Electronic music Books

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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Book SynopsisRefining Sound is a practical roadmap to the complexities of creating sounds on modern synthesizers. As author, veteran synthesizer instructor Brian K. Shepard draws on his years of experience in synthesizer pedagogy in order to peel back the often-mysterious layers of sound synthesis one-by-one. The result is a book which allows readers to familiarize themselves with each individual step in the synthesis process, in turn empowering them in their own creative or experimental work. The book follows the stages of synthesis in chronological progression, starting readers at the raw materials of sound creation and ultimately bringing them to the final polishing stage. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the synthesis process, culminating in a last chapter that brings everything together as the reader creates his/her own complex sounds. Throughout the text, the material is supported by copious examples and illustrations as well as by audio files and synthesis demonstrations on a related companion website. Each chapter contains easily digestible guided projects (entitled Your Turn sections) that focus on the topics of the corresponding chapter. In addition to this, one complete project will be carried through each chapter of the book cumulatively, allowing the reader to follow - and build - a sound from start to finish. The final chapter includes several sound creation projects in which readers are given types of sound to create as well as some suggestions and tips, with final outcomes is left to readers'' own creativity. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of learning to create sounds on a synthesizer is to understand exactly what each synthesizer component does independent of the synthesizer''s numerous other components. Not only does this book thoroughly illustrate and explain these individual components, but it also offers numerous practical demonstrations and exercises that allow the reader to experiment with and understand these elements without the distraction of the other controls and modifiers. Refining Sound is essential for all electronic musicians from amateur to professional levels of accomplishment, students, teachers, libraries, and anyone interested in creating sounds on a synthesizer.Trade ReviewShepard employs an inviting and accessible writing style to explain advanced topics in a way that is easy to understand. This book demystifies many of the topics of synthesis that can be confusing to people. * VJ Manzo, Assistant Professor of Music Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and author of Max/MSP/Jitter for Music *Refining Sound is an approachable introduction to the secrets of synthesis. The companion website is chock full of tutorials, making this well organized book a handy reference for either self-study or in a course. * Mary Simoni, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Michigan, Dean, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute *In Refining Sound, Brian Shepard provides a deeply valuable and sorely needed resource for the musician seeking to understand sound design. In clear language, he thoroughly explains and illustrates concepts that could be tedious and overwhelming for most readers, and does so from the perspective of the musician rather than the mathematician or physicist. I'm sure we will use this book as the primary text in our synthesis classes for years to come. * Scott L. Phillips, PhD, Co-director of Music Technology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham *Brian K. Shepard's book on synthesizers and synthesis is one of those rare volumes which is comprehensive in its explanations of the history of synthesizers and electronic music in general that makes for a jolly good read. For enthusiasts and professionals alike, this book is the best I've read in years. Thoroughly recommended. * J. Peter Robinson, Composer *Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface ; Acknowledgements ; About the Companion Website ; Introduction: Getting the Most Out of This Book ; 1: Synthesis and Synthesizers: Digging Beneath the Surface of Your Synthesizer ; 2: Oscillators: Mining the Raw Materials of Your Synthesizer ; 3: Oscillator Combinations: Creating Exotic Compounds from Your Raw Materials ; 4: Amplitude Envelope Generators: Shaping Your Sounds ; 5: Audio Filters: Refining the Color of Your Sounds ; 6: Internal Modulation Sources: Dynamic Shaping of Your Sounds ; 7: External Control Sources: Shaping Your Sounds with Playing Techniques ; 8: Effects Processors: Polishing Your Sounds ; 9: Putting It All Together: Creating and Refining Your Own Synthesized Sounds ; Appendix I: Further Reading and Information ; Appendix II: Suggestions for the Instructor ; Index

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Book SynopsisAn Orchestra at My Fingertips is the first study of the history, activities, and legacy of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble. Covering the ensemble’s first fifty years, Alexa Woloshyn features musician biographies as well as analyses of the CEE’s compositions, improvisations, commissions, and performance practice.Trade Review“An Orchestra at My Fingertips is the definitive biography of this important ensemble. Well-researched and written with great care, the book offers readers a wealth of information that has never before been available to anyone outside of the CEE’s circle of collaborators and close associates. And Woloshyn’s insights and techniques of listening can easily (and usefully) be applied to the CEE’s repertoire and electronic music – indeed any music – in general.” Paul Sanden, University of Lethbridge and author of Liveness in Modern Music: Musicians, Technology, and the Perception of Performance

