmiths, University of London. One of the Trust’s ambitions has been to publish a new edition of Oram’s one and only book, An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics, which was originally published in 1972. With support from the Daphne Oram Archive, the Trust has now been able to realize this ambition.An Individual Note is both curious and remarkable. When commissioned to write a book, she was keen to avoid it becoming a manual or how-to guide, preferring instead to use the opportunity to muse on the subjects of music, sound and electronics, and the relationships between them. At a time when the world was just starting to engage with electronic music and the technology was still primarily in the hands of music studios, universities, and corporations, her approach was both innovative and inspiring, encouraging anyone with an interest in music to think about the nature, capabilities and possibilities that the new sounds could bring. And her thinking was not limited to just the future of the orchestra, synthesizer, computer and home studio, but ventured, with great spirit and wit, into other realms of science, technology, culture and thought. An Individual Note is a playful yet compelling manifesto for the dawn of electronic music and for our individual capacity to use, experience and enjoy it.This new edition of An Individual Note features a specially commissioned introduction from the British composer, performer, roboticist and sound historian Sarah Angliss.

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Book SynopsisThe story of the phenomenon that is Kraftwerk, and how one band revolutionized the cultural landscape of our time.'We are not artists nor musicians. We are workers.' Ignoring nearly all rock traditions, experimenting in near-total secrecy in their Düsseldorf studio, Kraftwerk fused sound and technology, graphic design and performance, modernist Bauhaus aesthetics and Rhineland industrialisation--even human and machine--to change the course of modern music. What they created changed the course of pop music forever, influencing artists as diverse as Björk, Joy Division, David Bowie, and Kanye West. This is the story of Kraftwerk the cultural phenomenon, who turned electronic music into avant-garde concept art and created the soundtrack to our digital age.Trade ReviewA highly stimulating critical biography. Written from a European perspective, Kraftwerk is a pleasure to read. -- Jon Savage * New Statesman *An engaging critical introduction to the band ... you can see them everywhere: most fascinatingly in hip-hop, most obviously in techno music, but also in the chrome-helmeted anonymity of Daft Punk, in the industrial philosophy of Factory Records and the Haçienda nightclub, and, ultimately, in the general trajectory of pop music ever since Kraftwerk's run of great albums between 1974 and 1981. -- Karl Whitney * The Guardian *As the music of the 20th century fades from our ears, Kraftwerk's sound is still moving. -- Jay Elwes * The Spectator *I read Uwe Schütte's fascinating new book, and became convinced again of Kraftwerk's peculiar genius ... They remain revolutionary because they have given modern music its primitive pulse. -- Jude Rogers * Prospect *Schütte proposes that Kraftwerk was, in effect, a redemptive project, a reclamation of pre-war modernism and its aims ... This book is the German take on the German pop phenomenon. -- John Quin * The Quietus *Read Schütte's entertaining and meticulously-researched history of the band and it's hard not to conclude that Kraftwerk demand equivalence at least with the Fab Four. * The Herald *Fascinating ... Highlights just how innovative and influential they are. Kraftwerk didn't just beam themselves into the future, they invented it. -- Chris Harvey * The Scotsman *Born in Germany but based in the UK, Schutte is able to assess Kraftwerk from both the German and non-German perspective. This is a lucid, accessible, authoritative and indispensable account of the Düsseldorf group once mocked for their Teutonic 'otherness', who went on to lay the foundations for modern electronic music. -- David Stubbs, author of Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern GermanySchutte positions Kraftwerk not merely as a popular music phenomenon but as the embodiment of our transition from the uncertainty and hope of post-war Europe through to 21st century techno-hyperreality. A forensic analysis of Kraftwerk's socio-political roots and their ongoing cultural effect. Schutte sees beyond the regular band trivia to show a deeper understanding of the impact of Kraftwerk on all aspects of popular culture which enclose us. -- Dr Stephen Mallinder, founding member of Cabaret Voltaire and WranglerSchütte follows the foundational electropop group that inspired David Bowie's alienist late 1970s adventures and a multitude of electrovariations. He charts how they were a surprising European component in the emergence of hip-hop, as much through their sung-spoken words as their machine-made rhythms ... The book functions nicely as an introduction for newcomers to Kraftwerk's history. -- Paul Morley * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is the first compete biography of Bob Moog, and it is entertaining and meticulously assembled, revealing an impressively detailed impression of the man and his life's work... Switched On provides insights into the electronic sound revolution by going deep into the technical, practical, and person details of one of the era's most innovative and influential figures. This is surely destined to become an essential point of reference for scholars and researchers interested in the history of music technology. * Leah Kardos, Technology and Culture *The right biography at the right time...a noteworthy book * Bryan Van Campen, The Ithaca Times *A thorough, absorbing dive...Glinsky's ability to keep this massive show on the road, including various and sundry side trips, is impressive...what will remain in the memory is an absorbing, inspiring, sometimes amusing portrait of one of the great innovators of the 20th century. * Rosemary Michaud, The Post and Courier *My music book of the year is Albert Glinsky's wonderfully readable and informative biography, Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution. * Andy Hamilton, The Wire *In his 480 page and detailed biography, the American author Albert Glinsky illustrates how Robert Arthur Moog, born in New York in 1934, had a soft spot for technology even as a child. * Christoph Wagner, Neue Zurcher Zeitung *Switched On is a riveting account not just of the development of the synthesizer, but also a journey of the man. It intimately immerses readers into the life of the determined trailblazer and the subsequent struggles affiliated with creation and change. * Albuquerque Journal *[an] absorbing new biography .... a towering tribute * James Hall, The Telegraph [a Telegraph Editorial Pick] *an inspiring read * Electronic Sound *Jazz to Read By: Top Seven recommended holiday books of 2022 * Frank Alkyer, DownBeat *Glinsky's book tells the full story, covering every up and every down in a thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable read. * Jonathan Wilson, Engineering and Technology *a book to savour and return to * Andy Hamilton, The Wire *Switched On makes a significant contribution to the history of American music in the 20th century. * Jamie Bernstein, author of Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein *Like Moog's eponymous instrument, Glinsky takes the raw information and material of Bob Moog's life, and skillfully composes it into a beautiful textual symphony that evokes the man (and the music's) complicated humanity. Switched On is a sonic literary triumph! * David Sax, author of The Revenge of Analog *Albert Glinsky paints an amazing saga of a musical inventor who changed the music world, but who could never manage to find himself a stable position within it. In lively and fast-paced prose, Glinsky draws myriad connections that sparked beneath the surface of the music world in the 1950s and '60s among a kaleidoscopic variety of names, some famous, some influential behind the scenes. In so doing, he does for Robert Moog what his earlier book did for Leon Theremin: make a rather shadowy figure look like the secret center of the universe for rock music, the avant-garde, the counterculture, and the commercial music business. * Kyle Gann, author of Charles Ives's Concord: Essays After a Sonata *Bob Moog. Iconic name, iconic man. His revolutionary instrument made it possible for me to find my true voice. I am forever thankful to him. And that's why I'm very excited about Switched On for shining a light on this giant of musical history. * Jan Hammer, composer, keyboardist, and former member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra *I loved the book! Based on superb research into the history of the cloak and dagger era that defined the emergence of analog electronic music instruments and the challenges and misunderstandings of what this new technology meant, Glinsky gives us the very human portrait of a man who embodied the intersection of invention, musical culture, business and destiny. I lived through this era, but to see it etched in such defining detail untangles all the loose ends of a sometimes painful story. Switched On is a page-turner. * Suzanne Ciani, composer, electronic music pioneer *In Switched On, Albert Glinsky shows the character and brilliance of Bob Moog — a wry wizard of applying science to music, and the creator of tones and tools now foundational to our culture. Tracing Moog's technical advances in close but accessible detail, Glinsky gives an enlightening view of one of the twentieth century's most important musical innovators. * Ian Port, Author of The Birth Of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll *Table of ContentsForeword by Francis Ford Coppola Prelude PART ONE: THE FLUSHING GEEK Chapter 1: Depression's Child Chapter 2: Bronx Cheers Chapter 3: Our Guarantee Chapter 4: No Exit PART TWO: SLIPPING BACKWARDS ON A BANANA PEEL Chapter 5: Transistor Man and the Crusaders Chapter 6: Do It Yourself Chapter 7: The Abominatron Chapter 8: A Eunuch in a Harem Chapter 9: A Few Thousand Screws PART THREE: COSMIC SOUNDS Chapter 10: Hallucinations for Your Ear Chapter 11: The Star Collector Chapter 12: Long Live the Moog! Chapter 13: Hello, HAL Chapter 14: The Plastic Cow Goes Moooooog Chapter 15: Socket To Me, Baby! PART FOUR: SHORT CIRCUITS Chapter 16: Panicsville Chapter 17: Mini and the Beast Chapter 18: A Palace Revolution Chapter 19: The Island of Electronicus Chapter 20: I Bought Bob Moog PART FIVE: AN APOCALYPSE NOW Chapter 21: The Gelatin Pit Chapter 22: Vexations Chapter 23: Genericide Chapter 24: Yankee Go Home Chapter 25: The Briar Patch PART SIX: THE GRAND POOBAH Chapter 26: Genius for Hire Chapter 27: Comes Now the Defendant Chapter 28: The Desperate Voyager Chapter 29: Patron Saint of Electrogeeks Chapter 30: The Show That Never Ends Postlude Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book Synopsis** CONTAINS NEW MATERIAL ** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLER & WINNER OF THE ATTITUDE BOOK AWARD 'Refreshing, inspiring and candid.' ATTITUDE 'I love this man so much. He was, and always will be, my knight in shining Westwood.' DAVINA MCCALL'This is a story that should never have been told' KATE MOSS'The perfect beach read' THE SUNDAY TIMES'If you want to change your life but can't.. I strongly advise you read this book' TRACEY EMINAs one of club culture's most notorious - and best loved - figures, Tony is a complete force of nature. Here he tells the most extraordinary stories of depravity and hedonism, of week-long benders and extreme self-destruction - and of recovery, redemption, friendship and the joy of a good tune.___________________________________________________________________________'Anyone can get a party started, but no one keeps it going like Fat Tony, the energy never dips andwhat a life he's lived.. He's a tosser but we still love him.' ELTON JOHN & DAVID FURNISH___________________________________________________________________________Harrowing, honest and funny, this is the candid and outrageous memoir of a life of extremes. It's a story of getting it all and losing it all. Addiction, recovery, and starting again. Drawing a vivid portrait of Britain's street culture from the 1980s to the noughties, DJ Fat Tony describes his childhood on a London estate where he honed his petty criminality, was abused by an older man and became best friends with Boy George. He spent his teenage years parading the Kings Road in his latest (mostly stolen) clobber, worked as a receptionist at a brothel, hung out with Leigh Bowery and Andy Warhol, and created his drag persona, before becoming DJ to the stars (including Prince and Madonna) and spiralling into a life-threatening drug addiction.This is a story of loss and redemption and living to tell all the tales in glorious, funny and often heart-breaking detail, from one of social media's best-loved meme-thieves and the world-renowned DJ.___________________________________________________________________________'There is nobody in London, let alone the world who has lived a more extraordinary life... his journey from villain to real life hero is one of the most beautiful examples of humanity I have ever witnessed. I wouldn't be without this c*nt.' KELLY OSBOURNE'Hearing Tony's story is brutal and shocking. He is nothing short of a miracle and his willingness to be of service to others seeking sobriety is testament to how far he has come from the days of pulling his own teeth out.' MARC JACOBS

