A deep and meaningful look into the world of design and music

FEATURE ARTICLEElectronica

Past, Present and Future

DESIGNER OF THE MONTHSam Anderson

YUJEN Special feature!

ISSUE 01 Nov. 2015

3 Electronica: Past, Present, Future

13 Special Feature: Yujen

17 Designer of the Week

18 Portraiture

23 Somersby Still Life

29 Landscape and MIDW

FEATURES

ELEC-TRONICAPast, Present & Future

To put it simply, electronic music, or e-music, is any electronically amplified or recorded music using the digital medium. The genre, however, is too broad and detailed to be defined by one sentence. The masses of sub-genres in the electronic music spectrum contain elements from rock, blues, classical, jazz, and even punk music. These sub-genres are ever-adapting to changes in the current technologies. Some electronic music sounds like a mash of unidentifiable tones, whilst others sound like symphonies of bass and synth. Some will make you want to dance and party, and others will make you want to sleep, that’s the magic of electronic music, it’s never the same.

“E-music evades genre and generalization” - Saiber

Original Artwork

jackvanzet.com/#/new-gallery-1/

Electronic music as a genre has a rich history, dating back long before one might expect; some

fifty years before the e-music boom in the 1950s and 60s. Unlike other music cultures, electronic music

wasn’t developed and created through social movements and social influences at the time, but rather it was created

by technological advancements and experimentation with sound (Admin, 2013). Although the time at which electronic

music was created is widely disputed, there is a clear indication that musicians were experimenting with ambiguous sounds from the

beginning of the 20th Century. In 1902, Thaddeus Cahlil invented the Telharmonium Machine, which was said to “mimic the sound of musical

instruments like the flute and the cello,” (A brief history, 2013).

Others indicate that musicians in The Futurists movement, around 1914, first introduced e-music as a concept, such as recording railway noises to add creative

value. It wasn’t until the 1940s, however, that electronic music was truly recognised as a concept and as a music genre. At this time, another movement was formed, called

Musique Concrete. It was driven by e-music pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, who, having been influenced by The Futurists, generated sounds from recordings of

slamming doors, footsteps and railways (A guide to, 2010).

It wasn’t until the 1960s, however, that this style began to gather popularity. The first electronic keyboard was invented, and through musician Robert Moog, The Moog Synth became the first commercial analogue synthesizer. In 1962, Jean Jacques-Perrey revolutionised electronic music by creating rhythms through sequences and loops, thus paving the way for future e-music sub-genres, such as techno, new age and house (A guide to, 2010). With music becoming more commercialised, electronic music made its way into clubs, discos and record stores, gradually becoming a worldwide phenomenon, and thus the term ‘DJ’ was born.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, the world saw rapid advances in technology, and electronic music continued to expand to what is said to be over 100 different sub-genres (A brief history, 2013), with artists such as Fatboy Slim, Aphex Twin and Daft Punk becoming the leading electronic musicians of the generation. Electronic music continued to change and adapt to technologies available at the time, keeping the genre fresh, innovative and revolutionary.

E-music History

Moving into the 21st century, electronic music is again following this paradigm of change, shifting its style within the ever-growing genre. Electronic music is more commercial now than it has ever been before, expanding its style from an underground rave culture, to a dynamic, modern, festival, party style. It’s readily available on radio, iTunes, YouTube and Spotify, and the overall genre has said to be “moving on to the popular term, Electronic Dance Music” (Ehsan Imdad, 2015) commonly shortened to EDM.

Ehsan Imdad (2015) suggests popular artists such as Skrillex, David Guetta, Avicii and Afrojack have massively popularised EDM to the point where many believe that electronic music is limited to the sound of these artists, which is certainly not the case. Today’s electronic music is much more expansive and detailed than its predecessors. Modern electronic music sprawls out into genres such as Alternative, R&B, Hip Hop, and even into rock, with artists like Coldplay, The Killers and Tame Impala all infusing elements of electronic music into their own styles. Although it’s not a new concept, electroacoustic music, combining acoustic instruments

and the human voice through a digital medium, is growing more and more popular.

Interestingly, from a theory perspective, modern day music is becoming increasingly influenced by the electronic music of the 70s and 80s. For example, we can see the musician Max Graef, in his song “Running”, reverting back to cheesy synths, flowing bass lines and 60s electronic drum kits. It’s this retro style which is becoming increasingly popular in modern day electronic music, creating modern sub-cultures based off elements of electronica from the late 20th century. An example of this was the recent rise in popularity of the 2000 song Sandstorm by Darude, which is now a cult classic.