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Book SynopsisAn Orchestra at My Fingertips is the first study of the history, activities, and legacy of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble. Covering the ensemble’s first fifty years, Alexa Woloshyn features musician biographies as well as analyses of the CEE’s compositions, improvisations, commissions, and performance practice.Trade Review“An Orchestra at My Fingertips is the definitive biography of this important ensemble. Well-researched and written with great care, the book offers readers a wealth of information that has never before been available to anyone outside of the CEE’s circle of collaborators and close associates. And Woloshyn’s insights and techniques of listening can easily (and usefully) be applied to the CEE’s repertoire and electronic music – indeed any music – in general.” Paul Sanden, University of Lethbridge and author of Liveness in Modern Music: Musicians, Technology, and the Perception of Performance

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Book SynopsisTransfigured New York presents conversations with iconic, genre-bending artists who shaped the sounds of experimental movements like no wave, avant-jazz, and electronic music.Trade ReviewSince her WKCR radio show in the eighties, Brooke Wentz has been an inspiring explorer of global music and has also remained a devoted and curious fan, always looking for new sounds in diverse countries and cultures. Her excitement vibrates on every page of this engrossing read. Enjoy Brooke’s journey! -- Chris Watson, founding member of Cabaret VoltaireThe avant-garde artists Brooke Wentz so adeptly interviewed in the 1980s reveal how music of that decade defied genre limitations and categorization, introduced fresh perspectives and explored sounds as no one had before, truly transfiguring not only New York, but creative culture worldwide. There are rich stories here, informing how we listen today. -- Howard Mandel, author of Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz and Future JazzThis book is a one-of-a-kind account of one of the most exhilarating and inventive periods for art and culture in New York City's history. * NYS Music *My mind was blown on almost every page of this engaging, near-exhaustive collection. -- Mat Smith * Further *We should be glad that several decades later this material is available so we can reconsider how music was changing and had changed, who was playing where and when, and the part New York City played in nurturing new and challenging music. * International Times *Together, the collection represents a comprehensive look at an incredible era in New York’s artistic history, featuring an eclectic mix of acts that would go on to influence generations of artists to come. * Bad Feelings Magazine *As a picture of what was being done in the decade (perhaps for curious listeners who didn't live through it), its a broad cross section of what was new then. * The Wire *Table of ContentsLee Ranaldo on the SceneAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I. The Founding Theorists: Influential Figures of Contemporary Thought and Music Composition1. John Cage2. La Monte YoungPart II. The Materials Scientists: Pioneers of Tape and Electronic Music3. David Behrman4. Alvin Curran5. Mario Davidovsky6. Otto Luening7. Roger Reynolds8. Pril Smiley9. Morton Subotnick10. Joan Tower11. Vladimir UssachevskyPart III. The Composers: Notable Contributors of Contemporary Musical Repertoire12. Anthony Davis13. David Diamond14. Jacob Druckman15. Lukas Foss16. Philip Glass17. Steve ReichPart IV. The Iconoclasts: Eccentric Thought-Provoking Performers18. Kelvyn Bell19. Jean-Paul Bourelly20. Glenn Branca21. Fred Frith22. Wayne HorvitzPart V. The Vocalists: Experimenters with Voice and Words23. Laurie Anderson24. Joan La BarbaraPart VI. The Dissenters: Modern Jazz Innovators25. Andrew Cyrille26. Bill Frisell27. Ronald Shannon Jackson28. Evan ParkerPart VII. The Popular Avant-Garde: Pop Idiom Crossovers29. Living Colour30. Peter Gordon and Arthur Russell31. John Lurie32. Andy PartridgePart VIII. The Global Nomads: International Superstars of Western Thought33. Baaba Maal34. Astor Piazzolla35. Ravi ShankarPart IX. The Performance Artists: Art Meets Movement36. Eric Bogosian37. David Harrington38. Bill T. Jones39. Margaret Leng Tan40. Michel WaisviszNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisComposer, performer, instrument builder, teacher, and writer Gordon Mumma has left an indelible mark on the American contemporary music scene. A prolific composer and innovative French horn player, Mumma is recognized for integrating advanced electronic processes into musical structures, an approach he has termed ''Cybersonics.'' Musicologist Michelle Fillion curates a collection of Mumma''s writings, presenting revised versions of his classic pieces as well as many unpublished works from every stage of his storied career. Here, through words and astonishing photos, is Mumma''s chronicle of seminal events in the musical world of the twentieth century: his cofounding the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music; his role in organizing the historic ONCE Festivals of Contemporary Music; performances with the Sonic Arts Union; and working alongside John Cage and David Tudor as a composer-musician with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. In addition, Mumma describes his collaborations witTrade Review"What counts here is the spirit of it, the inventiveness springing from an independence of imagination as well as the willingness and financial necessity to work outside the given conditions of the time. Mumma shows us how that spirit is in fact crucial and, always, of essential value."--Christian Wolff, from the foreword"An excellent and engaging book that can take its readers to a dizzying array of places, real and metaphoric. It is an admirable introduction to the mind and spirit of Gordon Mumma as well as a vivid and loving remembrance of an amazing time in the history of music."--ARSC Journal"The firsthand histories flowing from this book are precious, provided by one of the unsung heroes of the American electronic music scene, Gordon Mumma... A valuable resource."--Neural"Mumma's energetic perspectives on so many topics--as a scholar, inventor, technician, performer, composer, photographer, historian, and documentarian--richly enhance our perspective on this period of rapid change and fruitful innovation. A beautiful and much-anticipated achievement."--Amy C. Beal, author of Johanna Beyer and Carla Bley"Widely known as a multi-talented composer/performer and inventor of handmade circuits and various forms of electronic wizardry that revolutionized live electronic music, Mumma is far more than the prototypical American 'maverick.' His fierce dedication to his own artistic vision has always been coupled to a voracious interest in the work of the pathbreaking composers, performers, dancers, architects, and visual artists who inhabit his music world and with whom he has often collaborated. This elegantly edited and annotated book is thus not only an invaluable overview of Mumma's extraordinary creative output and ideas, but also an intimate insider’s telling of the history of experimental music during the last half century."--David W. Bernstein, editor of The San Francisco Tape Music Center: 1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde"A treasure trove of primary source material on American, and to a lesser extent Latin-American, music, especially of the experimental kind. The reader is repeatedly struck by the genuineness of Mumma's writing; whether in passages from his diary or accounts of now-significant events, he writes with the authority of one who was actually there."--Bob Gilmore, editor of Ben Johnston's "Maximum Clarity" and Other Writings on Music"A very wonderful collection of essays, with its first-person witnessing of a scene that was critical for the development of the music technology we have today, and I highly recommend it."--Soundbytes"A wonderful resource for music and the arts, the book can be read as narrative or used as reference. Highly recommended."--Choice "As all great books about music lead you to do, I couldn't help but reach up to my CD shelves, where various Mumma discs releases on lables like New World and Tzadik are housed."--Gramophone "Part memoir of a remarkable life at the center of 20th and 21st century American experimental music, and partly a collection of Mumma's thoughtful, provocative, and influential essays, the book introduces this pioneer to a new generation of sonic explorers"--Electronic Musician "A contemporary history of a particularly fertile and disruptive time in the advanced arts. . . . Mumma's book bears articulate witness to how this flexible discipline played itself out in concrete situations over the decades."--Avant Music News

