The blending of folk and electronic music/modern production technique

[analogue01]

(Synthesis - Planetary Peace)

Love this record!

It’s worth noting that there’s a ton of old electronic and hybrid-electronic music in the Smithsonian Folkways catalog. Check out Dariush Dolat-Shahi’s Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar, totally mind bending music in a lot of ways.

[zacnorbu]

I shall add him to the list, thanks!

[zacnorbu]

This one is certainly an interesting read. I’ll take a good look through and see if I can find anything that may work in the context of what I’m doing. Thanks!

[zacnorbu]

While I think this a really interesting avenue, I’m not sure I’ll be able to include it within my research as it has more of view to the social context of folk and electronic, whereas I need to be coming at it from a more pragmatic side. Great stuff though!

[zacnorbu]

I would dig into the back catalog of Tape Op magazine

That’s great, I shall have a look about for them online. Thanks!

[zacnorbu]

What a great track, really enjoyed the textures and tones going on there! I definitely be up for interviewing you/your friend; gathering primary research is one of the ways I think I’m going to have to be going about this it seems. Please get a hold of me via a private message and we can chat about it!

Also, my two cents: I’m no expert, but I steer clear of defining any genre based primarily on what instruments are used

I would definitely agree with this, I was using ‘folk’ here more as a catch all term for traditional/‘new folk’/singer songwriter material. I guess the most defining thing for me is the use of acoustic instruments, though this also opens up all sorts of world music (a term I really don’t get on with).

The music itself could be traditional or folk from any background or tradition, up to and including new folk/folktronica etc. The definition of genre is often so imprecise, and gets more so the more material is generated eh!

[zacnorbu]

Great stuff, I shall add her to the list and reach out. Really enjoyed this one, thanks!

[zacnorbu]

Maybe get in touch with Fonal records from Finland, who kind of champion that sort of wyrd electronic folk music (and more). They would have some interesting things to say and could be a great starting point for connecting with a whole scene of this kind of music.

Hi Puscha,

That’s great, I shall definitely have a look around at their material and reach out. Thanks for that!

I would be happy to be an interview subject if you’re looking for artists to speak to!

That would be awesome, I enjoyed listening to your stuff! I’m going to have a little word with my supervisor and see how much primary research/how many interviews he feels is appropriate for the project. Would be really great to gather a load of different responses!

[zacnorbu]

Incorporating electronics into folk contexts (while at the same time transforming these contexts) isn’t just a contemporary thing.

There are examples going back to the early 1970’s – basically as long as electronics have been widely available commercially.

While your focus may be on contemporary perspectives, I think it would be interesting to explore this broader history, and to do so especially with an openness to the diverse worldviews and mindsets that flow in and out of this work. I hope you are able to interview at least some of these people as we are talking in some cases records that came out 45 years ago, there may not always be time to wait.

Yes indeed, I suppose my focus may have come across as being on the contemporary, however the deeper I get into the research I am finding that more of the useful material is indeed coming from the 1970’s/80’s. It would be great to get some primary research from acts of this era!

I shall take the time to listen to your suggestions and reach out the artists where possible. Many thanks!

[zacnorbu]

My recommendation is to look up some of the artists and their labels mentioned here on whatever scholarly journal database you have access to through your school. There’s surprisingly a lot of stuff written about “popular” music. I did a paper for a course and I remember finding some stuff in one of the computer music journals that I was pretty surprised to come across!

Thanks for the well wishes! I have been looking through our EBSCO and found it a little lacking in interesting material. I’m curious as to what kind of ‘popular’ music techniques you are talking about and how you think they might relate to folk/electronic styles etc?

[zacnorbu]

That’s great, I shall explore these avenues. Always great to get some Grateful Dead in there!

[zacnorbu]

Yes, Animal Collective are definitely going to be featuring in my research assuming I can find material specific enough to include in my research! You never know, I may be able to reach out to the band

[jlmitch5]

I meant “popular” music as opposed to “art” music (I don’t really personally like those classifications though–maybe “non-academic” music is a better descriptor?)

I don’t have access to that paper, or the journals, but I remember finding something about Sub Rosa Records. Which as an example, has this Noise anthology collection which combines work with composers like Cage, Varese, Xenakis with artists like Sonic Youth and DJ Spooky.

An Anthology Of Noise And Electronic Music Vol,1

[zacnorbu]

Here’s a music I wrote for a videogame that was originally a folk song and turned out to be like this :

Really interesting stuff, really like when the vocals dropped in with the growling bassline. Great textures! I’m curious, did you also implement this into the game with FMOD?

But it’s more or less all the time. Sometimes the acoustic instruments just turn themselves into samples or textures, like the piano in this one, and sometimes it’s the electronic landscape that just sits in the back and let the folk breath to allow some more traditional writing / singing.

Yes, I know what you mean! Sometimes either one can lend itself to becoming/being the other. Would you be up for answering a few questions via email on this type of topic?

Thanks!

[zacnorbu]

Cool topic. My jumping off point here would be back issues of The Wire magazine, they cover this kind of stuff pretty extensively. In a recent issue they talk about a Ursula le Guin / Todd Barton soundtrack to one of her later novels that sounds like it may be relevant here.

Great stuff. I’ve already been looking into the le Guin/Barton collaboration as part of my research, though I hadn’t come across The Wire’s article on it yet, so thank you for that!

[zacnorbu]

http://dawnofmidi.com/

Great stuff, added to the list!

[zacnorbu]

And most of all, because I think it’s electronic music at its best with (last album excepted) litteraly 0 synthetiser or drum machine involved, Colleen’s entire work.

I wasn’t 100 percent sure, are you referring to the first link you’ve posted here ‘Everyone Alive’? If so, do you know a little more about the techniques used as opposed to synthesis? Is it all sonic manipulation? I shall definitely check her out more!

[zacnorbu]

I’d be happy to talk to about it if you’d like.

Indeed, I shall definitely be trying to gather a certain amount of primary research, so talking to some artists would be great.

My work in audio and print also kinda pull from a cross between tangible media, location, and technology that might be similar to what you’re looking for?

I’m curious as to how you blend these elements? I’ve been particularly interesting in how music/production connotes location to different people and the way in which this proliferates in the modern day, especially considering the usage of music in film and games. I found it a very hard topic to generate much research on however!

[zacnorbu]

Great, thanks for your suggestions

[jwudel]

Do you have access to the Oxford Handbooks? Link goes straight to their music titles.