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A cross-genre analysis of the (ec)static music
Riccardo Wanke
Riccardo Wanke, Centre of Musical Sociology and Aesthetic Study – CESEM, University ‘Nova’ of Lisbon / Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Av. de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061 Lisbon, Portugal
riccardowanke@gmail.com
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Abstract
This paper looks over a selection of pieces belonging to distant genres of today’s music, in order to identify common practices to approach sound. Through audio, spectral and score analyses, this study examines essential musical elements (e.g. pulse, spectral properties, dynamic contrast, spatial arrangements) their characteristics and effects.
This method has been applied to post-spectralist and minimalist compositions (e.g. Georg Friedrich Haas, Bernhard Lang, R. Nova, Giovanni Verrando), as well as glitch, electronic and basic-channel style pieces (Pan Sonic, Ryoji Ikeda, Raime). The analysis reveals nine musical attributes that are common within the selection of pieces. These attributes indicate parallels, similar perspectives and a common affinity among different genres. The study contributes essentially by minimising artistic distances and establishing shared musical conceptions.