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Book SynopsisExpanded, updated, and fully revised—the definitive introduction to electronic music is ready for new generations of students.Essential and state-of-the-art, The Computer Music Tutorial, second edition is a singular text that introduces computer and electronic music, explains its motivations, and puts topics into context. Curtis Roads’s step-by-step presentation orients musicians, engineers, scientists, and anyone else new to computer and electronic music.The new edition continues to be the definitive tutorial on all aspects of computer music, including digital audio, signal processing, musical input devices, performance software, editing systems, algorithmic composition, MIDI, and psychoacoustics, but the second edition also reflects the enormous growth of the field since the book’s original publication in 1996. New chapters cover up-to-date topics like virtual analog, pulsar synthesis, concatenative synthesis, spectrum analysis by atomi

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Book SynopsisThe essential reference to SuperCollider, a powerful, flexible, open-source, cross-platform audio programming language.SuperCollider is one of the most important domain-specific audio programming languages, with potential applications that include real-time interaction, installations, electroacoustic pieces, generative music, and audiovisuals. The SuperCollider Book is the essential reference to this powerful and flexible language, offering students and professionals a collection of tutorials, essays, and projects. With contributions from top academics, artists, and technologists that cover topics at levels from the introductory to the specialized, it will be a valuable sourcebook both for beginners and for advanced users. SuperCollider, first developed by James McCartney, is an accessible blend of Smalltalk, C, and further ideas from a number of programming languages. Free, open-source, cross-platform, and with a diverse and supportive developer community, it is often

