Would it be possible to achieve something with electronic music? Would it be grotesque to say we can influence all kinds of music that are here now and that will follow? I don't think so: look what the beatles did in the 60's. Look what punk did in the 70's. These rebels pushed the limitations of music forward and now it is our turn. We have to use the strong properties of tekno to develop something really new. And there are still loads of fields within music ready to investigate. First of all is there the huge non-melodic field. Melodies have been used for so long and they are indeed a powerful tool in music, but how can we say that non-melodic music is less powerful if we haven't explored it to the max? In my opinion it is far easier to create an atmosphere with non-melodic music then with melodic music. We should also throw away the limitations of the old machines and use the new apparatus and techniques to create unknown sounds. The Coil record which is featured on the records page is a good example of this. Further we can try the field of a-rhythmic tracks, loops etc. In all: we must overcome the so called basics within nowadays accepted music and explore everything that was non-accepted; pure mind bending sound; hence the name Autonome Tekno. Greatful tools within tekno could be the ancient rhtythms used by african tribes, byzantines, american indians and asian temple music that is capable op bringing people in a trance with relatively simple (percussion) instrumens. That's all we need, and that's how tekno was meant to be: simple and efficient. Fuck those who call themselves musician: everybody is a musician in fact.... !!!
icq discussion ; march 16 1998
....
<meccs> No, people all around the world are the
same with music and stuff. I think we'll have to show them that even in
our time you can have fun and not to take everything to serious at all.
But they also have to respect music as -I think- strongest form of art.
And this is what people often do not see: the force of the music.
<Eyot> Partly agree: yeah, it is also my intention to bind people into a global tribe rather than seperated nations. My means are finding the basic musical patterns simular to the ones found with hallucination e.g. The UFO signs in the corn are a good example: they were found all over the world and appealed and mystified everybody. Now we know they are fake but scientists found out that the shapes were identical to those found in hallucenogenic LSD sessions in every human, no matter what race -> these shapes were like an instinct. I think the same counts for music, and that's why I think that music should have a very psychedelic base. That's also why I think that the strongest base tekno or ambient music can have, is not about funmaking at all, cuz that is matter of subject to a culture. What is fun here is not in asia. But if you listen to indonesian temple music is has close resembles of the rhythm patters of what we find good klangforschung (soundinvestigation) etc.
meccs> I didn't say these are my first interests but these are things I can do to people. For me it is easier to speak with music than with the language. You can describe every impression and intention very well with the help of music. By the way, this is why I like Impressionism so much. So, I think music is something deeper and older than the language and with the help of music we can communicate all around the world and maybe universe??? This is my real intention to make people belive in the power of music again. Like all the natives did and do. Music is great, it nearly doesn´t matter which style. But I hate if music is not true and this is what music sounds now: untrue. Therefore I just can't understand commercial music like dancefloormusic and stuff. Such things destroy the power of it.
Eyot> For my reasons I like constructivism a lot. So meccs, download the last sample from Richard Devine and tell me what you think about that. For me it is obvious that the feeling is really the same from the first ones, don't you agree? But a lot of people find it hard to understand, and for me it is difficult to see why.
meccs> I like stuff like this. Tracks in this style influenced me-even if it's not hearable- very, very much. I think it's no matter of bpm and loudness, but the music itself. So why can't tekno be intelligent (like the others say). It can be intelligent and of course it is.
Eyot> No, this music was made to move to.
meccs> of course, this was made to move to.
Eyot> But you speak about "the power of music" and that this is the goal for you.
meccs> Music can makes you dance, speak, scream, feel nervous -just about any feeling you can achieve with the help of music.
Eyot> What should people do with this information?
meccs> I, as a musician want people to hear and understand my music -not as I feel and hear but how they. They should let the music just happen to them and enjoy it.
Eyot> What do they gain by listening to your music?
meccs> What do you do with the information you get from a discussion??? I hate languages (most). Because they are too strict. No one will ever -not even once- have the same feeling as you when you tell him about things happened to you. But with the music you can share your inspiration, your spirit and your feelings with others and it's the same base. They live the music as you do.
