Try Looking Through Both Eyes at the Same Time

by Michael Gogins

most popular music
electroacoustics
least popular music

Electroacoustic music is the least popular music in the world. It is made with sound recording, signal processing, samplers, synthesizers, and elements of algorithmic composition. It is rarely played on the radio, occasionally used to back movies, and occupies a sliver of the record bins. It is fostered by an academic community of intellectuals and classically-influenced composers. It is called electroacoustic music, computer music, sound art, or acousmatic music.

Electroacoustic music is the most popular music in the world. It is made with sound recording, signal processing, samplers, synthesizers, and elements of algorithmic composition. It is constantly played on the radio, frequently backs movies, and dominates CD sales. It is called popular music, dance music, techno, and film music.

The second electroacoustic music is deeply influenced by the first electroacoustic music, which invented and developed its fundamental hardware and software (starting with sound recording and signal processing themselves, and especially digital audio), but also influenced and continues to influence its aesthetic (musique concrète, collage, layering, etc.).

The first electroacoustic music has come to be deeply influenced by the second electroacoustic music, which is the musical culture of its students, as well as a source of musical material and esthetic (rap, drum machines, world music, film music, simplified harmonic palette, etc.), but also contributes technical influences (MIDI, the drum machine, overdubbing, etc.).

That is the past and present. The future will be radically different as algorithmic composition and artificial intelligence radically enlarge the possibilities for composers.

Music: www.mp3.com/MichaelGogins (CD: Garden of Algorithms)
Personal home page: www.pipeline.com/~gogins