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Book SynopsisThis is a music autobiography to remember. This is the story of Martyn Ware. The Human League and Heaven 17 were among some of the most pioneering bands of the 1980s, with Ware having played an integral role in each of their numerous successes. A young lad from the heart of post-war Sheffield, Ware formed The Human League a few years out of school in his early twenties. Described by David Bowie as ''the future of music'', it wasn''t long before the band become known for their innovative and infectiously catchy singles such as ''Being Boiled'', touring with the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Iggy Pop before Ware''s departure. Heaven 17 followed suit, with their soon-to-be classic albums, Penthouse & Pavement and The Luxury Gap, featuring several colossal hits. Ground-breaking icons in new wave and synth pop, both groups remain some of the biggest-selling bands across the UK and worldwide. In Electronically Yours, Martyn takes us through his incredible route to stardom; from his austere upbringing in various council houses and close teenage friendship with former-bandmate Phil Oakey, to the white-hot experimentation in the ''Synth Britannia'' era and his production career, which allowed him to work with some of the world''s greatest singers, including Tina Turner. But it''s not just his life inside the industry which is compelling; a proud socialist, Martyn writes poignantly about politics - how it can be a soulful, personal, moral duty - and its role in his music creation and Britain today. With charming meditations on culture, humour, travel and sport, Martyn also shares his love of 60s films, explains why Venice is the most beautiful city in the world, and reveals how Sheffield Wednesday has forever been his first and eternal passion. A huge page-turner and always warmly told, Electronically Yours sees Martyn talk candidly for the very first time about his extraordinary journey. Discover amusing anecdotes, raw confessions, and moving reflections of a life well and truly lived at the height of the music industry.Trade ReviewMartyn's memoir is at times hilarious, insightful, and bittersweet. He's a man who is owed much more credit for his contribution to the British electronic music legacy. -- Thomas DolbyWonderful, down to earth . . . a great story. From Heaven 17, to all of the miracles and magic that my life has seen. -- Sananda MaitreyaMartyn is trusty, encouraging, charming, helpful, musically skilled . . . [This is a] great book. -- Peter HookA man with a synthesizer trailblazing his way to some of the most innovative moments in music in a generation. -- Martin FryThis is a 100 per cent authentic Sheffield story. From the city's humble streets and football terraces to the very limit of the possibilities where the fearless creation of wonderful ground-breaking music can take you. F*ckin' brilliant story, brilliant book, brilliant Sheffield man! -- Richard HawleyEnthralling . . . An emotionally intelligent, honest book * Record Collector *

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Book SynopsisONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017Who better to tell the story of the gentrification of a musical genre than the man who started out as Jungle's most streetwise ambassador and went on to collect an MBE from Buckingham Palace? But Goldie's uncensored, hard-hitting memoir is far more than just the story of the house-training of drum 'n' bass. As one of Britain's most influential DJs, producers, promoters, and record-label owners - whose contributions to the UK rave scene in the 1990s defined the genres jungle and urban rave, Goldie is an iconic figure. Hugely addictive, this gonzo memoir is a vertiginous thrill-ride from the darkest depths of the West Midlands care-home system to the snowiest uplands of coke-crazed international celebrity. It is an explosive story of abuse, revenge, graffiti, gold teeth, sawn-off shotguns, car crashes, hot yoga, absent fatherhood, and redemption through reality TV.

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Art Sex Music comes a vital meditation on womanhood, creativity and self-expression, and a revelatory exploration into the lives of three visionary artists.''A fascinating tale of the interlinking lives of three legendary trailblazers.''SALENA GODDEN''Re-sisters emanates an enthralling power.''JUDE ROGERS, MOJO''Cosey Fanni Tutti has lived the life and has the stories to tell: not just hers, but those of two other still unheralded female pioneers.''JON SAVAGEMyself , Delia and Margery a trinity of the sacred and profane , sinners and saints of a kind. Three defiant women with our individual, unconventional attitude to life. Untameable spirits, progressive thinkers living within the inherent societal constraints of our times.In 2018, boundary-breaking visual and sonic artist Cosey Fanni Tutti received a commission to write the soundtrack to a film about Delia Derbyshire, the pioneering electronic composer who influenced the likes of Aphex Twin and the Chemical Brothers. While researching Delia's life, Cosey became immersed in Derbyshire's story and uncovered some fascinating parallels with her own life. At the same time Cosey began reading about Margery Kempe, the 15th century mystic visionary who wrote the first English language autobiography.Re-sisters is the story of three women consumed by their passion for life, a passion they expressed through music, art and lifestyle; they were undaunted by the consequences they faced in pursuit of enriching their lives, and fiercely challenged the societal and cultural norms of their time.''An impeccably researched meditation on womanhood as viewed through the lives of three firebrands.''FIONA STURGES, GUARDIAN''Awe-inspiring. Read these revelatory portraits: this book is for anybody who wants to discover the work of three women who, without fanfare, have enriched our world.''ROBERT WYATT''Passionate, original and fiercely defiant.''RUPERT THOMSON

