Description
Book SynopsisA collection of twenty-four interviews with women in electronic music and sound cultures, including club and radio DJs, remixers, composers, improvisers, instrument builders, and performance artists.
Trade Review“[Rodgers] conducted thoughtful, detailed interviews with a wide range of artists. . . . Even when I don't much care for the artist Rodgers is talking to . . . the discussion is lively and interesting. . . . Rodgers clearly understands many disparate modes of music making, and sounds equally authoritative whether she's talking about elaborate programming schemes, the language of analog synthesizers, or record buying.” - Peter Margasak,
Chicago Reader“One of the best music books of 2010, Tara Rodgers’s
Pink Noises, gave an accessible window into what looks to be many years of research into gender, identity and electronic music. . . .” - Frances Morgan,
The Quietus“
Pink Noises is an extremely well informed, informative and inspiring discussion of some of the most crucial aspects and developments in electronic music. The innovators and actors behind these developments happen to be women and
Pink Noises thereby highlights the astounding male centeredness in standard accounts and representation in electronic music.” - Anna Gavanas,
Dancecult“[A] vitally needed book, and it really is wonderful to read so many women talking passionately about the subject.” - Emily Manuel,
Bitch“
Pink Noises touches upon nearly every aspect of female involvement in the evolution of electronic music and sound. . . . This book would be worthwhile if only for its excellent, clearly written glossary of essential terms and its basic primer on the history of the speed-of-light changes of a mega-industry and tools that most westerners use—in our current climate of relatively affordable consumerism: (if not necessarily civilization)—on a virtually daily basis and that we take for granted.” - Deborah Frost,
Women’s Review of Books“
Pink Noises is an original and important contribution to discourse in
electronic music, musicology, and gender studies. Rodgers’s unique background as both electronic musician and scholar allows her to ask incisive questions about both creative process and cultural situation. And the introductory essay is nothing less than groundbreaking in its attempt to birth an alternate historiography for electronic music and to theorize the language and systems of electronic music.” - Betsey Biggs,
Women & Music“
Pink Noises is a breath of fresh air when you look at how many electronic music books are about more of the same: boys with toys. From the Middle Eastern–inflected electronica of DJ Mutamassik, to the Punjabi rhythms of DJ Rekha, to the academix of Pamela Z and Pauline Oliveros, Tara Rodgers’s examination of women as central figures in the creative processes of twenty-first-century art and music is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of music in our hyper-connected and hyper-post-everything contemporary life.”—
Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky“What does it mean to be a female electronic musician? This seemingly simple question lies at the heart of
Pink Noises, Tara Rodgers’s compelling exploration into the relationship between technology and gender. . . . Rodgers’s book serves as both an introduction to the world of music and technology, even providing an extensive glossary, and inspirational manifesto, revealing that to succeed as an artist is to follow one’s own unique path, no matter what.” -- Nick Zurko * Tom Tom Magazine *
“
Pink Noises is an extremely well informed, informative and inspiring discussion of some of the most crucial aspects and developments in electronic music. The innovators and actors behind these developments happen to be women and
Pink Noises thereby highlights the astounding male centeredness in standard accounts and representation in electronic music.” -- Anna Gavanas * Dancecult *
“
Pink Noises is an original and important contribution to discourse in electronic music, musicology, and gender studies. Rodgers’s unique background as both electronic musician and scholar allows her to ask incisive questions about both creative process and cultural situation. And the introductory essay is nothing less than groundbreaking in its attempt to birth an alternate historiography for electronic music and to theorize the language and systems of electronic music.” -- Betsey Biggs * Women and Music *
“
Pink Noises touches upon nearly every aspect of female involvement in the evolution of electronic music and sound. . . . This book would be worthwhile if only for its excellent, clearly written glossary of essential terms and its basic primer on the history of the speed-of-light changes of a mega-industry and tools that most westerners use—in our current climate of relatively affordable consumerism: (if not necessarily civilization)—on a virtually daily basis and that we take for granted.” -- Deborah Frost * Women's Review of Books *
“[A] vitally needed book, and it really is wonderful to read so many women talking passionately about the subject.” -- Emily Manuel * Bitch *
“[Rodgers] conducted thoughtful, detailed interviews with a wide range of artists. . . . Even when I don't much care for the artist Rodgers is talking to . . . the discussion is lively and interesting. . . . Rodgers clearly understands many disparate modes of music making, and sounds equally authoritative whether she's talking about elaborate programming schemes, the language of analog synthesizers, or record buying.” -- Peter Margasak * Chicago Reader *
“One of the best music books of 2010, Tara Rodgers’s
Pink Noises, gave an accessible window into what looks to be many years of research into gender, identity and electronic music. . . .” -- Frances Morgan * The Quietus *
"I love opening this book and flipping to a random interview. Each one is extremely personal but also technical and conceptual, exploring the artist's unique relationship to sound and space. It's refreshing to read about these women's musical journeys in the context of a male-dominated field like electronic music." -- Lyra Pramuk * Artforum *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Part 1. Time and Memory 25
Pauline Oliveros 27
Kaffe Matthews 34
Carla Scaletti 43
Eliane Radigue 54
Part 2. Space and Perspective 61
Maggi Payne 63
Ikue Mori 73
Beth Coleman (M. Singe) 81
Maria Chavez 94
Part 3. Nature and Synthetics 105
Christina Kubisch 107
Annea Lockwood 114
Chantal Passamonte (Mira Calix) 128
Jessica Rylan 139
Part 4. Circulation and Movements 157
Susan Morabito 159
Rekha Malhotra (DJ Rekha) 169
Giulia Loli (DJ Mtuamassik) 178
Jeannie Hopper 190
Part 5. Language, Machines, Embodiment 201
Antye Gueie (AGF) 203
Pamela Z 216
Laetitia Sonami 226
Bevin Kelley (Blevin Blectum) 235
Part 6. Alone/Together 243
Le Tigre 245
Bev Stanton (Arthur Loves Plastic) 255
Keiko Uenishi (o.blaat) 263
Riz Maslen (Neotropic) 273
Glossary 283
Discography 295
References 301
Index 313
