Humble Curations: 5 Pieces of Electronic Music to Explore
Electronic music一music created primarily with the use of computers, synthesizers, circuitry, programming, and digital means一is a relatively modern form of music that is constantly evolving as technology progresses. There have been many intriguing and groundbreaking techniques and sounds embraced through electronic music, and the amount of possibilities in the genre is infinite. All the different sounds out in the world can be sampled, manipulated, and incorporated into composition and production with a few tactful clicks on a computer.
Electronic music seems to be somewhat of a sanctuary for experimental musicians and computer aficionados alike. However, despite the constant flow of new ideas, thoughts, and methods unfolding in electronic music, there seems to be a glaring misconception that electronic music is sterile, tedious, and emotionless.
These are 5 distinct examples of imaginative pieces of electronic music that go to show just how much emotion, life, and warmth there can be in electronically generated sounds. Headphones are always recommended!
- “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt” by Holly Herndon
Holly Herndon’s “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt” thrills listeners with its immersive production and innovative sound palate. The song features vocals that bounce off of each other, ricocheting in and around listeners’ ears like fragments skipping on water. This choir-meets-chaos approach results in a galvanizing, captivating world of sound.
The lyrics to this song center around the unraveling of pain, presumably from heartbreak. “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt” features pitch-perfect, crystalline vocal processing that sounds nearly robotic, electrifying emotional pain in ways that transcend the power of the lyrics alone. As the vocals pan rapidly from ear to ear, listeners are hit with sparkling, synthesized high notes.
Even with the crisp, angular vocals, “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt” is brazenly human, and one doesn’t have to listen too closely to hear Herndon poignantly gasping for breath between lyrics.
- “I’m Every Sparkly Woman” by Ana Roxanne
New York-based musician Ana Roxanne’s “I’m Every Sparkly Woman” begins with glistening, flowy arpeggiated synths that take listeners to a place of tranquility.
Roxanne’s angelic voice sings long, drawn-out syllables over the fairly minimal backing of repetitive synth patterns, drawing emphasis to the contrast between the quick sequences of electronic notes and the dreamy timbre of Roxanne’s singing. The synths sound slightly detuned, adding to the hazy, reflective ambiance of the track.
“I’m Every Sparkly Woman” is a quick musing—being under two-and-a-half minutes long—but it doesn’t fail to leave listeners in a rosy trance as it fades out.
- “Ageispolis” by Aphex Twin
“Ageispolis” by Aphex Twin begins with a melody consisting of reverb-y blips and progresses into a soft groove featuring understated yet memorable drum sounds, lush and subtle synth pads, and a little bit of boomy bass that sits just right with the rest of the instrumentation.
Its nearly utopian, restrained, and fresh atmospherics are complemented by small variances and gritty fills in the drums, and a little introduction of a rounder, a lower melody that dances with the main sequence of reverb-y blips that were introduced at the beginning of the song.
“Ageispolis” is a pleasant, poised, and energetic track by one of the most well-known figures in electronic music.
- “Your Pond” by Emily A. Sprague
“Your Pond” by Emily A. Sprague is a meditative sonic journey in which layers of synth work their way into the ambient soundscape, pulsing methodically to reassure listeners of their presence.
The piece’s main, somewhat abstract “melody” is carried by an airy and subdued synth lead, which is both complemented and occasionally beautifully overpowered by the pulses and layers of delicate synth notes, switching between surrendering and prevailing as the song progresses.
“Your Pond” holds a gentle romanticism and a soft sensitivity in its mellow sound palette, and it wills listeners to a zone of introspective calmness.
- “Faceshopping” by SOPHIE
SOPHIE’s “Faceshopping” is a startling amalgamation of surrealism and industrial noise. Starting with the unadorned starkness of a speaking human voice, “Faceshopping” dives into a metallic, abrasive tumble of artful, percussive sound.
The song’s main lyrical motif turns the concepts of identity and beauty on their heads, drawing them to the verge of abstraction. Suddenly, the song breaks into a shimmery combination of glittering synthesizers, sugary vocals, and skittering cascades of ethereal sound, but just as listeners begin to settle into this sweet section, the sparkle turns to sputter and the percussive tumble is back in the forefront.
The lustrous production of “Faceshopping” is simultaneously disorienting and immaculate.