Denia, you have created a great entry here on Krafterk. Your use of research was extremely thorough and relevant to all the areas of topic. You have shown and explained that you understand their history from the beginning leading up to their most current work and projects. Your are obviously a well spoken person. This really comes through on your use of grammar and punctuation throughout this posting. You mentioned that you are more in tune with today’s electronic and trance music, which I also believe Kraftwerk has had a tremendous influence in. I believe that you had a nice connection with this assignment, and that Kraftwerk has had an influence on you and your music. You have really created a great post here Denia!
Monthly Archives: July 2013
References
Kraftwerk, and the Electronic revolution (1/19)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqlx_8MtoSk
Kraftwerk, and the Electronic revolution (3/19)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxNqqldndE
Kraftwerk, and the Electronic revolution (11/19)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vezoWuXeW5o
Kraftwerk – Album By Album
http://www.uncut.co.uk/kraftwerk/kraftwerk-album-by-album-feature
Image: Kraftwerk’s co-founder Florian Schneider leaves band
Bob Moog: A Timeline
http://www.moogmusic.com/legacy/bob-moog-timeline
Robert Moog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moog
Robert Moog, Forefather of Synth, Inducted Into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.spin.com/articles/robert-moog-honored-national-inventors-hall-of-fame/
Image: Robert Moog
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/robert-moog-makes-the-inventors-hall-of-fame
Electronic Music Innovations: Robert Moog
Robert “Bob” Moog was born on May 23, 1934 and died August 21, 2005. He was an American pioneer of electronic music and is best know for the invention of the Moog synthesizer. Moog earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, another in electrical engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in engineering physics.
Robert Moog or the “Forethfather of Synth,” began building and selling Theremins with his father in 1954. Inspired by the composer Herbert A Deutsch, Moog designs and conducts the first Moog Modular synthesizer. “ I was interested in electronic musical instrument for as long as I can remember,” Moog explains. The Moog synthesizer was one of the first widely used electronic musical instruments. Moog’s innovative electronic designs can be found in numerous synthesizers including the Minimoog Model D, Minimoog Voyalger, Moog Taurus Bass Pedals, Little Phatty, Moog Minitaur, as well as the line of effects pedals Moogerfooger.
The electronic industry and most of all of the music that comes out of it, is hooked up to, or has had a synthesizer or Moog product running through it. This goes back to the mid sixties, and can be found being used on yet to be released projects being worked on in studios right now. Electronic music would not sound the same if it had not been for this man.
One of the early pioneers influenced by Moog’s products was Wendy Carlos. She released the Moog-only Bach album Switched on Bach in 1968 and went on to score such classic films by Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, along with Disney’s original Tron. The Moog showed up on a wide range of music in the late 60’s including Diana Ross & the Sumpremes, the Beattles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, the Doors, the Byrds, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Through the mid-70’s records by Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk we using Moog’s products. He has influenced disco, synth-pop, hip-hop, electronic dance music, and virtually everything that has come after. After his death, there is an annual Moog festival in Asheville, NC. in his honor.
As an industry professional myself, Moog has left me with a lifetime of sounds to utilize in my projects. I love Electronic music and plan on producing it for many years to come. As a listener, I personal love the sound of a good synth. There is so much room to play with in creating and alternating the library of options that you can pull from a synth. Robert Moog leaves me with the never-ending possibilities he has created for the rest of my career.
Electronic Music Entry: Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk arose from Germany in the late 1960’s with the plan of exploring new technologies and creating their own art. Not being raised around the Mississippi Delta or in Liverpool, their plan was to come up with a counterpoint of that. They were highly into using machines and synthesizers etc. to create their unique sound. By embracing the past, and in doing so they created a new aesthetic that people around the world could really relate to. By incorporating humor, experiment, and a great understanding of electronic sound, they basically reinvented German identity, and made it something to actually look at as well as to listen to.
AUTOBAHN (Mute/EMI, 1974)
Autobahn was all about finding their artistic situation as a group or band, and discovering really who they are in music. Considered by some in introducing German rap, they had more of a spoken word singing influence in which they developed musical landscapes through this unique sound. They considered Autobaun as a road that they were traveling on all of the time, hundreds of thousands of kilometers from galleries to universities, and clubs to home. They considered it a road movie with a humorous twist.