Additionally, there are now musicians like James Blake, Tycho and Flume who all create their own brand of electronic music by infusing ambience, dance, soul and classical music to create unique sounds.

Modern day E-music

Well, as long as technology stays around, so will electronic music, and who knows what technology will be invented next. All we know is that electronic music will continue to change and adapt to its medium.

Due to the readily available technology and software, it seems like almost anyone can begin making electronic music these days. Often, it’s more of a casual hobby than a cut out

professional career, resulting in the endless creations of unique sounds and infusions. Famous modern electronic artist William Bevan, more commonly known as Burial, talks about being a “low key person” who “just want[s] to make some tunes, nothing else” (A guide to, 2010). This illustrates the modern electronic music maker, as someone who wants to explore a passion for fun, rather than fame.

So where is electronic music heading?

Now to my final example, a Melbourne based band, called Yujen. This three-piece digitally-orientated band consists of Sam Tilley, along with brothers, Bill and Mitch Anderson. The electroacoustic band combines various media to produce their unique sound. These include the human voice, the acoustics of a guitar, and a Macbook and 1982 Roland Juno-60 keyboard to generate various tones and rhythms. This blend of

media creates melancholic sound that combines soft ambience, with distorted digital and acoustic noises, clicks, scratches and heavy bass. It is a sound that is clearly separate from the commercialised music made by internationally recognised DJs. Yujen’s music provides evidence of the rich depth of genre that the title ‘Electronic Music’ encompasses. It’s truly a sound of its own.

However, it is a sound that is ever-evolving. The band often moves in different aesthetic directions according to the equipment that is available to them. This experimentation with new sounds and rhythms is a clear indication of the direction electronic music will head towards in the future, full of creation and innovation, through a medium that is constantly changing.

soundcloud.com/yujen

facebook.com/yujenmusic

Special Feature : Yujen

ReferencesA Brief History of Electronic Music. About electronic music. (2013). Retrieved from: http://aboutelectronicmusic.com/a-brief-history-of-electronic-music/.

A Guide to Electronic Music. Bleep. (2010). Retrieved from: https://bleep.com/stream/a+guide+to+electronic+music.

Ehsan Imdad, K. (2015). Defining Electronic Music. Retrieved from: http://www.thedailystar.net/shout/unwind/defining-electronic-music-87787.

Emmerson, S. (2007). Living Electronic Music. Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate.

Saiber, A. (2007). The Polyvalent Discourse of Electronic Music. PMLA: 122[5], pp.1613-1625.

Vanzet, J. (2015). Singularity. Retrieved from: http://www.jackvanzet.com/#/new-gallery-1/

Designer of the MonthSam Anderson

As a young graphic designer, Sam has a passion for creativity, creating work in many different mediums to fuel his love for experimentation and for design.

What interests you the most about design?I just love creating different things, and experimenting just to see what kind of outcome I can achieve.

What is your favourite medium to use?I go through phases. At the moment, I really enjoy combining analogue with digital, and natural with unnatural. I think it creates

some interesting results and there’s an endless amount of ideas.

Is there any particular design skill that you’d like to get better at? I’d love to improve my free-hand drawing. It can be something that I tend to avoid but its such an important part of design.

What aspect of design would you want to move towards in the future?I guess advertising and branding. It is something that interests me a lot right now so hopefully I can begin working in that field in the future.

Using a camera and flashlight, Sam developed a series of film noir style portraits of his girlfriend, saying...

“I love the style. It really captures the subject and their features. It creates such

a strong mood, and there’s this moment in the photograph that combines the

harshness of the light with the softness of the subject’s features.”

“It was my first time trying film noir, it was a challenge for both of us, but I’m really

happy with the result.”

These eerie portraits have been captured through the removal of makeup onto makeup wipes and then digitally edited.

Sam has worked on producing these two concept ads for Somersby Cider.

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http://jovdaripper.deviantart.com/

Through his artwork, Sam applied his work to numerous products, which will go on sale soon.

Fine-liner sketch of Flinders Lane in Melbourne’s CBD.

FLINDERSLANE

MELBOURNE

Sam describes these works as Digital Mark Making. He starts with a photograph and then by simplifying the

image into shapes, he creates patterns and marks that capture the urban landscapes.

“You can find so many interesting patterns and shapes within architecture.

There are endless ideas, and so many different marks to be made.”