Journey to a Plugged in State of Mind: Electronic Music: 100 Years of Experimentation and Exploitation

An exploration of the greatest albums, experiences, and tunes from more than a century of electronic sound

From anarchic sound art manifestos of the early 1900s to the three minute radio-friendly hits of the late 20th century, via tape manipulations, WWII surplus gadgetry, synthetic versions of the Beatles, and the development and domination of the synthesizer, the sequencer, and their descendants which form the basic building blocks of much of the music we listen to today, the history of electronic music is a strange wonderland of cosmic highs and offbeat creativity; a story never less than compelling in its experimentalism and competitiveness. Key works by familiar early innovators such as Schaeffer, Cage, Stockhausen, Henry, and Varese are explored, along with modern envelope pushers such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher and lesser-known, unsung heroes and key equipment, such as the IBM 7090 Computer, Digital to Sound Transducer, and the CSIRAC Computer. Key recordings are used as chronological touchstones for the story, and provide the reader with highly recommended entry points into this sometimes challenging universe.