Thanks for sharing this YouTube channel, I've always been curious about the history of electronic music and had no idea it started so early like in 50s...damn
It can be traced to way earlier than that, even as far as late 19th century — just check out Wikipedia. Futurist artist and composer Luigi Russolo was pretty influential with his manifesto ‘The Art of Noises’ and the intonarumori instruments, which were partially electric. Theremin came about in the 1920s and is still used to this day. The 50s is just when Stockhausen popped up with fully electronically synthesized sound. (Fun fact: Stockhausen had a little spat with Aphex Twin, wherein he called Aphex's music too repetitive in some interview, and Aphex said that Stockhausen's music is undanceable.)
Also of note, synthesizers were instruments of avantgardists until Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind released the album ‘Switched-On Bach’ in 1968, which greatly popularized the Moog synth. Carlos is most famous for the soundtrack of ‘A Clockwork Orange’.
7 replies
Thanks for sharing this YouTube channel, I've always been curious about the history of electronic music and had no idea it started so early like in 50s...damn
It can be traced to way earlier than that, even as far as late 19th century — just check out Wikipedia. Futurist artist and composer Luigi Russolo was pretty influential with his manifesto ‘The Art of Noises’ and the intonarumori instruments, which were partially electric. Theremin came about in the 1920s and is still used to this day. The 50s is just when Stockhausen popped up with fully electronically synthesized sound. (Fun fact: Stockhausen had a little spat with Aphex Twin, wherein he called Aphex's music too repetitive in some interview, and Aphex said that Stockhausen's music is undanceable.)
Also of note, synthesizers were instruments of avantgardists until Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind released the album ‘Switched-On Bach’ in 1968, which greatly popularized the Moog synth. Carlos is most famous for the soundtrack of ‘A Clockwork Orange’.
Damn such cool history. It's something I need to dive more into
YouTube has some dope videos on BBC's Radiophonic Workshop and particularly work of women in electronic music in the sixties: namely Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Wendy Carlos, and I'm probably forgetting someone.
Sub Rosa has a lot of neat older electronic recordings. Lots of other neat recordings, too!
I've vaguely heard of that label, most probably because of William S. Burroughs' releases on there.
You're welcome.