Week IV: Entertainment Media, Digital Age

Tom Erni

Digital Age

The digital age, whether embraced or rejected, our society has become deeply integrated with technology. As dreamers we seek to explore the possibilities of our imagination and build upon our advances with higher limits in hopes of achieving our greatest potentials as a culture. To collaborate with our digital devices involves an even deeper understanding of the possibilities our interactions throughout life and tailor fitting an experience for people to achieve the most control and ability to manipulate our digital creations whether software, computers, musical instruments, machines, gadgets; All require input from the user and people need to conceptualize the similarities to feel comfortable and transparent in a digital age.

            Entertainment throughout any era of civilization has been a dominant determination force in the direction of our technological evolution.  People have always allied their dreams with their desires and it’s apparent we think in terms of fun as much as practicality when we design.

            With the flood of new resources and abundant Internet technology we’ve seen immense opportunities for new experiences in the expanding audio and visual industries from gaming consoles that played cartridge loaded media to HD Blu-Ray players like the Sony Play station 3.  From wired controllers to WI-FI based and even Microsoft’s bold attempt and video recognition software like that integrated into the new Xbox Konnect.  These technologies while pioneering have been fueled by enthusiasm for less limitation from outside world, which could possibly take from the user’s experience.

            Audio is no different for musicians, composers, listeners and all who appreciate and enjoy the offerings of a truly unique listening experience.             

           

“The future of music technology is all about accessibility – easier access to both consuming, and creating, the music you want to hear.” -David Kushner, IEEE

From the first 8mb MP3 players to new media juggernauts like the Ipod and Zune we’ve seen a consolidation in media formats. The extinct formats such as 8 track and cassette tapes reflect on the impending doom of the CD, which has provided digital audio to listeners for decades. It seems to me that this is simply refinement in the same way that we have gone from buttons and hard knobs to touch screens and digital encoders people will always seek to achieve the most ergonomic and tactile interface.  In the case with portable media players we home to achieve easy access to our entire collection of music at a fingertip.

            It seems odd to me that these advancements only thrive our desire for absolute perfection in the same way we desire perfection in aspects of our lives. The situation I see and where I direct this topic is to refine itself is how little the general population understands not so much the intricacies but the intended design and function that inspired the creation of all new technology.

            It may seem stressing to many who use new technology beyond basic functionality and struggle to translate the digital concepts to someone unfamiliar and possibility unenthusiastic with the mechanics behind the design yet wish to expand possibilities of their gadgets.  To me the understanding comes from looking in retrospect at times such as the early era of machines and combustion engines and the technology that led to automobiles, airliners and made our dreams a reality. The technology basically intruded on an organic society of horse power (horses, cows, animals) was proved skeptical and misunderstood at best then ultimately embraced by a petroleum addicted society.

            Mechanics needed to understand the engineering involved, and just like anatomy scientists and doctors studying the body learned through discovery, automobile technology became understood refined and integrated into our society as knowledge was founded introduced and accepted worldwide.

           

This is similar to digital musicians, IT technicians, broadcasting, and movies, AV, basically all digital technologies need those to maintain, repair, expand and evolved with the times. There will be personnel and jobs for consumers unfamiliar with their broken equipment and lack of knowledge until they get disgusted and seek knowledge for themselves. Until our knowledge for new digital technologies rivals that of our mechanical prowess as a society we will leave gaps in our inevitable refinement of the role technology and how we use and enable it to help and enjoy aspects of life.

People enjoy ease of use and a sense of familiarity that is organic in nature and designing future media and machines that can deliver pure enjoyment with, as little limitation is a rewarding yet tedious task as the world comes to recognize and associate with it’s own advancements. This is where this unknown future should be embraced with excitement and possibility as we see ideas being thrown from every left field as developers trial new ideas for the niche in consumer needs.

The final aspect I would like share is my recognition of the production output capabilities from all markets in the entertainment industry thanks to the technological era. Musicians and artists are the best example I feel to support growing musical offerings from a community that used to live in the shadow of a mainstream market of major label records. This Internet and software has made available user friend recording software and interfaces that integrates practical engineering from a recording studio into a DAW and audio interface.

