Tag: electronic music

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This Was Tomorrow

Tomorrowland is an annual electronic music festival held in the small, picturesque Belgian town of Boom. Since 2005 it has grown into one of the world’s largest and most noteworthy festivals. From its early years, ID&T who produced the festival, focused  on experience and community over profit and renown. The particular attention to detail and incredible line-up of artists led to world record ticket sale times, with sell out occurring within seconds every year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dVFy4d61gU

In the summer of 2011, Tomorrowland took an unprecedented step and uploaded what they titled “Aftermovie[s]” for every festival up to that point. These, at first short, videos posted to YouTube and Vimeo were meant to give attendees a sort of virtual yearbook. The first video “2005 Aftermovie” was a little over 3 minutes long. It was not until 2012’s edition of the Aftermovie that the videos received viral attention. The “Book of Life” themed 2012 edition of the festival produced an “Aftermovie” that received over 140 million views. Riding the massive EDM bubble that had begun to peak in the US, the rise of YouTube as a foremost competitor in the sector of mainstream content production and a generation that valued experience over anything else, Tomorrowland producers understood the value and importance of what they had created. 

Tomorrowland 2012 Aftermovie 

The “Aftermovie” became as much a celebration of the year’s festival as it became a viral marketing tool and celebration of the evolution of electronic music and rave culture. By 2017, it had amassed over a billion views across its Youtube channel. 

2017’s “Amicorum Spectaculum” was a Tomorrowland like no other. The largest stage to date, the most impressive and expansive line-up in Tomorrowland history, the most tickets sold, and the most countries represented by its participants since the festival’s inception.

The 2017 Official Aftermovie was a paragon of seamless interplay between visual and aural experience. The almost half hour long video not only shows off the incredible production value of the event itself, but presents a narrative that explores themes of unity, multiculturalism and acceptance that the festival has preached since 2005.

The video opens with a panoramic view of the festival grounds, themed airplanes and an incredible montage of flags from all over the world that festival goers proudly display. These opening scenes are accompanied by atmospheric tracks from Steve Angello’s fittingly titled Genesis EP. The track used in this first scene, Rejoice, is a massive departure from the EDM ( specific genre of pop electronic dance music popularized in the early 2010s) sound that put electronic music on the map in foreign markets. Steve Angello as an artist maps this evolution of electronic dance music, he was at the forefront of the EDM push in the 2010s as a member of the iconic trio Swedish House Mafia. This track explores more underground sounds than those he rose to prominence with, its synthesis of grunge rock and sampling of gospel and religious vocals are indicative of the return of electronic music to its experimental and exploratory roots. An incredibly fitting tune for the opening scene of the worlds foremost electronic music festival.

User LieberBecksBier alsShakespeare comments on this return to electronic dance music’s roots. He mentions Tomorrowland “turning its back” from EDM, a term coined in a huge multinational marketing push, meant to make the music more accessible to younger audiences. The term EDM stuck around longer than intended and became a blanket term for the incredibly diverse and imaginative sound world of electronic music. This “blanket effect” led to a long period of homogenization of mainstream dance music, which had a devastating effect on the creativity and individuality of underground artists. The popularity of Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia specifically made  the american perversion of dub-step and a very specific progressive house sound respectively, the overwhelming and sole mainstream sound for many years. Tomorrowland in this video, strategically chooses tracks and artists that embody the return to the creativity and sounds of the pre-EDM rave.

The next few minutes of the video explore the move-in process. A building trance track (Filterheadz’s Kaleidoscope) accompanies time-lapse clips of people walking into the festival’s temporary campgrounds. Interspersed between the clips are  people’s thoughts on attending the festival, representing a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and nationalities. As the music builds, the excitement and speed of the clips build as well, climaxing in the first experience of a hard “four on the floor” beat track, and a first full frame shot of the iconic Tomorrowland mainstage. The frames seem to change in time with every idiosyncrasy of the track, and as the “welcome to the jungle” vocals start to creep in, all of the festival’s 16 stages are presented in a whirlwind of quickly shifting frames. Just as quickly the music stills and nighttime falls.

This is when the incredible cinematography and production of the video and event truly come to life. The House of House, a track by the festivals main headliners Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike builds as the lights and lasers of the festival begin to come alive. The anticipation of the eventual “drop” is heightened by quickly changing frames, odd vantage points, peeks of pyrotechnic displays, as soon as the main portion of the song begins, the camera focuses on the incredible fireworks, lasers and enthusiastic dance from people and artists alike. The music, audience, Djs and stage all move to the same beat, and form a cohesive experience.