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Book Synopsis''The rainbow reaches right across the sky, for miles and miles, and has landed right in the middle of our field. My mother, Alison, is standing at the beginning. I''m sure it''s a beginning, rather than the end, as there''s no pot of gold in sight. The point where everything forms or, perhaps, is not quite formed as yet. That''s my favourite place. A place alive with possibility.''Strange Things Are Happening begins with the wonder of that rainbow, and continues with many escapades down the rabbit hole. From punk and the beginnings of the DIY scene, through Acid House, psychedelia, the rise of electronic dance music and much more, Richard Norris has been involved in countless countercultural revolutions. From misadventures in Amsterdam with Timothy Leary, with Sun Ra at customs, and Shaun Ryder in Joe Strummer''s beaten up Cadillac in Tijuana, to his extraordinarily influential output in The Grid and Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, Richard Norris'' story is one of

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Book SynopsisSuperCollider, an open-source, cross-platform software program for real-time sound synthesis and algorithmic composition, was created by James McCartney in 1996 and has evolved to become a powerful tool for music composition and research. Written by composer and sound artist Eli Fieldsteel, who has almost two decades'' experience of using SuperCollider for a variety of creative audio projects, SuperCollider for the Creative Musician is a comprehensive tutorial and reference guide for students, composers, and practitioners seeking a structured educational tour through this unique and flexible software.The book begins with platform-specific fundamentals, explores a large family of creative techniques, and then guides the reader through the nuances of assembling, navigating, and performing large-scale projects. Key topics include synthesis, sampling, sequencing, signal processing, external control, and graphical user interface design. Written with both beginners and intermediate practitio

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Book SynopsisOne of the true musical geniuses of the late 20th and early 21st century, Richard D. James has continued to be a pioneer in the electronic music landscape throughout his prolific, multi-faceted career. James, under his myriad of aliases, laid the foundation for ambient techno, drill 'n' bass and dark ambient across the span of six phenomenal studio albums and a multitude of EPs and side projects. Alongside this, he crafted a unique visual identity, expressed through his iconic logo and video collaborations with Chris Cunningham. If that wasn't enough, he has become a figurehead for artists as diverse as Thom Yorke and Pharrell Williams. Year by year, the mythos surrounding him continues to grow, ensuring he remains as culturally prevalent as ever. With no new, officially released music since 2020, this book marks the perfect opportunity to track the course of James' sizeable catalogue. From the well-known to the obscure, the rapid bursts of activity in the 1990s to the so-called 'hiatus' in the 2000s, every corner of this formidable discography is examined in vivid detail, providing insight and an impetus to discover to new listeners and hardcore fans in equal measure.

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Book Synopsis The intimate biography of the iconic DJ who was lost too soon. Tim Bergling was a musical visionary who, through his sense for melodies, came to define the era when Swedish and European house music took over the world. But Tim Bergling was also an introverted and fragile young man who was forced to grow up at an inhumanly fast pace. After a series of emergencies resulting in hospital stays, he stopped touring in the summer of 2016. Barely two years later, he took his own life.Tim - The Biography of Avicii is written by the award-winning journalist Måns Mosesson, who through interviews with Tim's family, friends and colleagues in the music business, has intimately gotten to know the star producer. The book paints an honest picture of Tim and his search in life, not shying from the difficulties that he struggled with.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on published and unpublished interviews with Wendy Carlos and with other people in her life and career, this full biography tells the story of Carlos' life from her childhood in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to her present life in New York and the secrecy that has surrounded it.Trade ReviewThe haunting story and magnificent work of Wendy Carlos is recounted in a fascinating book by musicologist Amanda Sewell, published by Oxford University Press. * Juan Carlos Tellechea, Mundo Classico *[Sewell] contextualizes the historical and technological details of Carlos's music with the accessible clarity of a gifted public musicologist and radio host ... Wendy Carlos: A Biography starts an important conversation about a composer who is often relegated to the peripheries of twentieth-century music. * Bradley M. Spiers, BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute *Table of ContentsDedication Acknowledgements Introduction. The Phenomenon of Wendy Carlos Chapter 1. Origins (1939-1962) Chapter 2. Foundations (1962-67) Chapter 3. Switched-On Bach and Undesired Fame (1968-69) Chapter 4. Something Went Wrong (1970-1978) Chapter 5. "Welcome Back, Wendy!" The Playboy Interview (1979) Chapter 6. Transformations (1979-1984) Chapter 7. The Last of the New (1985-1997) Chapter 8. Reissuing the Past (1998-2005) Chapter 9. Preserving, Protecting, and Defending Her Legacy (2006-Present) Glossary Bibliography