Eyot> Mmh, I am not so sure about this.
weasel303> meccs: WRONG! when i listen to very hard speed metal, i cant say what feelings the people have who did it.
meccs> weasel: what feelings, do you thing do people have who produce "speed metal"???
weasel303> i said it. i dont know. i dont hear any feelings in that kind.
meccs> weasel, this is why I like electronic music. You're not banned between certain tones. You can make a string-sound out of a scream. And with the help of electronic music, you can give the music a very fine character and the finest intention you want to. But I don't say that people have to understand it in this way!!!
Eyot> I think only the very very basic instinctive impressions can be transferred like "fear" "sadness" etc. But that's it. In my opinion a good dj gives a picture (i.e. feeling) but I then can fill in that picture myself, like a little child does when he colours in a colourbook. E.g.: weasel finds my music agressive (not in a negative way) though I find it dark, mysterious -> like walking in a wood on a clouded night... And how many tekno records that you know are capable of expressing real sadness for instance What tekno record could we play if someone died? Think I know only one or 2...
meccs> I don' say that tekno is the music of the future because what is tekno? tekno is a movement. It is alway in progression you can' stop it. I speak of the music itself and surely you can't project it to every style of it. And just because there are just 2 tracks out there which express real sadness it is not that it is not possible to do it!
Eyot> But that's the whole point: we still need different kinds of music to deal with different feelings, but they are not universal to all cultures. When I listen to arabian sad music, it doesn't do me anything at all for I can't understand it.
meccs> Sure. My intention is to find universal music that touches every one of us (I know it's pretty hard and unimaginable) and just because I do some tracks I wouldn't say I CAN do it but i WILL TRY!!! But in future the will be no difference anymore because everything will be mixed up! So, and if there is no difference anymore?
Eyot> No it is not. I think we are looking too far and that actually everybody knows the answers cuz it's in our genes. Example: there was an experiment with about 500 people in Europe which they taught an ancient Japanese poem. The poem was very old and the people didn't speak Japanese so there was no way thet could've known it. Then they also taught them a fake one, with very similar sounds but with no meaning at all. The shocking conclusion was that over 85% of the people were able to reproduce the true one with far less mistakes than the fake one. What does this learn us: there is a kind of universalness in everybody. Once we were apes, and before the apes there were.... etc.
meccs> I think it all goes back to one origin -back to where it all begun.This is the old "Goa"-story...
Eyot> The power of a 4/4 beat is so unbelievably strong: you can get addicted to it, your heart starts beating the same tempo etc. for every culture: whether african or playing Egelaender muzik.
meccs> But it is not true that just the 4/4 beat has such a high strongness. I really don't think so. You can get more drived by offbeats (think about latino-american-stuff) which has often "uneven" beats.
Eyot> Maybe... but if I see people dancing to jungle e.g. they still pick out the 4/4 beat if you watch their feet!
meccs> But just in Europe! No not just in Europe, of course. But this is because of the actual progression. ....
AT THE BOUNDARIES??? (this is not tekno yet, but it could be if teknoproducers would be more creative....)
GREATER THAN ONE-TRUST-ALAMUT 005/WE NEVER SLEEP 008
How
can any tekno list be complete without this former duo who meant so very
much to the experimenting tekno sound as we know it now? Greater
Than One have been recording under various different 'names'. More than
nine pseudonyms were put into operation to deal with the versatile output.
The first recordings were by Greater Than One, and
as the name suggests, there was more than one style and outlook to the
music. The music was born out of a love of sounds, exemplified in their
early releases of experimental industrial noise/music, coupled with many
live performances, art exhibitions and installations around the world.
It is a rich source of dadaistic weirdness and future rhythms combined
with schizophrenic sampling. (like in THIS
example from their first LP album All The Masters Licked Me, a beautiful
industrial elektro piece) The above sample is from one of their most interesting
mini-albums, released 1990 and contains a broad range of styles and experimentation,
like also demonstrated HERE.