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Book SynopsisMusings on Birmingham's contemporary music cultureTrade Review"Brum Bastion champions the city once more!""King City celebrates Birmingham's contribution to the music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.""It's a 65,000 word love letter to the Birmingham music scene, and we love it!""With a nod to the past, the book also touches on the city’s prestigious history, as well as the more recent indie scene which emerged in Digbeth in the early 2010s."

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Book SynopsisIn 1987, Wayne Anthony and two friends established the legendary Genesis raves that were attended by the wide-eyed, loved-up youth of the late Eighties and early Nineties. Wayne and the Genesis team took Acid House to the masses and changed the face of British rave culture. Wayne then promoted a series of events around Europe, released a series of infamous compilation albums under the banner Havin' It'. Since then Wayne has been involved in Internet start-ups and tech companies. He spent the last ten years at the helm of LSD Magazine, one of Europe's biggest street art graffiti networks. He is currently in the process of launching the world's first dedicated street art graffiti channel from Los Angeles.

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Book SynopsisAn history of techno music, dealing with its roots in Detroit. It focuses on Detroit's role in the birth of techno and takes readers on an insider's tour of techno's past, present, and future in an account filled with firsthand anecdotes, interviews, and artist profiles. It examines the underground 1980s party scene in Detroit.

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Book SynopsisThis Element explores how 'tarab' lives on in new contexts through a focus on the work of Hello Psychaleppo, one of Aleppo's displaced musicians and the pioneer of 'electro-tarab', an eclectic style of urban electronic dance music that is conceived as a homage to Aleppo's musical legacy.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. 'Im al-Tarab': musical myths and afterlives; 2. 'Shahba': an aesthetic of displacement; 3. 'Radio Beirut': samples as codes; Conclusion; Epilogue.

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This Element explores the intersection of data sonification and musical composition. It offers an original model and insights for composers and science communicators. It explores techniques, models, translation, data fidelity, analogic and symbolic mapping, temporality, and listener experience, and how sonification can enrich composition.

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Book SynopsisInnovations in music technology bring with them a new set of challenges for describing and understanding the electroacoustic repertoire. This edited collection presents a state-of-the-art overview of analysis methods for electroacoustic music, with analyses of key electroacoustic works from a wide range of genres and sources.Trade Review'The contributors share profound insights on a variety of subjects and demonstrate tools and methodologies that address the unique challenges of electroacoustic music analysis. Composers, performers, analysts, and educators will find this collection to be a valuable source of course readings, analytical examples, and creative inspiration. It is also an essential book for college and university library collections that support music technology, music theory, and electroacoustic music composition programs.' Joel V. Hunt, NotesTable of ContentsPart I. Setting the Scene: Introduction Simon Emmerson and Leigh Landy; 1. The analysis of electroacoustic music – the differing needs of its genres and categories Simon Emmerson and Leigh Landy; Part II. Ideas and Challenges: 2. Listening and meaning: how a model of mental layers informs electroacoustic music analysis Gary Kendall; 3. Forming form John Young; 4. Interactive and generative music: a quagmire for the musical analyst Michael Young; 5. Some ideas concerning the relationship between form and texture Raúl Minsburg; Part III. Harnessing New Forces: 6. Exploiting computational paradigms for electroacoustic music analysis Tae Hong Park; 7. OREMA – an analytical community Michael Gatt; 8. EAnalysis: developing a sound-based music analytical tool Pierre Couprie; Part IV. Analyses of Key Works: 9. Trevor Wishart's Children's Stories II from Encounters in the Republic of Heaven: an analysis for children of a sample-based composition Leigh Landy; 10. Analysis of Foil by Autechre (from Amber (1994)) Ben Ramsay; 11. Temporal recurrence in Andrew Lewis's Penmon Point Ambrose Seddon; 12. Michel Waisvisz: No Backup/Hyper Instruments John Ferguson; 13. Analysing sound art: Douglas Henderson's Fadensonnen (2009) Kersten Glandien; 14. Analysing the identifiable: cultural borrowing in Diana Salazar's La voz del fuelle Manuella Blackburn; 15. Kireek 2011 championship routine analysis Sophy Smith; 16. The analysis of live and interactive electroacoustic music: Hans Tutschku – Zellen-Linien (2007) Simon Emmerson; 17. Audio only computer games – Papa Sangre Andrew Hugill and Panos Amelides; 18. Some questions around listening: Vancouver Soundscape Revisited by Claude Schryer Katharine Norman.