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Book Synopsis'The definitive look at dance music and club culture - a must read' - Paul Oakenfold'Brilliantly woven collection of aural histories ... a damn fine read' - DJ MAGIn 1987, four friends from London, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway and Johnny Walker, took a week-long holiday to Ibiza. What they saw there, and brought back home, would give rise to a new global music and counterculture movement. As the eighties drew to their close, with Thatcherism holding the nation tight in its grip, something funny was happening right across the jungle of Britain's nightlife scene. People were dressing down, not up, to go to clubs. And they were dancing right through the night armed seemingly with only bottles of water. Ecstasy and acid house music had arrived on British shores, and a tribal battle between for the moral future of the nation, between the youth and the establishment, had begun. In The Second Summer of Love, author and dance music promoter Alon Shulman uses exclusive contributions from the world's biggest DJs, including Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Moby, Faithless, Mr C, Farley & Heller, Danny Rampling and many others to faithfully recreate the story of the summers of 1988 and 1989, and chart the birth and rise of Acid House, dance music and club culture right through to the modern day where dance music has become a culturally dominant global industry.Complete with stunning unseen photographs, this is the first authentic account of what really happened in that glorious period - from the politics and the people to the music, the drugs, the fashion and the culture - told by people who were there, as they bring to life the creation of an underground scene which inadvertently altered the course of modern global youth culture forever.'It's as if house music and rave culture tapped into this ancient predilection of humans to stay up all night dancing and staring into the fire, and just supercharged it with electricity and MDMA' - Moby'What I was experiencing was right in front of my eyes, it was happening right now and I loved it' -Carl Cox'It opened my eyes and ears to a different spirit in music' - Fatboy Slim

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Born in Moscow, Wladimir Kaminer emigrated to Berlin in the early ''90s when he was 22. Russian Disco is a series of short and comic autobiographical vignettes about life among the émigrés in the explosive and extraordinary multi-cultural atmosphere of ''90s Berlin. It''s an exotic, vodka-fuelled millennial Goodbye to Berlin. The stories show a wonderful, innocent, deadpan economy of style reminiscent of the great humorists. [Several of his European editors make a comparison with current bestseller David Sedaris.] Kaminer manages to say a great deal without seeming to say much at all. He speaks about the offbeat personal events of his own life but captures something universal about our disjointed times.

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Book SynopsisFrom the first stage production of The Wizard of Oz in 1902, to the classic MGM film (1939), to the musicals The Wiz (1975) and Wicked (2003), L. Frank Baum''s children''s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) has served as the basis for some of the most popular musicals on stage and screen. In this book, musical theater scholar Ryan Bunch draws on his personal experience as an Oz fan to explore how a story that has been hailed as the American fairy tale serves as a guide for thinking about the art form of the American musical and how both reveal American identity to be a utopian performance.Show by show, Bunch highlights the forms and conventions of each musical work as practiced in its time and context-such as the turn-of-the-century extravaganza, the classical Hollywood film musical, the Black Broadway musical of the 1970s, and the twenty-first-century mega-musical. He then shows how the journey of each show teaches participants and audiences something about how to act American wiTrade ReviewBringing together his expertise in American musical theatre and childhood studies, Bunch walks readers through a culturally-grounded understanding of the world of Oz as found in books, on stages, on screens, in homes, and in communities. Deep scholarship and deep engagement with fan culture create a persuasive reading of the Oz fairy tale as quintessentially American, consciously performative, and full of a kind of theatrical humbug that makes the story perpetually adaptable and reflective of our changing society. * Dr. Jessica Sternfeld, Associate Professor of Music, Chapman University *Oz and the Musical beautifully analyzes the utopian possibility of the Oz story in forging a sense of American belonging. Exploring the form of the musical and its participatory potential, Bunch embraces the value of make believe and the performative to American inclusiveness. In engaging, lively prose, he reads Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked as fabulous expressions of the variety of the American imagination. * Katharine Capshaw, Professor of English and Africana Studies Affiliate, University of Connecticut *Table of ContentsAbout the Companion Website Acknowledgments Illustrations Introduction: The Fairy Tale, the Musical, and "America" 1. The Man Behind the Curtain: L. Frank Baum's Theatrical Fairy Tale 2. My Own Backyard: MGM's The Wizard of Oz 3. Easing Down the Road: The Soul of The Wiz 4. Wicked: The Witch's Turn 5. "And Then There Was Oz Again": Making Believe Between Oz and Home Epilogue: What Have You Learned, Dorothy? Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPush: Software Design and the Cultural Politics of Music Production shows how changes in the design of music software in the first decades of the twenty-first century shaped the production techniques and performance practices of artists working across media, from hip-hop and electronic dance music to video games and mobile apps. Emerging alongside developments in digital music distribution such as peer-to-peer file sharing and the MP3 format, digital audio workstations like FL Studio and Ableton Live introduced design affordances that encouraged rapid music creation workflows through flashy, user-friendly interfaces. Meanwhile, software such as Avid''s Pro Tools attempted to protect its status as the industry standard, professional DAW of choice by incorporating design elements from pre-digital music technologies. Other software, like Cycling 74''s Max, asserted its alterity to commercial DAWs by presenting users with nothing but a blank screen. These are more than just aesthetic design choices. Push examines the social, cultural, and political values designed into music software, and how those values become embodied by musical communities through production and performance. It reveals ties between the maximalist design of FL Studio, skeuomorphic design in Pro Tools, and gender inequity in the music products industry. It connects the computational thinking required by Max, as well as iZotope''s innovations in artificial intelligence, with the cultural politics of Silicon Valley''s design thinking. Finally, it thinks through what happens when software becomes hardware, and users externalize their screens through the use of MIDI controllers, mobile media, and video game controllers. Amidst the perpetual upgrade culture of music technology, Push provides a model for understanding software as a microcosm for the increasing convergence of globalization, neoliberal capitalism, and techno-utopianism that has come to define our digital lives.Trade ReviewA thoughtful and comprehensive look at digital musicianship in all its many layers and contexts. * Erin Barra, Director of Popular Music and Assistant Professor, Arizona State University *In this book, D'Errico (Albright College) examines Push technology, not just its evolution and technical background but also the gender gap among its users and the fact that a technical background is not required to produce music with it. D'Errico introduces many popular DAWs, such as FL Studio, Pro Tools, and Ableton, showing how they evolved into creative and money-making music production used in such music genres such as EDM (electronic dance music) and gaming music and by deejays in making music on dance floors around the world. The author also explores how the various DAWs split as music makers sought an easy flow system like FL Studio to produce music that was quick and profitable. The more rigid DAWs-for example, Pro Tools-were made for more technical productions and require more background in traditional recording techniques. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements About the Companion Website Introduction: Interface Aesthetics PART ONE: Sonic Architectures 1. Plugin Cultures 2. Monopolies of Competence 3. Terminal Aesthetics PART TWO: When Hardware Becomes Software 4. Controller Cultures 5. There's an App for That PART THREE: Software as Gradual Process 6. Worlds of Sound 7. Deep Listening Conclusion: Invisible Futures References Index