A similar cycle of low tempo ambient to high tempo house tracks accompanying a transitioning from day to night is employed in the next part of the video. Smiles, flying hands, bouncing heads are featured from all kinds of festival goers. This concludes with words by the godfather of modern electronic dance music, Armin Van Buuren .

On the  mainstage with the word “UNITE” proudly displayed at its base, he brings attention to the 7 satellite shows providing live stream coverage around the world; Germany, Dubai, Lebanon, Malta, Spain, South Korea, Israel.  This scene is accompanied by Martin Garix’s track Pizza, not only does the incorporation of string instruments make the moment incredibly nostalgic, but it speaks to the future of the genre. A 21 year old wunderkind, Garrix represents a controversial but promising future of globalization and multiculturalism embodied in electronic dance music’s next generation of fans.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that while you’re getting goosebumps at the MainStage in Belgium, literally millions of people around the world are watching my performance, even organizing home parties and having an amazing time as well.” -Armin Van Buuren

This globalization of the art form, and incredible role technology continues to play on the dissemination and consumption of the music is further explored in user vadeske’s comment:

The festival’s online presence has allowed it to reach homes across the world, in a way that could never have been imagined in its inception. The idea of unity earns a new meaning when social media and live stream engagement for  Tomorrowland’s 2017 edition garnered over 1.2 billion views by more than 200 million unique fans.

 “Not only has the growth of the event itself been amazing but also the content that they produce, like the live registration and after-movie. It just gets better and better each year. I think it’s great that people at home can watch the live stream and experience the festival as if they were there themselves.” -David Guetta

The video ends with an incredibly moving snippet of  London Grammar’s Hell to the Liars Remixed by Kölsch. Along with text thanking performer, artist and visitor alike for the creation of the experience, the music creates a nostalgic and incredibly emotional atmosphere. This track takes an indie-pop Nottingham native band’s song, translates it into trance style sounds, and ultimately fades to a string orchestration, very reminiscent of late romantic music, faded and echoey vocals and incredibly faint acid house sounds are barely perceptible. One would we be hard pressed to find a track that more perfectly embodies the state of transformation electronic music is experiencing so beautifully curated by Tomorrowland.

In its final scene the video urges viewers to take the beauty of the experience and use the impulse to “spread [their] message to the world…” Live today, love tomorrow, unite forever. These egalitarian, utopian and community oriented ideas may seem idealistic, but for three days every year, this video and festival argues that Tomorrowland proves living by these principles is achievable.

Progress and cohesion are central to driving this point home, and many comments below the video praise not only the cinematic and musical content, but the accurate representation of the ideals and atmosphere of the festival experience.

Tomorrowland 2017’s “Official After Movie” is a celebration of its performers, audience, artists, but more importantly explores the real-time evolution of electronic dance music and serves as a platform to further preach its ideas of unity, acceptance and multiculturalism.

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Acid House and the Iron Lady

The Second Summer of Love is a name attributed to the period between 1988 and 1989 where the rise of MDMA and acid house resulted in an explosion in youth culture, and complete resistance to the rise of oppressive conservative politics .

In the autumn of 1989 a very interesting letter came across the desk of a third term Lady Margaret Thatcher. MP Archibald Gavin Hamilton forwarded a letter on behalf of his great uncle Gerald Coke who had become extremely disturbed by an all-night rave party hosted near the outside of his property.  Not only did Coke share a misinformed fear of confrontation but also described his fear of “bloodshed.”

Coke could not be any farther from the reality of this rave, one of 223 known acid house parties during the Second Summer of Love. These underground, mostly illegal parties were marked by the prevalent use of MDMA, also known by the more descriptive name of ecstasy. The feelings of empathy, euphoria and love caused by ecstasy were marked features of these gatherings, and resulted in incredibly low instances of violence.

The ecstasy and music came together. It was all part of the package… That may sound a little sad, but there’s no way acid house would have taken off the way it did without ecstasy.

 

-Nicky Holloway, DJ

Government research into these parties led to the shocking discovery of “very little alcohol use” and the prevalence of discarded “ecstasy wrappers;” whatever that means… What the government feared more so than public health, was the gathering of young people, of all races and backgrounds, in a defiance of conservative attitudes and politics of the time.

“Because a few people had the power to assemble thousands of young people with a phone call, the government thought there was a political angle to it when there wasn’t.”
Andrew Weatherall , English DJ, producer, and remixer.