RADIO-ACTIVITY (Mute/EMI, 1975)
This was their first all-electronic album, a soundtrack of an all night nightmare. They considered it to have two meanings: the sound of crackling transistors and the Cold War paranoia. They recorded this album during the Baader-Meinhof trials, which really divided Germany and make terrorists suspects out of every young musician.
TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS (Mute/EMI, 1977)
This album was considered a romantic hymn into European integration. It earned its place in pop history as a catalyst for the New York hip-hop scene. Its pounding metallic beats and piston-pumping rhythms were complimented by its humorous sleeve artwork that depicted the band as impeccably neat young businessman.
THE MAN-MACHINE (Mute/EMI, 1978)
This minimal and mechanized album, finds Kraftwerk at their most humorous. From disco-funk of “The Robots”, to “The Model,” whose pointedly satirical subtext, which is often overlooked this laid out the blueprint of this new album.
COMPUTER WORLD (Mute/EMI, 1981)
In a time before the digital age, this computer-dominated piece of art, through supple rhythms and pristine melodies, Kraftwerk predicts the future of music. Even though synthesizers and sequencers created the music, it was analogue, pre-computer.
The visual and music aesthetic of Kraftwerk could not have been more unique at the time. They pushed the limits on creating something new and fresh. Their music was unlike anyone at the time, using mostly synthesizers and machines along with numerous random sound effects they called “music concrete,” Their visual approach was expressed through a sense of humor along with robotic movements and vibrant colors.
As far as the artists that they have influenced, I believe this list is very long. Even some artists that have never heard of them are heavily influenced in many ways. All of electronic music in every form of it from Drum & Bass to Dubstep, are all children of the sound that Krafterk created and paved the way for.
Pursuing an Audio Engineering degree in 2013 is a very interesting and exciting time in music. Electronic, Drum & Bass, and the ever-popular Dubstep, is more in demand than it has ever been. All of these styles and genres would not be what they are today without the influence of Kraftwork. They completely helped break the ground in birthing this new idea of what music could be through the use of machines. They were not afraid of doing something “non traditional,” or different and it has truly paid off. As a music producer myself, I will always appreciate what they have done, and constantly refer to them for inspiration.
References
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/brian-eno/biography
BRIAN ENO
“HIS MUSIC AND THE VERTICAL COLOR OF SOUND”
By Eric Tamm
http://www.artandmind.org/pages/Biog/EnoBrian.htm
Spotify Brian Eno “Discreet Music” 1975
Spotify Coldplay “Mylo Xyloto” 2011
What Went On
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract
What Went On (part two)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract1
Marvin Gaye Biography: Life and Career of the Soul Singer
Peer Comment
You have done a great job here in documenting information on Brian Eno. It appears that you have a tremendous respect for him as do I. Your research is extremely thorough on every point and topic that you have covered within this blog. You have a really good way with words that flow nicely and are easily understandable for the reader. Being a songwriter yourself, I am sure this was an enjoyable assignment for you to research on, grow from, and pull ideas and inspiration out of. I really only have positive comments to make here with no criticism in any negative way. Great job Evan!
Marvin Gaye’s – What’s Going On
Music has been a big part of Marvin Gaye’s life from a very early age. He grew up in a religious household, and first started singing at in church congregations. He discovered secular music in high school, and joined several rhythm and blue’s as well as doo-wop groups. His singing and piano playing got him signed to Motown Records in the early 1960’s. He became a session drummer for other artists, followed by the release of his first hit.
The release of what’s going on explored social and political issues, which became a trend for later soul music. Gaye’s singing partner who had died of a brain tumor, his empathy for his brother’s plight, and his own professional frustration into an artistic statement addressing the social and spiritual anguish he saw sweeping the real world, the one that existed outside Motown. The shootings of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had hit him hard. The violence in the streets of Detroit in 1967, in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention of 1968, and at Kent State University in 1970 seemed like eruptions of insanity.
In 1969, Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops had never been a particularly prolific songwriter, but something began to percolate during a tour stop in San Francisco that coincided with violent skirmishes between protesters and Berkeley police over a disused urban lot called People’s Park. He witnessed police brutality, and claims that the longhaired kids were not bothering anyone. Benson recalls, “my partners told me it was a protest song. I said no, man, it’s a love song, about love and understanding. I’m not protesting, I want to know what’s going on. Gaye’s singing partner who had died of a brain tumor, his empathy for his brother’s plight, and his own professional frustration into an artistic statement addressing the social and spiritual anguish he saw sweeping the real world, the one that existed outside Motown. The shootings of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had hit him hard. The violence in the streets of Detroit in 1967, in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention of 1968, and at Kent State University in 1970 seemed like eruptions of insanity.
