Noise

What is Noise?

The Wikipedia online encyclopaedia defines Noise as “… music that uses sounds regarded as unpleasant or painful under normal circumstances.” In order to understand Noise as music we must also define the notion of noise in a non-musical context, which Wikipedia described bluntly as “…unwanted sound or noise pollution.” In some ways this is almost a contradiction of terms as noise is generally regarded as unwanted, unintentional sounds, whereas music is generally viewed as the organization of more ‘pleasant’ sounds. However music is subjective to the listener, highlighted by famous Noise musician Masami Akita’s remarks that “If by noise you mean uncomfortable sound, then pop music is noise to me.” Basically Noise as a musical genre can be defined as music, which brings traditionally offensive and ‘unpleasant’ sounds into musical contexts, confronting a listener’s perception of the timbres and noise prevalent in the music.

Characteristics and influences

Noise music is built around and characterised largely by extremely loud and often discordant sound. Sonically Noise is often harsh and painful to listen to caused by the extreme uses of amplitude and register, in a discordant fashion. So yes Noise is noisy! Noise has been loosely related to industrial music, as it shares a similar DIY attitude, and an independence from the mainstream. The sounds used in Noise often come from traditionally non-musical sources, exhibiting a freedom to use any sound source, including everyday objects. The use of such a wide and bizarre range of sound sources is one of the defining characteristics of Noise. However noise comes in a variety of forms ranging from the loud, aggressive, and free-flowing electronic music of Merzbow to the cold, mechanical sound-scapes of Ryoji Ikeda. Noise is often very improvised, especially in performance as the musicians focus on exploring timbre and register, rather than following a set rhythmic and melodic structure.

History

The origins of Noise, as a form of musical expression, date back to the early twentieth century, in Italian Futurist painter Luigi Russolo. He stated that the industrial revolution opened up a greater capacity for people to appreciate more complex sounds and envisioned the concept of Noise music. He then proceeded to construct his own noise making devices, assembling a noise orchestra to perform with. His performance with the orchestra of his piece Grand Concerto Futuristico in 1917 received considerable disapproval and even violence from the audience, which was what Russolo expected. Although his original works show little resemblance to modern Noise, he is still regarded as a pioneer of the genre.

Another pivotal moment in the development of Noise also occurred in the early 20th century with composer Arnold Schoenberg’s declaration of the “Emancipation of Dissonance”, or the idea that music could be based on dissonance just as well as consonance. By the 1920’s composers such as Edgard Varese and George Antheil had begun using mechanical instruments such as the siren to create music reflecting the sounds of the industrial world. After the Second World War with the advent of Tape machines, and early synthesizers, composers such as Stockhausen started producing electronic music, with some of the future characteristics of Noise involving noisy electronic sounds and incomprehensible time structures. This earlier music was highly influential on the creators of today’s Noise music.

Artists

Japanese artists feature prominently in modern noise music. European bands such as Whitehouse originally influenced Japanese noise artists. The Japanese pushed the boundaries of extreme loudness and density, which in turn became an influence on Western noise artists.

American archivist and writer Boyd Rice has also been a prominent figure in Noise music since 1975. His early performances involved attaching an electric fan to an electric guitar, and also utilising an electric shoe polisher as an instrument, creating extremely loud walls of noise.

Representative artists

• Merzbow
• Otomo Yoshihide
• Boyd Rice
• The Boredoms
• Jim O'Rourke
• Nurse with Wound
• Ryoji Ikeda

Performances

View the following noise performances from the links below:

Ryoji Ikeda

Otomo Yoshihide

Reference

Noise Music. 2006. Wikipedia. Noise Music

(accessed September 4, 2006)

Noise Music. 2006. All Experts. Noise Music (accessed September 4, 2006)

Resources

• Ilic, D. (1994) Extreme Noise Terrors. The Wire 129.
• Kahn, D. (1999). Noise, water, meat: A history of sound in the arts. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.