The possibility of musicians to produce songs that would have required large financial backing from a major label expanded and created a market of gear consumers and Internet distributors such as Myspace, Purevolume and Reverb Nation. The point to realize is how an interface needed design that crossed recording concepts with basic understanding to allow for use by consumers uneducated in the audio recording trade. I realize it is an art to adapt the 1 and 0’s (010101) from binary to perform function and yet yield simplicity. Even the design of simple video game controllers or even a tv remote, there is a limit to the use of our gear based on it’s ease of use and limiting of the overall experience.

Basically Entertainment media we prevail and be understood if the users see the reason for it, simplicity of design with full functionality if an aspect of perfection that again I see as a reflection of our own desires and the areas of our life we cannot control.  As an industry Profession I can see the intrinsic values in the advancements in technology as aids as well as obstacles our ventures in the career field as audio professionals. As professionals, we have a new arsenal of tools at are dispersal that can simplify our workflow, including DAW’s capable of audio editing at the click of our fingertips. Internet has been one of the largest changes our society has undergone since the automobile. The Internet allows for quick communication, media access, information sharing and networking across many mediums without borders allowing for infinite expansion of our work and endless possibilities for distribution.

All our advances in Digital Entertainment have made capable the infinite dreams all creative individuals seek make a reality. We seamlessly integrate and expand our abilities explore new realms share ideas with our community that is ever growing and at the same instance shrinking due to access to information and technology worldwide. We as creators can see the new foundations being formed everyday that will allow for us to efficiently and effortlessly make our minds and ideas transparent for better growth and understanding abroad.

Aphex Twin

Part II

           

Richard David James is the Welsh native who got his musical start in the early 1990’s as a Dj and Electronic composer. Under the alias Aphex Twin, James founded Rephe Records in ’91 along with Gran Wilson-Claridge. James’ first release was the 12-inch EP Anlogue Bubblebath on Mighty Force records in ’91.

            In 1992 the first full-length release of Aphex Twin entitled “Selected Ambient Works 85-92 was critically acclaimed and gained notoriety for the artist to pursue even more creative endeavors.  It was Brian Eno’s notoriety and recognition of Aphex Twin’s ambient music talents and lush landscapes he heard in James’ composition. Pac-Man EP released under the Power-Pill alias had an arcade theme montage that similar to Kraftwerk embraced the emerging technologies that developed towards the end of the 20^th century. 2001 marked another transformation in the Aphex Twin brand that included many newly developed performance tactics included computer and sequenced music events in a fast passed rhythmic beats that Rolling Stones Magazine described as “aimlessly pretty.”

            Towards late 2004, the 11-part series entitled “Analord”, delivered 42 tracks of acid techno sound that James’ had completed himself utilizing drum machines and analogue sequencers recorded to magnetic tape and pressed to vinyl.   Richard has stated in an interview with Future Music that he enjoys using Ableton Live and Liveslive for his current projects and editing samples and loops for his mixes.

Electronic Music Entry

Part 1

The mid 70’s saw emergence of an electronic revolution the music industry. Kraftwerk, an electronic techno group from Germany was at the forefront of this exciting expanse of popular music. Pioneers of electronic music and often referred to as “robot pop,” Kraftwerk infiltrated a diverse scene of genres that spawned a majority of contemporary music starting the late 20^th century to the present.

            Kraftwerk was the brainchild of Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter who initially released Kraftwerk 1 and 2 as “exploratory jam music” and a precursor to the their 1973 release of “Ralf und Florian” which began the transformation into the sound that was iconic of the electronic ensemble. The sound that the duo created embodied the technological revolution that was unfolding across the mainstream society. Their sonic presence was that of computer, robotic and digital conceptual sounds that included digital instruments, sequencers, drum machines that all ere at the forefront of the transformation happening through mainstream music.

