Electronic

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Unlike rock music, electronic music is made partly or wholly using electronic equipment – tape machines, synthesizers, keyboards, sequencers, drum machines and computer programmes. Its origins can be found in the middle of the nineteenth century, when many of electronic music’s theories and processes were conceived. In 1863 German scientist Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz published On The Sensation Of Tone As A Physiological Basis For The Theory Of Music, which ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer
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Bass Guitar In 1951, guitar maker Leo Fender launched the first commercially available electric bass guitar, the Fender Precision. Compared to the cumbersome and often difficult-to-hear acoustic double bass, Fender offered an instrument that had many advantages. Not only was it louder because it was amplified – and more portable – it allowed for more precise intonation because the neck was fretted. Country-and-western players were among the first to adopt the ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer
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(DJ/rap artist, b. 1960) As a DJ, Bambaataa (b. Kevin Donovan) was at the forefront of the rise of hip hop in the late 1970s. In 1982, he released ‘Planet Rock’, which borrowed from Kraftwerk’s ‘Trans-Europe Express’, and essentially invented electro. In the mid-1980s he collaborated with both John Lydon and James Brown. His debut album, Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) arrived in 1986. His immeasurable influence on progressive black music ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Singer-songwriter, b. 1974) This Canadian singer recorded two teen-oriented albums that went nowhere in 1990 and 1992. Signed to Madonna’s Maverick label, major debut Jagged Little Pill (1995) was a multi-platinum success. Music aside, it was Morissette’s abrasive, honest, sharp lyrical concerns, ranging from anger at being jilted to confessional, that captivated. Singles like ‘Ironic’ and the Chilis-esque rock power of ‘You Oughta Know’ were huge hits. Second album Supposed Former ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Dance group, 1994–present) Producers, DJs and remixers Basement Jaxx (duo Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe) rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, on the back of initial success at various south London club nights – most notably their highly eclectic but always uplifting Rooty evenings. On record, their sound lies somewhere between a carnival sound system and more conventional house music, but all with a telling urban bite. Debut album Remedy (1999) found ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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New-wave guitarist Bernard Sumner (b. 1956) was born in Salford, Manchester. Seeing the Sex Pistols in Manchester in June 1976 inspired Sumner and Peter Hook to acquire their first instruments, guitar and bass respectively. Originally called Warsaw, later Joy Division, they recruited drummer Stephen Morris and singer Ian Curtis for their band, making some self-produced records before joining local independent label Factory. In-house producer Martin Hannett transformed Joy Division from an ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Guitar Heroes, consultant editor Rusty Cutchin
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(Vocals, b. 1965) Lead singer with native Icelandic band The Sugarcubes, Björk Gudmundsdóttir went solo in 1991. Debut (1993) was a starting collection of songs yielding hits like the dance entrancing ‘Human Behaviour’ and ‘Venus As A Boy’ complete with Indian soundtrack string arrangements. Björk’s unique keening and infectiously enthusiastic singing style was a refreshing change and Debut charted internationally. Always with an ear to the UK club scene – and ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Experimental vocal/instrumental group, 1973–94) Founded in Sheffield by Krautrock fans Chris Watson, Richard H. Kirk and Stephen Mallinder. The trio manipulated tapes and played conventional instruments against and over them. Signed to Rough Trade in 1978, an underground hit ‘Nag Nag Nag’ emerged. The group became more interested in danceable beats, but still retained an experimental edge. 1984’s ‘Sensoria’ and 1985’s ‘James Brown’ are seen as precursors of house music. Many ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
95 Words Read More

(Vocals, b. 1984) Scottish DJ Harris (real name Adam Wiles) made a big wave in British disco in the latter half of the Noughties, filling club dancefloors with tracks like ‘Acceptable In The 80s’ and ‘Dance Wiv Me’ – his collaboration with Dizzee Rascal. He courts controversy, voicing his opinions via social network site Twitter, but his talking on the decks made him a driving force in British music in the ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
93 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present) The band was formed by Essex schoolboys Vince Clarke (keyboards), Martin Gore (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Andy Fletcher (keyboards) and singer Dave Gahan. New label Mute took a punt on their melancholic but hooky synth-pop and were rewarded with the Top 10 album Speak And Spell (1981) and classic dance track ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’. Clarke departed to create Erasure, and Gore assumed songwriting duties, racking up hits that ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal group, 1977–90) This arty new wave outfit from Akron, Ohio, comprised Mark Mothersbaugh (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Bob Mothersbaugh (guitar, vocals), Bob Casale (guitar, vocals), Gerald Casale (bass, vocals) and Alan Myers (drums). Devo’s influential electronic music embraced robotic and mechanical elements and is heard at its most potent on the debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978) and at its most daring on their deconstruction ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
92 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 2003–present) Thunderous UK alt-rockers project Enter Shikari announced their arrival with the scream-filled hardcore debut Take To The Skies, which entered the UK charts at No. 4 in 2007, thanks to self promotion on networking sites like MySpace. The band hit the festival circuit, starring at Reading and Leeds, Download and Glastonbury, before releasing Common Dreads in 2009. Much was expected of 2010’s Tribalism. Styles & Forms | Twenty-First Century ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1982–present) Ben Watt (guitar) and Tracey Thorn (vocals, bass) travelled a fascinating road, from the jazz-inflected indie of their self-titled debut in 1984 to the trip hop and drum’n’bass of Walking Wounded in 1996. This crossover was catalyzed by Thorn’s guest appearance on Massive Attack’s Protection in 1994, and DJ Todd Terry’s remix of ‘Missing’, from the mainly acoustic Amplified Heart (1994), which hit No. 2 in the US. ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
96 Words Read More

(Producer, b. 1963) Norman Cook, former bassist with The Housemartins, has since operated under a number of guises with huge success. As Fatboy Slim he managed to combine the engine room of dance with great rock sounds – including The Who – to create some of the greatest anthems of the 1990s. You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby (1998) remains the best shop window to his addictive sound. Subsequent Fatboy albums ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1994–present) Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson were already successful producers and musicians – Vig producing Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991) – before they recruited Scottish singer Shirley Manson to form Garbage. Pristine intelligent rock of eponymous solo album (1995) spawned monster international single ‘Stupid Girl’. Follow up Version 2.0 (1998) was more electronic but an equally compelling set. Beautiful Garbage (2001) and subsequent Bleed Like Me (2005) shows that, ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
94 Words Read More
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