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Trade ReviewIn this brilliant study of a local culture's transnational dynamics and dimensions, Alejandro Madrid reveals how radical changes in contemporary commerce and culture are imbuing old identities, borders, and boundaries with new meanings. * George Lipsitz, author of Footsteps in the Dark *The Nortec Collective stands astride the US/Mexico border creating an art of hope and adaptation. This music represents all that is possible along the new frontier, and it has fomented a movement of art and film and literature that is unique in the world. Alejandro Madrid's masterful study of this brilliant hybrid stands as one of the important texts in the history of the new, shining, borderlands. Nortec sings, 'Tijuana makes me happy.' This work makes us happy to be alive. * Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil's Highway and The Hummingbird's Daughter *Alejandro Madrid is an amazing thinker. His fresh theoretical insights are synthesized from a broad base of knowledge and disciplines. This work will appeal to anyone interested in border studies and contemporary societal trends, as well as those with an interest in contemporary music and activism through music. * Brenda M. Romero, Associate Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, University of Colorado *Alejandro Madrid has brilliantly captured Nor-tec's burst into the twenty-first century. This is an innovative book that effectively balances traditional with virtual fieldwork, musical analysis with a cultural-oriented approach, and theoretical reflections with empirically grounded investigations. Madrid's critical mind and analytical skills meet the ingenuity and eloquence of the Nortec Collective. * Helena Simonett, Vanderbilt University, author of Banda: Mexican Musical Life across Borders *Nor-tec has spawned audio imitators, Volvo ads, t-shirts, and indie films, popped up everywhere from art installations to MTV and HBO, and now Tijuana's first-next-big-global-thing finally has its own full-scale scholarly book that lends a critical ear to border beats. With a focused and serious mix of theory, interviews, and lots of listening during long nights in Tijuana clubs, Madrid has done the music and the scene a great service by unraveling its histories and dissecting its meanings for fans and scholars alike. * Josh Kun, University of Southern California, author of Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America *Table of ContentsList of Figures ; List of Music Examples ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction: Nor-tec and the Borders ; 1. Origins Revisited. Myth and Discourse in the Nortec Collective ; 2. Tradition, Style, Nostalgia, and the Kitsch ; 3. Getting the Word Around ; 4. "Where is the Donkey Show Mr. Mariachi?" Reterritorializing TJ ; 5. Producers, DJs, Fans, and the Performance of Nor-tec ; 6. Dancing with Desire ; 7. Nor-tec and the Postnational Imagination ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSpecial Sound traces the fascinating creation and legacy of the BBC''s electronic music studio, the Radiophonic Workshop, in the context of other studios in Europe and America. The BBC built a studio to provide its own avant-garde dramatic productions with experimental sounds neither music nor sound effect. Quickly, however, a popular kind of electronic music emerged in the form of quirky jingles, signature tunes such as Doctor Who, and incidental music for hundreds of programs. These influential sounds and styles, heard by millions of listeners over decades of operation on television and radio, have served as a primary inspiration for the use of electronic instruments in popular music.Using in-depth research in the studio''s archives and papers, this book tells the history of the many engineers, composers, directors, and producers behind the studio to trace the shifting perception towards electronic music in Britain. Combining historical discussion of the people and instruments in theTrade Reviewimmaculately researched. * Mark Brend, Record Collector *excellent ... [Neibur] draws on specially undertaken and published interviews with key participants, as well as a treasure trove of written material from the BBC Written Archives Centre, and original programmes. * Timothy Boon, British Journal for the History of Science *Niebur's research into this early history of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop is wickedly illuminating * David Toop, Times Higher Education *Louis Niebur delves illuminatingly into a hitherto untold story to throw a deserved spotlight on the creative talents involved. * Michael Quinn, Editor's Choice for 2011, Classical Music Magazine *Table of ContentsABOUT THE COMPANION WEBSITE; ENDNOTES; APPENDIX: TRANSCRIPTIONS; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisContemporary electronic music has splintered into numerous genres and subgenres, all of which share a concern with whether sound, in itself, bears meaning. Listening through the Noise considers how the experience of listening to electronic music constitutes a departure from the expectations that have long governed music listening in the West.Trade Reviewa thought-provoking and significant contribution to our understanding of the aesthetics of electronic music. * Peter Manning, Music and Letters *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INTRODUCTION; PART 1. SIGN; PART TWO: OBJECT; PART THREE: SITUATION; CONCLUSION; NOTES; GLOSSARY; BIBLIOGRAPHY; DISCOGRAPHYTATES