Meanwhile their recordings developed a more tekno/industrial-dance
orientation (EXAMPLE) and later tekno. Some other
names they performed under are: Tricky Disco, GTO (EXAMPLE),
Church of Extacy, John & Julie, Signs of Chaos and even Technohead
(not only I wanna be a hippy).
LOUIS & BEBE BERRON-SOUNDTRACK FOR THE FILM "FORBIDDEN PLANET" (1956)-SMALL PLANET PR001
In
1954, Metro Goldwyn Mayer began a magnificent project, destined to set
a new standard for science fiction and fantasy films. After two years
of production MGM had created something really unique for that time, so
unique the studio's music department was at loss to know how to score
the film. At this time Louis and Bebe Berron, two young artists in the
field of electronic music, were brought in to provide 'something different'.
They created something so unique, it was credited on the title as "electronic
tonalities"; in fact it was the very first solely electronic album ever
made. They designed and constructed electronic circuits -synthesizers
didn't even exist- which function electronically in a manner remarkably
similar to the way lower life-forms function psychologically. There is
a comprehensive mathematical science explaining it, called "cybernetics".
The sounds that emanated from these circuits seemed to convey strong emotional
meaning to the listeners and was so new it was honoured with an Academy
Award nomination. Still after over 40 years, this music sounds wonderfull
and is should be creative bible for everyone into psychedelic music.
THIS
HEAT-METAL-THESE RECORDS-ORIGINALLY 1979
SEVERED
HEADS-RABBY NARDOO FLAGOON-NETWERK EUROPE 001
Squeeky
sounds and introspective rhythm patterns on this fourtracker from the
east-German city Darmstadt. Very floating buildup, different atmospheres
when played on 33 or 45. Especially 33 makes it very melancholic. Test
sample is in 45 though. The featured sample has in fact a very industrial
sound, which is because of the more organic sounding machine-like background
sounds. It is dominated however by a synthetic wavy high resonance sound,
which in my opinion is one of the typical psychedelic techniques musicians
can use.
COIL VS THE ELPH-WORSHIP THE GLITCH-ESKATON 007
A
very impressive double 10" album with unheard sounds and psycho experimentations
from darkwave artists Coil in collaboration with The Elph. "Untouched
by human hands, 100% recycled sounds" is the only information the album
gives, accompanied by a cute gnome on the label you would love to own
as a pet. A very moving sound, which sucks you into the record. The sounds
are of everyday life and restyled with the use of filters and computers.
Ambient for now and the future. While this sample is seems abandoned from
any melody (not: harmony) THIS sample
inclines to actual melody with a sound like an alien bagpipe. Interesting
are the layers that the instrument creates. Coil also made a more accessible
album, which use totally different ways to move the listener, like demonstrated
HERE; a dark atmosphere is created by the
use of more accoustic sounding instruments (which have a more cultural
load) like there is the didgeredoo.
GABRIELLA RIZZO-ANGEL'S WAR-ELEX 004
Gabriella
Rizzo made a series of records on the Italian Elex label. Italian recordlabels
store a lot of hidden jewels (like there is the interesting Sounds Never
Seen label) and have a sound that is still quite different from records
originating from the rest of Europe. Progressive use of sounds create
an interesting ambient landscape on this 12", meanwhile she uses other
elements on her 12"s like more front 242 like sounds. The sample is dominated
by bubbly sounds; in total 5 beautiful tracks are found on this ep. Check
grijs 01 by salo mentale if you like this.
The Dutch label Grijs is also reknowned for their electronic and tekno
experiments.
YANNIS XENAKIS-PSAPPHA-BVHAAST CD9501-ORIGINALLY 1975
Well established in new music is the Greek percussion
artist Xenakis, who is driven by his desire to learn about musical esthetics
and manipulation of the incorporated elements. What makes his work especially
interesting is his mathematical method of approach towards music. He doesn't
make rather a sequence of notes, but uses tonemasses, toneclouds and -structures
in which the individual note plays a minor role. In the composition Psappha
(an old translation from the name Sappho, a Greek poet from Lesbos, 600
bC) this is well demonstrated: a total minimum of notes in the break (above)
and an overkill of percussion within the climax (HERE).