Recently whilst walking to Uni on a particularly sunny day I was listening to some music I had composed, I tend to listen to my own music many times over particularly when i am working on a particular project. I was pondering on how one can see their own music in an objective manner... so, I turned the music off and decided to leave it for a while. In this period of non-listening and thinking about objectivity I started to wonder why it is that I like the particular music that I do. Surely, it has a lot to do with my personality and what I'm looking for in music but I realised it has a lot to do with the pathways in which my own personal musical evolution has lead me. Also, I realised that music that is currently being released is in many ways the result of the past..... so, what was it that shaped genres such as IDM and experimental electronic music to be what they are today? Well, amongst the myriad of artists that have influenced me and others... two artists stand out for me; John Cage and Brian Eno.
John Cage (above), prominent in the 1950s, was actually a classically trained musician, however, what he did was very different. He was one of the first to challenge the limits of what people would define as music. He challenged the traditional harmonically structured approach to music and instead used things such as prepared piano and everyday sounds in his compositions. He also pioneered what is known as chance music through composing in such a way that the outcome of the performance is seemingly random.
(Above) John Cage performing 'Water Walks' on a TV show in 1960
Brian Eno, is a well know electronic music pioneer who still writes today. His work with tape loops and randomly generated music has been an inspiration to many electronic artists today. Notably, his album 'Music for Airports' has been an inspiration for my own compositional style although a completely different aesthetic. Using tape loops at different length brings a pleasant randomness to a composition if done well.
It has been through these founders of electronic and experimental music that aspects of the music have evolved to be what they are today.....
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