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Book SynopsisListening through the Noise considers how the experience of listening to electronic music constitutes a departure from the expectations that have long governed music listening in the West.Trade Reviewa thought-provoking and significant contribution to our understanding of the aesthetics of electronic music. * Peter Manning, Music and Letters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Part One: Sign Chapter One: Listening to Signs in Post-Schaefferian Electroacoustic music Chapter Two: Material As Sign In Electronica Part Two: Object Chapter Three: Minimal Objects In Microsound Chapter Four: Maximal Objects in Drone Music, Dub Techno, and Noise Part Three: Situation Chapter Five: Site in Ambient, Soundscape, and Field Recordings Chapter Six: Genre, Experimentalism, and the Musical Frame Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Discography

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Book SynopsisElectronic music instruments known as synthesizers have been around since the 1950s, but the past few decades have seen their capabilities expand exponentially and their forms shape-shift from room-filling grandeur to sophisticated applications that run on pocket-sized phones and MP3 players. This book reveals the history, basics, forms, and uses of this astonishing instrument.Trade ReviewSynthesizers are wonderful musical instruments that cover a very wide range of implementations and uses. Mark Vails The Synthesizer is a must-read for anyone who has interest in learning about these engineering marvels. It is a great introduction if you are new to synths, but also very informative and up-to-date for the seasoned synth player. * Dave Smith, Dave Smith Instruments *A hugely detailed, exhaustively researched and splendidly idiosyncratic work which nails its extensive subject matter. Mark Vail enthusiastically charts the development of the synthesizer from the Trautonium to the latest software instruments, and also gives us valuable insights and tips from leading electronic composers, including legendary synth pioneer Wendy Carlos. * Dave Stewart, Keyboardist *In the past few decades, the synthesizer has finally come of age. Mark Vail's extensive work documents this journey from its austere and rarified beginnings to its present technologically sophisticated state. His well-illustrated book is filled with anecdotes and insights, amazing successes and ridiculous flops, expert advice on how to roll your own, lots of commentary on artists, their gear and their methodology, and finally, a guide to recording and disseminating your own musical masterpieces. Stash this volume where its easy to get to; you'll be using it a lot. * Don Buchla, Composer and Instrument Designer, Berkeley, California *Mark Vail is the best explainer and historian of music synthesizers that I know. I highly recommend this book, which is a whole lot of fun to read. * Roger Linn, Roger Linn Design *Table of ContentsForeword by Michelle Moog-Koussa ; Preface ; About the Companion Website ; 1. Trendsetting All-Stars ; 2. Acoustics & Synthesis Basics ; Real-World Acoustics ; Types of Synthesis ; Audio Sources: Oscillators, Noise, & More ; VCAs, Envelopes, & LFOs ; Envelope Followers & Pitch-to-Voltage Converters ; Filters ; EQs & Filter Banks ; Analog Sequencers ; Arpeggiators ; Reverb ; Analog Delay ; Digital Delay ; Loopers ; Other Effects ; 3. Choosing Your Synthesizer(s) ; What's Your Budget? ; Musical Tastes & Goals ; Hardware vs. Software ; Portability & Power ; Programmability: Pros & Cons ; Expandability ; As Others Have Done ; Perspective ; Modular Synthesizers in the 21st Century ; An Overview ; Modular Synth Shopping ; More on Eurorack Modular ; More on FracRak Modular ; More on Serge Modular ; Connectivity ; Convincing Analog & MIDI Synths to Coexist ; MIDI-to-CV Conversion ; CV-to-MIDI Conversion ; Controllers ; Synths & Controllers with Keyboards ; Alternative Controllers ; Wind Controllers ; Touch Controllers ; Hand-Held Controllers ; Struck Controllers ; Controllers for Microtonal Tunings ; 4. Composition, Programming, & Performance Techniques ; Composition ; Scoring to Picture ; Composing for Living Art ; Following Through on a Thought ; Sage Advice from a Master ; Scoring with Intent, Even When Intimidated ; Patching, a.k.a. Programming ; Encouraging Synthesists' Creativity ; When & How to Experiment with Sounds ; The Good & Bad of Non-Programmability ; Programming for Progress ; Fun with Modular Synths ; Layering Synth Sounds ; Programming for Expression ; Performance ; Tools of the Trade ; Dependence on the Tried & True, but Moving Forward ; Modular Apparitions ; Defying the Dependence on Visuals ; 5. Recording the Synthesizer ; As It Was & How It's Become for the Switched-On Innovator ; Serial vs. Random-Access Media ; Strategies for Recording Film & TV Scores ; Harnessing the Power of Modular Synths with Ableton Live ; Automated Mixing ; Outboard Processing: Preparing Audio for Recording ; Recording Direct & Expanding for Surround-Sound ; Appendix: Selected Bibliography, Museums & Films, Manufacturers, Blogs, Dealers & Stores ; Index