Thatchers brand of conservatism was akin to the U.S.’s Reaganism.  An era marked by the triumph of imperialism, offensive against the working class, increased international military aggression, rise in poverty and the exponential growth of ruling class wealth.  Military invasions of Latin America, the fight against Irish Liberation movements and an overall interest in the elite over British workers are just some of the calling cards which have been attributed to Thatcher.

Prime Minister Thatcher became notorious for her no-frills political style and willingness to oppress individual rights of expression in order to protect the  ruling class. In 1988 she introduced a broadcasting  ban on left-wing political views in six countries. In 1982 Thatcher directly ordered the sinking of an Argentine ship, outside of fighting area, in a conflict to protect imperial interests in the area.

In 1981 Britain saw the rise of a social rebellion. Unequal social conditions and high levels of unemployment created pressure to address segregation and opportunity for the youth. Thatcher however rejected the idea that social conditions had any influence on the unrest.

“What absolute nonsense. … No one should condone violence. No one should condone the events. … They were criminal, criminal.”

Margaret Thatcher, in response to the resistance of the Black Caribbean population in Brixton subject to immense police brutality

Her politics and ruling style were considered so oppressive and lacking any interest in its people that her death in 2013 was celebrated by thousands throughout England.

Thatcherism was at its most powerful when Acid House jumped the pond from the underground music scene of Chicago, it first landed on the Island of Ibiza before five major English DJs brought it over to Britain. In celebration of Paul Oakenfold’s 24th birthday, Johnny Walker, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway and Oakenfold himself had massive revelation at the iconic Amnesia nightclub. They returned home with a drive to recreate the incredible experience. The sounds and culture of acid house quickly took over the underground music scene in England, much more so than it ever did in the U.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCUPc9zVfyo

Acid House had been playing in Haçienda nightclub in England since 1986 but it wasn’t until the introduction of MDMA in 1987 that the new style began to take. “It was like a tidal wave across the club from their alcove. Suddenly everyone was on ecstasy. I could stop a record and put my hands in the air, and the place would erupt.”Ecstasy also affected what people wore. “It’s quite endearing looking back now,” says DJ Dave Haslam.

When met with the stern and austere rule of Prime Minister Thatcher, the freedom, unity and escape that the rave provided became a de facto form of resistance and delegitimization of Thatcher’s influence and control over the youth of England.  Symbols like the yellow smiley face, whistles and baggy clothes now became synonymous with rave culture and Acid House, a clear resistance to the conservatism of the time.

Thatcher, much like Trump in recent months, utilized the arts and music to elevate the elitist concert experience above the expression and freedom of various disciplines. She utilized the works of Andrew Lloyd Weber, and placed them upon a pedestal as the clear forerunner in artistic and musical expression. Much like Trump, she was very misinformed when it came to the nature and underlying message of the works she chose to champion, In doing so, Thatcher strengthened the political message, legitimacy and social revolution of the New Romantics, Socca producers of South London and DJs throughout the country. 

The government met the social revolution with limited success. Unable to seize profits because the rave gatherings were mostly free, the government found its only solution in banning the music all together and Thatcher’s immediate successor did just that.

“Rave was more about unity … and, unlike other scenes, there weren’t really any faces from the scene for society to grab on to and scapegoat, which must have been frustrating for the government and media at the time. Because it was kind of this big, inclusive faceless mass, I also feel like the social pressures that got people seeking a release from rave did a lot of good things to make the racial divide less of a divide.”

Gavin Watson

By 1994 legislation had been passed banning music with “repetitive beats” and outdoor gatherings with more than 12 people where amplified music would be played. In a shocking, under the radar political statement, artists like Autechre released electronic music, which was labeled as having “no bars contain identical beats ” a music which could legally be played under this new law.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk0JxXFJMKw

Acid House became the anthem for a new generation of liberal, socially conscious individuals that continue to shape England to this day. The generation that found and elevated Rave culture into the realm of political resistance to this day finds itself across England, taking the ideas of empathy, love and freedom that defined the Summer of Love. Despite the efforts of an oppressive, conservatism government  House music and rave culture are still powerful drivers of culture throughout England and its realm of influence.

 

 

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Theremin: The World’s Spookiest Instrument

It is astonishing to think how interesting and perplexingly cool the theremin is and how very few people in the world know about its existence even when they have probably heard it somewhere. “In my experience, there are two kinds of people: those who are beguiled by the theremin and those who just haven’t heard of it yet. Because of the way it’s played – gestures, space – it fascinates instantly”  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/22/invisible-instrument-theremin. 

