Studio Brief 1 - Micro Genres of Music Research

Experimental Pop

Popular Artists:

• David Bowie
• Björk
• Yoko Ono
• PC Music - Sophie, GFOTY, Hannah Diamond, A.G Cook
• Charli XCX
• Animal Collective
• Fiona Apple
• Arca
• Kate Bush
• FKA Twigs
• Grimes
• Daniel Johnston
• John Maus
• My Bloody Valentine
• Oneohtrix Point Never
• Ariel Pink
• Talking Heads
• St Vincent
• James Ferraro
• Lou Reed and John Cale

Notable Artists and Record Labels:

• Björk - “the queen of experimental pop” https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/mar/26/10-of-the-best-bjork
• Hippos in Tanks - produced James Ferraro, Arca, Hype Williams (influenced more by the internet)
• PC Music
• Joe Meek - “pioneered space age and experimental pop” in the UK during the 60’s. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/genius-joe-meek/
• Brian Eno

Definition: 

• “pop music that cannot be categorised within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_pop
• “pop music that is experimental, new and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant-pop
• “a collection of albums that push known conventions to the limits, or redraw said limits” https://www.popmatters.com/best-experimental-music-2518867684.html
• "re-sequences the Legos of song structure, so that (a) none of the charm of the tune is lost, but (b) this very accessibility leads one to bump into weirder elements welded into the design.” Paul Grimstad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANNV0ulGdik

History:

• Emerged with experimental jazz in the 1960’s - a result of people’s accessibility to technology and the need to express themselves artistically. 
• Producers and artists began to experiment with musical form and sound effects - Joe Meek used electronic sounds he DIY’d for ‘The Tornados’.
• “younger musicians moved out of [John] Cage's shadow by taking to a different extreme and embracing the practice of making studio recordings of works along the fringes of popular music”. Book - Records Ruin the Landscape: John Cage, the Sixties, and Sound Recording by David Grubbs.
• 1970’s and 80’s experimental pop music begins to spread throughout Europe. In Germany, bands such as Kraftwerk were making experimental pop a norm. In the UK, “balanced sexuality and literacy, ostentatious performance and austere rectitude, raging ambition and class resentment, translating it into records balancing experimentation with populist cohesion.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/14/pulp-festivals
• 1990’s - 2000’s. Artists such as Björk, Kate Bush, and Animal Collective lead the experimental pop genre. They bring elements from different genres and merge and experiment with the musical forms in way that’s considered avant-garde but also accessible.
• 2010’s - the influence of the internet and the increasing accessibility has expanded Experimental Pop and has created small genre’s within itself such as PC music. Charli XCX is a leading popstar in Experimental Pop and is most mainstream. 

Rules/Themes:

• Repetitive/insists on hooks (as mainstream pop does)
• Avant-garde
• Revolutionary (pushing existing forms into new areas)
• Non conforming
• Accessible

Main concepts:

• An experimental and creative approach to mainstream 
• Repetition
• Accessible
• Asymmetrical
• “The collage artistry, sampling and love of looping on both records makes for unique listening. They are both executed in a wild and unfamiliar manner.” Collage, looping

Initial Ideas for Vinyl: 

• Repetitive patterns that may alter
• Optical Illusions
• The packaging being a booklet (concept of layering/looping) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfas6jXwO4M