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Book SynopsisFour Ways of Hearing Video Game Music offers a novel account of the ways in which video games invite us to hear and listen to their music. By taking a phenomenological approach to characterize music in video games, author Michiel Kamp asks what it is we hear in the music when we play a game. Drawing on past phenomenological approaches to music as well as studies of music listening in a variety of disciplines such as aesthetics and ecological psychology, Kamp explains four main ways of hearing the same piece of music--through background, aesthetic, ludic, and semiotic hearing. As a background, music is not attended to at all, but can still be described in terms of moods, affordances, or equipment. Aesthetic hearing is a reflective attitude that invites hermeneutic interpretation; ludic hearing on the other hand invites playing along to the music, either through embodied movement, or in response to the music''s cinematic or theatrical connotations. Finally, in semiotic hearing, Kamp argu

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Book SynopsisTells a new story about the history of the music business and the ten technological advances that disrupted it over the last century.In recent years, narratives about the music industry tend to hew to a common theme: it was humming along for decades until the Internet and Napster came along and disrupted it. Key Changes shows that this view is incorrect: the industry was actually shaken up not once in the 1990s, but ten times over more than 100 years. These ten disruptions came with the introduction of new formats for enjoying recorded music: starting with the cylinders and discs played on early phonographs; then moving through radio, LPs, tapes, CDs, television, digital downloads, streaming, and streaming video; and then into Artificial Intelligence (AI), which enables a wide range of new capabilities with profound impacts upon the business. This book devotes a chapter to each of these formats, illustrating how such innovations beget shifts in creativity, consumer behavior, economics, and law.Each of the technological innovations covered in this book not only disrupted the music business, but also fundamentally altered the industry''s character. And while the technologies themselves have evolved in unique and varied ways over the decades, the changes within the business follow a clear pattern. Veteran music industry professionals and music technology experts Howie Singer and Bill Rosenblatt illuminate this pattern through a framework they term the 6 Cs: cutting edge technology, channels of distribution, creators, consumers, cash, copyright. This framework provides insight into how such disparate innovations similarly disrupted and transformed the music business in each era. Extensively researched and supplemented by interviews with Grammy-winning artists, producers and executives, the book provides an insightful perspective on the ways technology has fundamentally altered the music industry, throughout history and into the present era.Trade ReviewThey've actually done it. Singer and Rosenblatt have written an indispensable new resource for anyone teaching, learning or just curious how the music industry evolved. Utterly comprehensive, meticulously researched and completely accessible, this is a book for fans, budding executives and experienced practitioners as well as historians, educators and policy experts. * Larry Miller, Clinical Professor and Director of NYU Music Business Program *The music industry has been and will forever be on the forefront of technological change. Key Changes gives a comprehensive, thoughtful and engaging account of the technologies that have been fundamental in defining music and sets the foundations for what comes next. * Oana Ruxandra, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Warner Music Group *Music matters because it got there first. It was the first to suffer, first to recover from disruption. In this rhythmically engaging book, Rosenblatt and Singer hold your hand and dance you through where each 'key change' took us along the way. * Will Page, Author of Tarzan Economics, fellow of London School of Economics and Former Chief Economist of Spotify and PRS for Music *This book is essential reading for those looking to thrive in the ever-evolving music industry. Here we have a clear and concise roadmap for understanding how artists, technology and business are shaping the next reinvention of music. * Frances Moore, CEO, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry *A great read. What a pleasure to have the history of recorded music laid out so clearly and succinctly. * Albhy Galuten, Technology executive, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator, and conductor. *Key Changes is particularly valuable in tracking recent economic developments, where the authors undoubtedly do have expertise. * Andy Hamilton, The Wire *Table of Contents1. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Jerry Lee Lewis) -- Introduction 2. You Spin Me Round [Like a Record] (Dead or Alive) -- Phonograph 3. I Can't Live Without My Radio (LLCool J) -- Radio 4. Spin the Black Circle (Pearl Jam) -- Vinyl LPs and 45s 5. Rhymin' and Stealin' (The Beastie Boys) -- 8-Track & Cassette Tapes 6. Television Rules the Nation (Daft Punk) -- Television & Music 7. Zero-Sum (Nine Inch Nails) -- The Compact Disc 8. Don't Download This Song ("Weird Al" Yankovic) -- Downloads 9. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel) -- Streaming 10. Throw Away Your Television (Red Hot Chili Peppers) -- Streaming Video 11. You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth (Meatloaf) -- Voice Interfaces & Artificial Intelligence 12. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) DL Coda 13. Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers) -- Afterword: Blockchain Technologies Index

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Book SynopsisKorngold in America offers new ways of listening to the film scores and post-Hollywood concert works of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897--1957), a Viennese-raised Austro-Hungarian composer who left Europe for Hollywood in the mid-1930s to write for Warner Bros. It reassesses Korngold's place in twentieth-century music historiography and dismantles many of the myths that have obscured a proper understanding of his work. Drawing on previously unpublished archival materials, Korngold in America reveals Korngold's commercial and artistic relationships with studio processes and staff, highlights aspects of his compositional practice, and traces the way in which he adapted his skills as a musical dramatist and experienced opera composer to the demands of film. The book presents a more complete picture of Korngold's artistry than has hitherto been possible, showing both the important role played by his music in the Hollywood films of which it is a part and the importance in turn of Hollywood fil

