You must be familiar with The Residents then. They invented The Theory of Obscurity. Actually, the mysterious N Seneda did but he is obscurity itself. They're somewhat monumental in the history of electronic music because they were among the first to buy and use an EM-U Emulator (the first commercially available sampler). Their Emulator was #00005. I think one of George Lucas' company bought numbers 1 - 4. The Residents'
The Tunes of Two Cities used the EM-U almost exclusively.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX4ykn1a-y8
In 2008 they dusted off all their old wonky electronics and used them to record the soundtrack for a series of YouTube videos called
The Bunny Boy. This was eventually released as an album called
Postcards From Patmos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDEXTmYJKX8&list=PLA02256BE28F183E7
Jean Michel Jarre did something similar for the thirtieth anniversary of his seminal electronic album,
Oxygene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVY_17d1KkM
Raymond Scott (who I mentioned in another thread) is another important figure in electronic music. He invented tons of strange electronic instruments and Bob Moog worked for him before making his famous Moog Synthesizer. Mister Scott's
Soothing Sounds for Baby albums were years ahead of Brian Eno.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l17kn0WpD2s
Of course there's Leon Theremin and his unforgettable contribution to the world of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o
Leon Theremin's friend, Edgar Varese is sometimes called the grandfather of electronic music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7AIiTeKBUc
One might argue that mechanical music is the predecessor to electronic music. Conlon Nancarrow's studies for player piano were
hacked in the sense that he circumvented the limitations of the standard hole-punches for player piano roles at the time and made musical pieces that no ordinary human could play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubepzLKAcCo
On the subject of mechanical music there is George Antheil's fantastic
Ballet Mecanique.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_bboH9p1Ys
All in all, I really don't know much about electronic music. What I've posted above comprises most of my knowledge in that department. I just like to read books and stuff, y'know?
Pictures of Sound: One Thousand Years of Educed Audio is the book that currently holds my interest. It's about sound recording from 980 onward. It talks about recording devices that predate Thomas Edison by a
long-shot and it comes with a CD. I haven't read the book
yet but if you only follow one link I post here, this should be the one.
http://www.incunabula.org/2013/06/patrick-feaster-pictures-of-sound-one-thousand-years-of-educed-audio-980-1980-cd-2012/
I'm a fan of the Melvins as well. I'm not anywhere close to caught up on their discography but I just love those guys. I've missed two chances at seeing them and I'm still kicking myself.
I really hope Negativland takes this freak show on the road sometime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=KN1z58l88dU&NR=1
It has been an honor to share my limited knowledge of music with you. Even if you do not follow the links or read what I've written, I feel special for having this in the public. Thank you. Take care of yourself and be kind to others.
P.S.
You don't need any of those things to make music. You just need sufficient imagination. With that all things are possible.
Regards,
PoA
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