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Book SynopsisMusicians are always quick to adopt and explore new technologies. The fast-paced changes wrought by electrification, from the microphone via the analogue synthesiser to the laptop computer, have led to a wide range of new musical styles and techniques. Electronic music has grown to a broad field of investigation, taking in historical movements such as musique concrÃte and elektronische Musik, and contemporary trends such as electronic dance music and electronica. The first edition of this book won the 2009 Nicolas Bessaraboff Prize as it brought together researchers at the forefront of the sonic explorations empowered by electronic technology to provide accessible and insightful overviews of core topics and uncover some hitherto less publicised corners of worldwide movements. This updated and expanded second edition includes four entirely new chapters, as well as new original statements from globally renowned artists of the electronic music scene, and celebrates a diverse array of techTable of Contents1. The origins of electronic music Andrew Hugill; 2. Electronic music and the studio Margaret Schedel; 3. Live electronic music Nicolas Collins; 4. A history of programming and music Ge Wang; Artists' statements I: Laurie Spiegel, Yasunao Tone, John Oswald, Mathias Gmachl (Farmers Manual), Erdem Helvacioglu, Pauline Oliveros, Chris Jeffs, Rodrigo Sigal, Mira Calix, Seong-Ah Shin, Carsten Nicolai, Warren Burt, Max Mathews; 5. Interactivity and live computer music Sergi Jordà; 6. Algorithmic composition Karlheinz Essl; 7. Live audiovisuals Amy Alexander and Nick Collins; 8. Network music Julian Rohrhuber; 9. Electronic music and the moving image Julio d'Escriván; Artists' statements II: Kevin Saunderson, Kanta Horio, Donna Hewitt, Alejandro Viñao, Bubblyfish Barry Truax, Lukas Ligeti (Burkina Electric), Christina Kubisch, Murat Ertel, Adina Izarra, CybOrk, Francis Dhomont, David Behrman, Kevin Blechdom (Kristin Erickson) Karlheinz Stockhausen, George E. Lewis; 10. Computer generation and manipulation of sounds Stefania Serafin; 11. Trends in electroacoustic music Natasha Barrett; 12. Electronic sound art and aesthetic experience Adinda van 't Klooster; 13. DIY and maker communities in electronic music John Richards; 14. Extending the instrumental sound world using electronics Monty Adkins; 15. The analysis of electronic music Mary Simoni; Artists' statements III: Éliane Radigue, Daniel Miller, Ikue Mori, Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, Holly Herndon, Vince Clarke, Ralf Hütter, Hasnizam Abdul Wahid, Elsa Justel, Beatriz Ferreyra.