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Book SynopsisIn Assimilate, S. Alexander Reed provides the first ever critical history of industrial music. Through a series of revealing explorations of works spanning the entirety of industrial music's past, and drawing on extensive interviews, Reed paints a thorough historical picture that includes not only the bands, but the structures that supported them, and the scenes they created.Trade ReviewAssimilate succeeds in providing an absorbing and extensive introduction to the industrial scene. * Rob Upton, University of Nottingham, Music and Letters *Well-written and impeccably researched, Assimilate is worth a look not only by music fans looking to learn about this industrial wall of sound, but also by scholars of pop culture wondering why the kids feel the way they do. * Electric Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. A Fading Vision Lost in Time ; 2. The Pan-Revolutionary ; 3. The "I"-Word ; Part 1: Technology and the Preconditions of Industrial Music ; I. Italian Futurism ; 1. Industry ; 2. The Aesthetics of the Machine ; 3. Crash ; II. William S. Burroughs ; 1. Junkie ; 2. The Control Machines ; 3. Brainwashing and the Conflation of Authority ; 4. Mediatic Verses ; 5. The Cut-Up ; 6. Process as Composition ; 7. Media ; 8. Techno-Ambivalence ; III. Industrial Music and the Avant-Garde ; 1. Noise and Revisionism ; 2. The Revolutionary Class ; Part 2: Industrial Geography ; IV. Northern England ; 1. Progress in Hell ; 2. The Original Sound of Sheffield ; 3. Meatwhistle and ClockDVA ; 4. Throbbing Gristle ; 5. Manchester in the Shadow of War ; V. Berlin ; 1. An Island Out of This Planet ; 2. Strategies Against Architecture ; 3. German-ness ; 4. Ingenious Dilettantes ; 5. West Germany Beyond Berlin ; VI. San Francisco ; 1. Madness in Any Direction, at Any Hour ; 2. Monte Cazazza and Self-Propaganda ; 3. Z>'ev and Survival Research Laboratories ; 4. Factrix and Chrome ; VII. Mail Art, Tape Technology, and the Network ; 1. Fluxus and UFOs ; 2. A History of Tape Trading ; 3. Taping as a Political Act ; 4. The Eternal Network ; 5. A Virtual Scene ; Part 3: Industrial Music as Music ; VIII. The Tyranny of the Beat: Dance Music and Identity Crisis ; 1. Those Heady Days of Idealism Are Over ; 2. Irony ; 3. Technology and Rhythm ; 4. Futurist Pop ; 5. Pleasure ; 6. Industrial Identity ; IX. <"After Cease to Exist>": England 1981-1985 ; 1. The Mission is Terminated ; 2. London ; 3. Beyond London ; X. Body to Body: Belgian EBM 1981-1985 ; 1. A Satellite State ; 2. Luc Van Acker ; 3. Front ; 4. Musical Order ; 5. Bodily Order ; XI. Industrial Music as a Theatre of Cruelty ; 1. Artaud-Damaged ; 2. Theatricalities of All Kinds ; XII. "She's a Sleeping Beast": Skinny Puppy and the Feminine Gothic ; 1. From Pop to Puppy ; 2. Vancouver's Fertile Ground ; 3. Disrupting Maleness ; 4. The Feminine Gothic ; Part 4: People and Industrial Music ; XIII. Wild Planet: WaxTrax! Records and Global Dance Scenes ; 1. Industrial Music and the Mainstream ; 2. The Beginnings of WaxTrax! ; 3. Ministry ; 4. Mixing and Merging ; 5. The Business of Chaos ; 6. Clubbing and Participatory Culture ; 7. New Beat ; 8. The WaxTrax! Heyday ; XIV. Q: Why Do We Act Like Machines? A: We Do Not. ; 1. Pretty Hate Machine ; 2. Industrial Harmony ; 3. Language, the Self, and Gender ; 4. Get Me an Industrial Band ; 5. Resembling the Machine ; XV. Death ; 1. Death as Event ; 2. Death as Metaphor ; 3. Death as Fashion ; 4. New Life ; XVI. Wonder ; 1. Covenant and the Ubiquitous Sublime ; 2. Apoptygma Berzerk and the Spontaneous Sublime ; 3. VNV Nation and the Unthinkable Sublime ; 4. The Futurepop Backlash ; 5. Clubbed to Death ; 6. The Longevity of Industrial Bands ; 7. Industrial Music Is Dead? ; Part 5: Meaning and Revolution ; XVII. Back and Forth: Industrial Music and Fascism ; 1. Extremism as the Norm ; 2. Silent Politics ; 3. Loud Apolitics ; 4. The Effects of Fascism's Spectre ; 5. Fascist Assimilation ; 6. The Hidden Reverse ; XVIII. White Souls in Black Suits: Industrial Music and Race ; 1. Whiteness ; 2. The Inheritance of Blues, Jazz, and Dub ; 3. Exotica, Caricature, and the Techno-Oblivious ; 4. Technology and Racial Engagement ; 5. Black and White ; 6. Repetition and the English Ballad ; XIX. Is There Any Escape for Noise? ; 1. Unpalatable Truths ; 2. The First Two Options ; 3. Transgression as Law ; 4. The Future Happened Already ; 5. Pleasure, Flag Planting, and Revolution ; 6. The Third Mind

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