To be honest, I didn’t know about it until a few years ago, when I stumbled upon this video of Clara Rockmore playing Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan” which literally looked like she was playing an invisible violin. The string-like sound is there, but it looks like she isn’t playing a particular instrument or even touching anything to that matter; she is playing air.

Leon Theremin (yes, that’s why the Theremin is called that) was a young Russian scientist who was working on a gas meter to measure densities. “‘Leon Theremin was an[n] . . . inventor of what is probably the most unusual musical instrument ever invented. You’re actually moving your two hands through two electromagnetic fields that are around two antennas. . . He was working in a laboratory in Russia as a young scientist, he was actually working on a gas meter to measure the density of gases,’ Glinsky said. ‘So as he brought his hand closer to the gas meter, he heard kind of a higher squeal. And as he brought his hand back to his body and away from the machine, it was a slower squeal’” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-theremin-a-strange-instrument-with-a-strange-history/ 

Then Leon started playing melodies on the device while his colleagues at the laboratory stared with amazement. This was the birth of one of the world’s first electronic instruments. The first model of the theremin used a foot pedal to control the volume and a switch to modify pitch. Later, in 1920, it became the mind-boggling instrument which requires zero contact of the performer with the instrument.

You are probably wondering how this thing even works, right? Basically, the first theremins were made up by circuits of vacuum tubes, coils, and wires which created electromagnetic fields around two antennae. By vibrating their fingers, players would raise or lower the pitch and volume. You can see why it is considered by many the world’s most difficult instrument. “A real theremin master can make an instrument soar with the fortissimo of Pavarotti or fade to the most delicate of whispers” http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/audio-music/theremin3.htm 

It is really easy to merely produce gross squeaks and cries because only masters can produce the beautiful violin-like sound, like Clara Rockmore, who was actually one of Professor Theremin’s original students. She was an accomplished violinist who was forced to stop playing violin because of injury and therefore picked up the theremin and went on to become the world’s best thereminist. What a great example of how good things can come out of bad situations!

The 1920 theremin was shown at the Moscow Industrial Fair and picked up the interest from Vladimir Lenin, who actually took some lessons on it and commissioned 600 models to be toured around the Soviet Union. Later on, Leon Theremin left for the United States, where he performed at the Metropolitan Opera House as well as Carnegie Hall. He patented his invention in 1928 and its rights were quickly seized by RCA who distributed it during the 30’s. “The Theremin became known in the USA as a home ‘novelty instrument’ and featured in many film soundtracks of the 1940-50’s, it also appeared in several pop records of the 1960’s but never overcame its novelty appeal; used for effect rather than as a ‘serious instrument’, most recordings employ the Theremin as a substitute string instrument rather than exploiting the microtonal and pitch characteristics of the instrument” http://120years.net/the-thereminleon-termensoviet-union1922/ 

Some examples of media were it was used are: “The Green Hornet Radio Show” (1936), “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), “The Flintstones,” “Batman,” and 2004’s “Hellboy.” You can hear it from yourself in the next video clip. The theremin comes in at 1:14.

Leon Theremin went on creating and invented other instruments, such as the “Terpsitone,” the “Rhythmicon,” and the “keyboard Theremin,” and even the “Electronic cello.” He later ended up eventually “disappearing” and returning to his home country. However, in 1954 in a basement in Queens, NY, a young Robert Moog was obsessed with theremins and began building them with his father. “It’s hard to imagine what the evolution of the synthesizer would have been without Leon Theremin. For one, it was Theremin’s invention that first captivated Robert Moog. Theremin kits were Dr. Moog’s first product and many would say, his first electronic instrumental love. That impact was significant, too, on a whole generation” (http://cdm.link/2015/09/read-article-bob-moog-wrote-met-leon-theremin/  Moog’s theremins went on to become the leading company for the instrument and they have sold more theremins than any other company in the last 57 years. What’s marvelous about all this is that Bob Moog is the man behind the Moog synthesizers, and there is no denying that the theremin was a great influence for this development. “Electronic music pioneer Robert Moog built theremins long before he built synthesizers. In the 1960’s, he produced such models as the wedge-shaped Vanguard theremin and the shoebox shaped Moog Melodia theremin. Today, Moog Music Inc. produces the popular Etherwave and Etherwave Plus theremins and kits as well as the new MIDI-enabled Theremini theremin.”

Now that we have travelled through a brief history of the Theremin, we can see that is it actually a brief history of the technological advancements in electronic music over the last century. The discovery of the theremin and its technological innovation ended up being an inspiration for the creation of synthesizers, which are nowadays are incredibly popular and key for music production.