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Book Synopsis''The best non-fiction book I''ve ever read. It''s magical. Stunning'' Dan Schreiber, No Such Thing As a Fish''A pop biography for people who don''t read pop biographies'' Dorian Lynskey, Guardian''Brilliant, discursive and wise'' Ben Goldacre''Utterly irresistible and totally brilliant'' The Quietus''A thing of endlessly fascinating, utterly demented genius'' Alexis PetridisThey were the bestselling singles band in the world. They had awards, credibility, commercial success and creative freedom. Then they deleted their records, erased themselves from musical history and burnt their last million pounds in a boathouse on the Isle of Jura. And they couldn''t say why.This is not just the story of The KLF. It is a book about Carl Jung, Alan Moore, Robert Anton Wilson, Ken Campbell, Dada, Situationism, Discordianism, magic, chaos, punk, rave, the alchemical symbolism of Doctor Who and the special poweTrade ReviewThe best non-fiction book I've ever read. It's magical. Stunning -- Dan Schreiber * NO SUCH THING AS A FISH *The best non-fiction book I've ever read. It's magical. Stunning * NO SUCH THING AS A FISH *A pop biography for people who don't read pop biographies. Higgs approaches the short career of the early 90s top 10 provocateurs like Adam Curtis brainstorming with Thomas Pynchon, exploring all manner of magical thinking and conspiracy theories. Touching on Dada, Doctor Who and Discordianism, it's as playful and sui generis as the KLF themselves, which is saying something * GUARDIAN *A pop biography for people who don't read pop biographies. Higgs approaches the short career of the early 90s top 10 provocateurs like Adam Curtis brainstorming with Thomas Pynchon, exploring all manner of magical thinking and conspiracy theories. Touching on Dada, Doctor Who and Discordianism, it's as playful and sui generis as the KLF themselves, which is saying something * GUARDIAN *Might well be the best music book of the 2010s . . . eccentric, bizarre, confusing, hilarious and more than a little pretentious but utterly irresistible and totally brilliant -- Cay McDermott * THE QUIETUS *Might well be the best music book of the 2010s . . . eccentric, bizarre, confusing, hilarious and more than a little pretentious but utterly irresistible and totally brilliant * THE QUIETUS *The book brilliantly captures the anti-establishment attitude of Drummond and Cauty, and makes you wish the pop charts were full of such madness these days * THE BIG ISSUE *The book brilliantly captures the anti-establishment attitude of Drummond and Cauty, and makes you wish the pop charts were full of such madness these days * THE BIG ISSUE *This wildly entertaining thesis speculates on how the KLF arrived at a crowning act of transgression even they did not understand, drawing together threads including practical magic, strange patterns of coincidence and punk * MOJO *This wildly entertaining thesis speculates on how the KLF arrived at a crowning act of transgression even they did not understand, drawing together threads including practical magic, strange patterns of coincidence and punk * MOJO *Succeeds by ignoring music for much of the story, in favour of the group's philosophical and psycho-geographical underpinnings in Discordianism, situationism, art and magic. Sometimes, the music is just a means to an end - in their case, a million-quid bonfire that Higgs suggests may be "a magical act that forged the 21st century". Well, maybe . . . * INDEPENDENT *Succeeds by ignoring music for much of the story, in favour of the group's philosophical and psycho-geographical underpinnings in Discordianism, situationism, art and magic. Sometimes, the music is just a means to an end - in their case, a million-quid bonfire that Higgs suggests may be "a magical act that forged the 21st century". Well, maybe . . . -- Andy Gill * INDEPENDENT *Book of the Century. Most pop biographies are a dull patchwork of clippings - this is something elseBook of the Century. Most pop biographies are a dull patchwork of clippings - this is something elseBy far the best book this year, brilliant, discursive and wiseBy far the best book this year, brilliant, discursive and wiseI am going to bang on about THE KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds rather a lot. Fascinating . . . Enthralling'I am going to bang on about THE KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds rather a lot. Fascinating . . . Enthralling'John Higgs's book about the KLF is - like its subject - a thing of endlessly fascinating, utterly demented geniusJohn Higgs's book about the KLF is - like its subject - a thing of endlessly fascinating, utterly demented genius

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Book SynopsisWhen a small group of enthusiasts rebelled against the increasing commercialisation of the rave scene, converting a derelict meat store in London into a venue seemed the only option to stay authentic. The meat store became and remains a cathedral for undiluted dance music with a global following.    This book celebrates Fabric's phenomenal impact on club culture over the past quarter of a century. Using oral history, photography, archival ephemera and club night artwork, 25 Years of Fabric tells the story of the misfits and visionaries who made it happen, the curators and resident DJs who kept the pure beats pulsing, and the devotees who filled the floor week after week, year after year. Through highs, lows and a campaign against enforced closure, Factory stands tall as an independent, resilient international cultural icon.

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA, AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON BBC THREE NOW''An essential read for anyone with the slightest interest in the birth of Grime'' The Wire''Sharp and nostalgic'' The ObserverA group of kids in the 90s had a dream to make their voice heard - and this book documents their seminal impact on today''s pop culture. DJ Target grew up in Bow under the shadow of Canary Wharf, with money looming close on the skyline. The ''Godfather of Grime'' Wiley and Dizzee Rascal first met each other in his bedroom. They were all just grime kids on the block back then, and didn''t realise they were to become pioneers of an international music revolution. A movement that permeates deep into British culture and beyond. Household names were borne out of those housing estates, and the music industry now jumps to the beat of their gritty reality rather than the tune of glossy aspiration. Grime has shaken the world and Target is reveaTrade ReviewAn essential read for anyone with the slightest interest in the birth of Grime * THE WIRE *Sharp and nostalgic * OBSERVER *

