Does Merzbow still make experimental? It sounds kinda the same after all these records
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no idea but i hope so. i like the performance, not the music by itself
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For me it’s about process. My studio is setup so I compose in real time, a wee bit like painting. Great thread to start.
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Like bjork- I’m delighted she exists just so long as I don’t have to listen to her music. Except ‘birthday’ by sugarcubes which is magnificent.
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Experimental is a strange genre. Pretty much like 99% of things labelled experimental are just some hum, hiss and odd bleeps. That experiment has been done already, I’d rather hear the scientific results of this experiment and then move on to the next experiment.
As a joke, I’ve actually planned a gig with an experimental musician friend of mine (who falls in that 1%), where the experimental gig would have people dressed up as scientists with some proper looking metering gear, operating them. The gig would start start pretty normally, but after 15 or so minutes the musician’s girlfriend would stop the show and put some horrible pop music on, after which I would come there, kick down the speakers (only there for the show, no sound coming out of them) and start freestyle rapping. At some point the experimental musician friend would join in and start playing some beats (he’s a drummer) with a drumpad and finally mix in the typical experimental noise that started the gig. The scientists would of course record and measure everything.
That should be a fun 30 minutes or so.
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Exactly the same here. I can listen to Stockhausen and the like analytically, and try to find out, what and how they tried to do to break out of the usual clichés of music.
IMO there the following major lines of experimenting with music and sounds:
- Try to fusion different cultural approaches to music … like the african/european styles, which became a wealth of different genres, like blues, R&B, Rock, Pop, Func, and so many more.
- Try to fusion different technologies in a new way, like combining old-school DJing with upcoming sampling machines and end up with Hip-Hop and the like.
- Develop new sound creation tools and new interfaces between humans and musical instruments … like at the beginning of electronic instruments with the Theremin and touch-less performing, or like Bukla, who searched and developed methods, which allow the performer to take on the roles of sound-designer, instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and director simultaniously … as a single person.
- Try to break with many conventions drastically and leave behind what we know about rhythm, harmony, melody, and sounds.
As far as I have listened to different genres of music, only the fourth method in my list seems to be prone to lead to results too often, which I wouldn’t enjoy myself. And I think, I know why, at least for myself and my musical taste 
Well, it might be a little too philosophical, but there seems to be a basic understanding of rhythm, harmony, and melody down at our genes … worldwide and for ages. There are so many different cultures, which have developed music by taking many different approaches, but there seems to be something, which I would like to call a “musical common sense”, and, which all or most humans seem to share.
As long as we stay with our experimenting inside this area of “musical common sense”, many people might find that music from experimenting or from other cultures is quite unfamiliar at first, but interesting enough, to give it a try.
If I listen to typical European, African, Arabic, Indian, Asian, South-American music styles, also the sound and music of many “world-music” performances, there is a liking, at least after some time. On the other side, music, which tries to break away from this “musical common sense” has never touched my soul. Sometimes it tickled my intellect, but never a feeling of beauty or beeing in tune with it.
But this touch of the soul is, why I am listening to and making music
Sorry for this long post and I hope, I didn’t waffle
even the most experimental music must touch my soul
otherwise it’s usually just brain@$%# to me.
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When it comes to electronic music, most of the time if I see “experimental” I run fast and far the other way. I don’t really need to listen to six minutes of modulated white noise or the same note droning for ages. Maybe it makes me a Philistine, and I’m sure one can argue the academic merits of such experiments, but I don’t need to listen to a seveteen mintue tin can symphony field recording or whatever : )
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In my perception, experimental sound is either:
-Incredible art that pushes the boundaries of imagination
-Self-Indulgent audible wanking
-A genre that people that can’t make good music hide in
I love experimental sound as much as I am afraid of it.
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You articled the situation as I see it far better than I did above. This all day, ‘ery day.
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does the onus of experimentation fall strictly on the composer? what have you done lately to experiment as a listener?
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@guga : I do not speak to you personally guga
For me experimental is a “state” of someone doing research. If we talk about experimental music then the work of the person is sound. Beyond that, I think it’s something we do for ourselves, because we feel the need to do research.
Also, that’s NOT BECAUSE ALL SEEM TO BE DONE NOWADAYS… that you can’t share step(s) (or be close) in the experimental process with someone or few people, YOU WILL NOT ENDING WITH PERSONAL RESULTS AND INTERESTING RESULTS… it’s all about document yourself on what’s done, inspire yourself with Art, Science, Medicine, Social… every kind of work and find a problematic, experiment and get results.
it’s part of “artistic introspection” to me.
Then, if the person wants to share his works this is considered experimental music (and it make sense, it’s like a contemporary art exhibition or something like that).
On the other hand, it is not because we do not manage to classify a song in a musical style that this song is experimental music finally in any case in my opinion. I also think that experimenting today goes beyond the boundaries of music alone. We experiment on several human senses at the same time. And it’s even more work but it’s extremely interesting and can be live anywhere as an exhibit.
Finally I would like to say something to finish. If you feel castrated, and it’s something that I’ve known, that I know and that I will certainly know again. This feeling is in your head, do not let this feeling dominate you and annihilate your productivity … Attend to produce whatever the cost without asking you this kind of existential question. There will always be people to tell you that it’s shit but fortunately always other people to tell you that they love and we must think only about ourselves and this last category of people! searching to please everyone and to seek to revolutionize his musical style are two biggest mistakes and also, two quite respectable quests as well that’s where it’s a tricky thing
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I recorded Sheryll Crow onto an old cassette, put it in a microwave for 10 seconds, set it under a moving set of different strength magnets, took the tape out and slightly stretched parts of it, played that underwater through speakers in submerged balloons in a pool with a hundred fish bubblers going, and re-recorded with a mic inside of a balloon that was submerged…
It was quite a trip, but the source was still pop music the next day… 
Edit: I didn’t have a big enough ballon with proper tensile strength and weights, or I would’ve just been submerged myself and listening instead of re-recording…
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@Open_Mike great work!
i like music, in wich audio source marterial gets transformed physically.
and of course humour is a good ingredient for experimental music.
… and i didn’t even heard your work! 
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Haha! Just typing that makes me want to do it now!
Imagine doing all that just for a background ambiance pad or something in your track!
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would be a good foundation, man!
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apropos humour. this is one of my favorit performances of experimental music. still contemporary.
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Or the best might be to perform live to the entire audience submerged in the balloons…
Get ready, it’s gonna be a thing…
P.S. Nice vid, it’s been awhile since I thought of John Cage…
give m a sign when its starting. i already dived in…
btw. i wonder if it plays a roll that it was Sheryll Crow…
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