            Their release of the album Autobahn in 1974 was themed from the epic drive the Kraftwerk members had experienced while riding on the Autobahn in Germany. This album like man of those to come embraced the newest and experimental musical technology like the Minimoog and various vocorders. Trans-Europe Express debuted around the time Hutter began to be recognized by David Bowie at Kling Klang Studios. This album embraced European train travel and like “Tour de France”  in 2003 referenced aspects of the Europeans homeland that they had cultivated into an electronic musical arrangement that offered a fresh and electronic sonic experience.

            Radio-Activity released in 1975 and Computer work in 1981 both related electronic house and techno music to the Cold War Nuclear and radioactive technology as well as several musical trends emerging and utilizing synthesizers and electronic drums. This experimental nature of Kraftwerk was essential to the direction of electronic music throughout the next 30 years. The ideas of Hutter and Florian because well embraced theories by professionals to come.  

What's going on

What’s Going On:…

Marvin was a true jazz musician in all facets of his musical approach and the organics feeling he allowed to derived from the moment to articulate and embellish whatever music he was designing. Marvin carried soul and creativity that was noticeable by all who witnessed his musical intentions. Gaye was deeply influenced by the vocal performances of Nat King Cole and constantly sought to derive his music in a coexistent vain that could be recognizable as that of his idols.

At this time, Obie Benson’s “What’s Going On,” was inevitably controversial through it’s lyrical content that questioned and criticized the moral actions of governments, people and social entities as for the first time, creating a ethical system of checks and balances governing decisions impacting broad social networks and cultures.

Marvin found many challenges awaited he path in forging “What’s Going on” as an iconic anthem to an era. Most notably his Motown Image that branded him with a certain discriminatory social stigma that was notorious for his time. His second and equally daunting task involved Produced Berry Gordy’s power struggle for the piece and Gordy’s original disapproval for the artists work and the entire piece in general.

It was essentially the “quality control” as noted in the text that caused such turmoil between the creative elements of Gordy and Gaye.  A foundation of dispute that came from these two was based on that of the relationship with Anna Gordy who married Marvin and caused a power struggle between the two. 

As an audio professional I see this as one of the notable times in an emmersing era of music production that we see the bend of artist, producer and musician to cohesively determine the true elegance of a recording. This is important because it shows the underlying recognition every articulate element in music needs to be analyzed. The elements in a recorded piece especially one of high profile nature seem to be measured greatly beyond the realm this sonic element and noticing it’s affects on social and political elements based in the people it effects and their receptive nature to what surrounds them.

Week 2 Velvet Undergound

The Velvet Underground immersed in an era of increasing social and political divides in the United States and around the world. This idea, that was more popularized as a musical act was a melting pot of many cultural behaviors and symbolism of the revolutionary advant garde ideas that were emerging worldwide. The Velvet Underground were conceivable the brainchild of the culture they sought to diverge from indulging in the mixtures of music, television, radio, fashion, social and spiritual cultures that only recently had become receptive of their existence.

This musical and cultural revolution known as the Velvet Underground developed through the passion of it’s members yet channeled a voice through it’s two founding members John Cale and Lou Reed whose distinctive as well as identifiable characteristics translated universally to it’s followers. Lou Reed being from New York and John Cale from Whales did not influence their ultimate vision but did however defined their backgrounds and approaches to their music.

It was Andy Warhol who already as an established artist was enthralled by Reed and Cale’s elaborate indulgence of pop culture and the advant garde combined with a major musical element forged a sonic representation of the visual elements Warhol had depicted his whole career. Their music was raw and organic with vivid poetry that often subverted the song itself had not for the performance element that Cale and especially Reed used to translate their poetry.

The 1960’s and 70’s flourished as an era of experimentation and discovery ever pressuring the expedition of boundaries once too taboo to cross. Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground and Nico can be remarked as explorers as well as scientists who reworked theories that humans and the environment as well social elements had doctrine as relative fact in all societies. They experimented visually, atheistically, sonically and social with aspects we as people see as fact and hoped to in a way achieve a new perspective on reality.