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Book SynopsisSean Albiez is the Programme Group Leader for Popular Music at Southampton Solent University. He has been an active musician since the mid-1980s, and has published scholarly work about John Lydon, Krautrock, and Madonna. David Pattie is Professor in Drama in the Department of Performing Arts at the University of Chester, where he also taeches on the MA in Popular Music. He is the author of Rock Music in Performance (2007) and The Complete Critical Guide to Samuel Beckett (2001).Trade Review"No one but C-3PO makes love to Kraftwerk. No one liked them much to begin with - certainly not in Germany.Yet they eventually managed to attract sufficient critical mass to create a new star. And everyone else found themselves firmly in orbit.This book of original essays scrutinises their cultural influence from all angles. Here, Kraftwerk are cast as Cousins of Iggy Pop, Duchamp, Gilbert and George, Heirs to Hitler, Stockhausen, Gropius and The Beach Boys. Brothers of Beuys and Bambaataa, Kin to Kiefer, Godfathers of British Pop, Uncles of Rave, Midwives of Detroit Techno, Sperm Donors of Dance - as mysterious and potent as the monoliths in 2001, as daft as Punk, as indispensible to understanding modern culture as Musclebuilding, Warhol, or Strictly Ballroom.If this book were a film, it would move from macro to micro every scene, if it were a meal it would be prepared by Heston Blumenthal. It's a mutation waltz, a stumble rumba, a nimble mambo, a complex minuet - and proof that cultural critics can dance." - John Foxx, synthpop pioneer and multi-media artist"Overall, one comes away from Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop with the impression of Hutter, Schneider and co creating a multifaceted oeuvre on a par with that of Andy Warhol's, a brief phase from either's artistic corpus capable of generating an entire career for lesser talents."-The Wire‘It is refreshing to encounter Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop, a new collection of academic essays on the band, which spurns fashion and firmly returns the emphasis to ideas. Editors Sean Albiez and David Pattie have assembled a compendium of rigorously argued and illuminating discussions of the band, one that more than compensates for the shallower latter-day ramifications of what Alex Seago termed in 2004 the "Kraftwerk-Effekt".' -- The Oxonian ReviewTable of ContentsPart One: Music and Contexts; Part Two: Influence.

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Book SynopsisFlea, the iconic bassist and co-founder, alongside Anthony Kiedis, of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you''d expect from an LA street rat turned world-famous rock star.Michael Peter Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 16, 1962. His more famous stage name, Flea, and his wild ride as the renowned bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in a far and distant future. Little Michael from Oz moved with his very conservative, very normal family to Westchester, New York, where life as he knew it was soon turned upside down. His parents split up and he and his sister moved into the home of his mother''s free-wheeling, jazz musician boyfriend - trading in rules, stability, and barbecues for bohemian values, wildness, and Sunday afternoon jazz parties where booze, weed, and music flowed in equal measure. There began Michael''s life-long jourTrade Review[Flea creates] a rhythm for his prose as curt and distinct as his bass playing. -- Jim Farber * The Guardian *Acid for the Children is not an as-told-to, nor is it written "with" someone. These are Flea's words-excitable, jazzy, regretful, disarming, popping and writhing away in his biological bass zone. Insecurities to the fore: He worries that he may be producing "a thorny jumble of trash." But he's actually a lovely writer, with a particular gift for the free-floating and reverberant. He writes in Beat Generation bursts and epiphanies, lifting toward the kind of virtuosic vulnerability and self-exposure associated with the great jazz players....Flea-elegant nutcase, funk-at-high-pressure bassist, wildly cultured and culturedly wild man-has written a fine memoir. You'll put down Acid for the Children with your human sympathies expanded; you'll feel less alone. * The Atlantic *Acid For the Children's closest analog is, somewhat surprisingly, Patti Smith's Just Kids...The prose frequently mimics [Flea's] playing: occasionally beautiful, occasionally outrageous, in conversation with a small group of predecessors but unwilling to follow anyone else's rules. This is what gives Acid for the Children its considerable charm... * AV Club *[An] electric, surprisingly moving memoir...Flea is an enlightened narrator, and this passionate, smart memoir will resonate with readers whether they're fans of the band or not. * Publisher's Weekly *A wild ride through the coming-of-age wilderness of the famed rock bassist...Relentlessly honest, untamed, and often revelatory. * Kirkus *He's the iconic bassist and co-founder of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The one you couldn't take your eyes off, despite Anthony Kiedis' enormous stage presence. Flea finally reveals his fascinating story, complete with everything you'd expect - the "highs" and the gutter lows from an "LA street rat turned world-famous rock star". A must for all music fans everywhere. * Creative Boom *Its hard not to warm to his openhearted embrace of jazz, funk and his eventual bromance with bandmates. * Best Music Books of the Year, Daily Telegraph *A frenzied, beat-ish telling of his pre-RCHP existence * Strong Words *

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