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Papers by Martijn Voorvelt

Organised Sound, 2000

Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditiona... more Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditional, old-fashioned equipment, ignoring the latest technological developments. Musical innovation tends to precede technological innovation rather than the other way round. This article presents a birds eye view of pop experimentalism, grouping a number of influential or otherwise interesting examples into four main categories based on the type of equipment that is subject to experimentation: (i) abusing musical instruments, (ii) abusing amplification, (iii) abusing effects and mixing equipment, and (iv) ‘pop concrète’, or experiments involving tape montage techniques. The examples suggest that technological innovation may be relatively unimportant to the most innovative and musically adventurous pop musicians. Rather, they appear to need to have established some kind of relationship with their equipment before they find radically new ways of using it. Pop experiments involve the critical u...

New Sounds, Old Technology, 2000

Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditiona... more Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditional, old-fashioned equipment, ignoring the latest technological developments. Musical innovation tends to precede technological innovation rather than the other way round. This article presents a birds eye view of pop experimentalism, grouping a number of influential or otherwise interesting examples into four main categories based on the type of equipment that is subject to experimentation: (i) abusing musical instruments, (ii) abusing amplification, (iii) abusing effects and mixing equipment, and (iv) ‘pop concrète’, or experiments involving tape montage techniques. The examples suggest that technological innovation may be relatively unimportant to the most innovative and musically adventurous pop musicians. Rather, they appear to need to have established some kind of relationship with their equipment before they find radically new ways of using it. Pop experiments involve the critical use of well-established typical pop machinery. This places them in an old tradition of artistic innovation.

Journal of New Music Research, 1997

The Canadian composer Barry Truax has played an important role in the study of environmental soun... more The Canadian composer Barry Truax has played an important role in the study of environmental sounds, their effects and their functions. Preferring to call his electroacoustic compositions ‘sonic environments’, Truax attempts to establish a link between musical composition and the sound research and design proposed by the World Soundscape Project (WSP). I propose to clarify this link, and the way it may be perceived by a listener, by means of music analysis. To what extent does Truax make use of the characteristics of environmental sound? Which characteristics are important for the music to be perceived as environmental? By analysing three compositions, each representing a particular stage in the development of his Poisson Ordered Distribution (POD) system of computer programmes, an answer to these questions is sought and related to the composer's composition methods.

Books by Martijn Voorvelt

British Post-Punk Experimental Pop 1977-1983, 1998

In the aftermath of punk's 'do it yourself' movement, between 1977 and 1983 a wealth of experimen... more In the aftermath of punk's 'do it yourself' movement, between 1977 and 1983 a wealth of experimental pop music was created. Especially in the United Kingdom, musicians experimented en masse with the forms and production methods of pop music. This dissertation defines the post-punk experimentalism by situating it historically and exploring musical definitions of both 'experimental music' and 'pop music'. Applying analytical methods borrowed from linguistic studies, six compositions are thoroughly analyzed in order to distinguish the pop conventions from the experimental aspects.

Organised Sound, 2000

Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditiona... more Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditional, old-fashioned equipment, ignoring the latest technological developments. Musical innovation tends to precede technological innovation rather than the other way round. This article presents a birds eye view of pop experimentalism, grouping a number of influential or otherwise interesting examples into four main categories based on the type of equipment that is subject to experimentation: (i) abusing musical instruments, (ii) abusing amplification, (iii) abusing effects and mixing equipment, and (iv) ‘pop concrète’, or experiments involving tape montage techniques. The examples suggest that technological innovation may be relatively unimportant to the most innovative and musically adventurous pop musicians. Rather, they appear to need to have established some kind of relationship with their equipment before they find radically new ways of using it. Pop experiments involve the critical u...

New Sounds, Old Technology, 2000

Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditiona... more Contrary to the hi-tech reputation of pop, the most innovative pop musicians often use traditional, old-fashioned equipment, ignoring the latest technological developments. Musical innovation tends to precede technological innovation rather than the other way round. This article presents a birds eye view of pop experimentalism, grouping a number of influential or otherwise interesting examples into four main categories based on the type of equipment that is subject to experimentation: (i) abusing musical instruments, (ii) abusing amplification, (iii) abusing effects and mixing equipment, and (iv) ‘pop concrète’, or experiments involving tape montage techniques. The examples suggest that technological innovation may be relatively unimportant to the most innovative and musically adventurous pop musicians. Rather, they appear to need to have established some kind of relationship with their equipment before they find radically new ways of using it. Pop experiments involve the critical use of well-established typical pop machinery. This places them in an old tradition of artistic innovation.

Journal of New Music Research, 1997

The Canadian composer Barry Truax has played an important role in the study of environmental soun... more The Canadian composer Barry Truax has played an important role in the study of environmental sounds, their effects and their functions. Preferring to call his electroacoustic compositions ‘sonic environments’, Truax attempts to establish a link between musical composition and the sound research and design proposed by the World Soundscape Project (WSP). I propose to clarify this link, and the way it may be perceived by a listener, by means of music analysis. To what extent does Truax make use of the characteristics of environmental sound? Which characteristics are important for the music to be perceived as environmental? By analysing three compositions, each representing a particular stage in the development of his Poisson Ordered Distribution (POD) system of computer programmes, an answer to these questions is sought and related to the composer's composition methods.

British Post-Punk Experimental Pop 1977-1983, 1998

In the aftermath of punk's 'do it yourself' movement, between 1977 and 1983 a wealth of experimen... more In the aftermath of punk's 'do it yourself' movement, between 1977 and 1983 a wealth of experimental pop music was created. Especially in the United Kingdom, musicians experimented en masse with the forms and production methods of pop music. This dissertation defines the post-punk experimentalism by situating it historically and exploring musical definitions of both 'experimental music' and 'pop music'. Applying analytical methods borrowed from linguistic studies, six compositions are thoroughly analyzed in order to distinguish the pop conventions from the experimental aspects.