When Marvin Gaye approached Berry Gordy about this album, Gordy said,” why do you want to ruin your career? Why do you want to put out a song about the Vietnam War, police brutality and all of these things? You’ve got all these great love songs. You’re the hottest artist, the sex symbol of the ’60s and ’70s…’ “
Motown Sound was still serenading teenagers in a malt shop America that no longer existed. At this point, Gaye wanted to stay away from anything resembling a standard Motown beat. The production quality on this album was pristine. They used family musicians along with a variety of instruments along with the record’s most imitated stylistic feature, Marvin’s multi-layered lead vocal. The record chugged along on a relaxed groove that in anybody else’s hands might have degenerated into MOR, yet it became the most avant-garde hit Motown ever had.
Marvin Gaye has had a huge influence on me from a very early age. My parents had it playing in the house and cars, as well as hearing clips of his songs on commercials, television, and in films. As an industry professional, I love his soul and passion for his music and lyrics. He knows what good music should sound like and what the people want to hear, as well as not being afraid to push for what he wants to sing about. He has left his mark on all genres of music up until now, and into the future.
Brian Eno – 40 Years of Changing Music
Brian Eno has been behind the boards for some of the best albums made by David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo, and U2 — and for having coined the phrase “ambient music.” Reading Cage’s epochal book Silence13 in the 1960s had a huge influence on him throughout his career. He is a prime example of a new type of composer who has drawn freely on the resources of many types of music and ideas about music. These include a variety of new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
Eno has exposed himself to a variety of traditions ranging from rock to classical, from avant-garde to experimental, as well as to a variety of non-Western musics such as Arabic,African, and Bulgarian. He listened to a lot of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley growing up. He used to sing along to Buddy Holly and Elvis. This was American music, African music, in the middle of the English countryside. What Eno calls the “lush, soft, silky quality” that he admired in the Ray Conniff Singers is a near-constant feature in his ambient music.
Eno has been able to diversify his creative efforts considerably. He is a prime example of a new type of composer who has drawn freely on the resources of many types of music and ideas about music. These include a variety of popular genres such as rhythm and blues and rock’n’roll, progressive rock, punk, and new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
To compare and contrast two of Brian Eno’s projects, I have chosen “Discreet Music” 1975, and Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto 2011. There is a 36-year difference in the two, which makes for a good review.
I can notice a similar tone and tempo within the two right away. They both have Eno’s ambient feel throughout most of the entirety of both albums. The use of instrumentation on both is quite similar differing with “Mylo Xyloto using more rock influenced drums and guitar. However the use of strings and synthesizers along with other ambient tones are very similar. After listening to the two albums, you can easily hear Chris Martin, Coldplay’s singer fitting in beautifully on “Discreet Music”.
Brian Eno’s career encompasses music, writing, lecturing, teaching and the visual arts. In dealing with his visual and musical aesthetic, his audio/visual installation work has been shown around the world, a total of 80 or so exhibitions to date. This has played a big part in his life being apart of visual installations. He has made an impact in the worlds of film, television, media arts, as well as galleries.
Eno’s approach to instrumentation and production qualities, are more unique than the average producer. His creation of ambient music alone is something special. In a lot of the songs that I have listened to, there are few to no vocals. This leaves the canvas open for all sorts of options to experiment with numerous instruments and sounds. Eno uses rhythm and blues and rock, progressive rock, punk, and new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
To be honest, I can say that I had never heard the name Brian Eno before, or if I had, it never resonated. It is always a beautiful thing to realize that the same person is behind so many projects as well as an innovator of a genre and style of something that you have always enjoyed. I have been a big fan of many of his pieces of work and projects from close to his beginning as an artist, musician, and producer. His use of incorporating all facets of art and nature really do inspire me. I am a huge fan of synthesizers and his definition of a style called ambient music is played in the background of my every day life. As an industry professional myself, I will always study his work and be influenced by this revolutionary man.
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