THE CONCORDIA COLLECTION WITHIN ELECTROACOUSTIC
HISTORY
Introduction INTRODUCTION   PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVES PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVES Introduction BACK


1980-1985
EMERGENCE OF COMPUTER MUSIC AND ITS DERIVATIVES



1983
The Yamaha DX7 is the first synthesizer offering FM synthesis available in the mainstream (100,000 will be sold).

Disc Jockey (DJ)
The tradition of the DJ is much older than one might think. Originally the term designated a person who selected and played music for an audience in a specific context, such as a radio show, discothèque, nightclub, etc. Later the DJ would be found serving techno music parties and raves.

The role of the DJ has changed dramatically in the past 20 years or so, DJs now being recognized as musicians or artists. Some DJs produce original works using existing musical materials. It might be said that the DJ appropriates the work of other musicians to exploit (in a positive sense) the sound materials in a manner the original artist would be incapable of doing.

In hip hop music the DJ is often accompanied by an MC (Master of Ceremony), the “rapper”. The DJ “scratches” vinyl discs, i.e. modifies the speed and playing direction of the disc, simultaneously using the stylus to “play” the disc. Using these techniques in conjunction with a mixing board, the DJ alters the sound and creates new rhythms using the recorded material found on the discs. The board has faders and cross-faders, allowing the DJ to cut or cross-fade between two separate turntables. A number of diverse scratching techniques have evolved, including cutting, transforming, or the flare, which can be combined or alternated.

Technically speaking, traditional DJing — that which uses the contents of a vinyl disc as a sonic and rhythmic source — is in a terminal phase. On the one hand, vinyl discs are increasingly rare and expensive, and on the other, recent changes in technology allow the DJ to create their music with much more flexibility and simplicity. Vinyl discs containing MP3 recordings have recently appeared on the market which, when used in combination with a computer to decode them, offer the DJ the possibility of much more subtle transformations. The tactile aspect of the tradition has been retained, but the DJ has gained the possibility of much more precise rhythmic synchronization and can now store a great amount of music on only a few discs.


COMPOSER(S) WORK TITLE
* Available soon
 
 Joshua Bedoukian,
    Tabitha Bedoukian

Clipperfix—Super song (00:13 :41)

 Francine Noël Gotta Keep the Drama Going (00:03:18)
 Jon H. Appleton Boum Sha Boom (00:05:38) *
 A. Jacques Coutu   Étude d’attaques et de résonnances (00:04:00)  
 Stephen Montague Slow Dance on a Burial Ground (00:24:30)
1980
Development of computer-assisted music. The computer can be programmed to control one or more synthesizers for use in live performance (e.g. Buchla). 

Japan
Now involved in the industry of developing digital synthesis tools and instruments, Japan very quickly produces important results.


France
At IRCAM, Pierre Boulez composes Répons, a work using a computer called 4X that is used to process the instrumental sounds in real-time. Digitization becomes an very powerful tool for the development of creative activities and has great impact on all areas of electroacoustic creation.


Bernard Donzel-Gargand - Dispersion  Bernard Donzel-Gargand - Dispersion (00:14:17) 

Pekka Siren - Touch)  Pekka Siren - Touch (00:05:57) 
  
1981
France
Development of digital recording technologies.
Michel Redolfi composes “subaquatic music”.


Barbara Golden - Final Spin  Barbara Golden - Final Spin (00:10:21) 

John Wells - Early one Friday…)  John Wells - Early one Friday… (00:06:13) 

Bentley Jarvis - Ice)  Bentley Jarvis - Ice (00:21:34) 

Iván Patachich - Touch)  Iván Patachich - Alterego (00:10:09) 
  
1982
The invention of the MIDI protocol is one of the first manifestations of the idea of the “network”. This idea would have a great impact in the 1990s (via the Internet, for example).

Harry Kirschner - Ancient Music  Harry Kirschner - Ancient Music (00:17:50) 

Vitazoslav Kubicka - And Even Stone Would Cry)  Vitazoslav Kubicka - And Even Stone Would Cry (00:07:57) 

Denis Smalley - Vortex)  Denis Smalley - Vortex (00:15:45) 
1983

The Yamaha DX7 is the first synthesizer offering FM synthesis available in the mainstream (100,000 will be sold). 

The decline of analogue synthesizers begins, although there would be renewed interest in them in the 2000s via the techno music scenes.

The CD appears on the market. After a somewhat fragile and uncertain debut, the CD dethrones the traditional 33-1/3 and 45 rpm vinyl disc near the end of the 1980s. DJs take possession of the remaining stock!


Joshua & Tabitha Bedoukian - Clipperfix—Super song  Joshua & Tabitha Bedoukian - Clipperfix—Super song (00:13:41) 

Francine Noël - Gotta Keep the Drama Going  Francine Noël - Gotta Keep the Drama Going (00:03:18) 

Jon H. Appleton - Boum Sha Boom  Jon H. Appleton - Boum Sha Boom (00:05:38) 

A. Jacques Coutu - Étude d’attaques et de résonnances  A. Jacques Coutu - Étude d’attaques et de résonnances (00:04:00) 

Stephen Montague - Slow Dance on a Burial Ground  Stephen Montague - Slow Dance on a Burial Ground (00:24:30) 
  1980 1981 1982 1983
 
  1980 1981 1982 1983


Produced with the financial participation of the Department of Canadian Heritage

Patrimoine canadien      Gouvernement du Canada

Concordia


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Projet d’archivage Concordia (PAC) Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / Canadian Electroacoustic Community