Glitch

Glitch is a genre of experimental electronic music emerged in the mid-90s in Germany. The origins of the glitch aesthetic can be traced to Luigi Russolo's Futurist manifesto «The Art of Noises», the basis of noise music (music concrete, later ambient and noise).

Birth: 1993 Bloom: 2000

Glitch originated as a distinct movement in Germany with the musical work of the Oval project and labels like Mille Plateaux (compilations Clicks & Cuts).



In a Computer Music Journal article published in 2000, composer and writer Kim Cascone used the term post-digital to describe the glitch aesthetic.

Glitch is typified by acoustic effects achieved by the usage of digital artifacts like skipping CDs, scratched vinyl records, circuit bending, and other noise-like distortions figure prominently into the creation of rhythm and feeling in glitch. Cascone classifies glitch as a sub-genre of electronica.

The main component in creating glitch music is a computer. Musicians use their own tracks as effects in music programming in order to get new digital artifacts, some of them combine program stuff with video (for example Ryoji Ikeda). Musicians choose how to use these sounds — to cut them in order to saturate a composition with digital piquancy, as it used to be in microfunk music, or create a track based on digital distortions (the Autechre`s track «Cranz graf» is made of processed drum loops).



Glitch is considered as the way of art self-realization in music of many respected musicians: Alva Noto, Autechre, Fennesz, Prefuse 73, Ryoji Ikeda, edIT. In Russia glitch is actively used by Mujuice. But the most notable example of glitch music is the Japan producer Ametsub. He made glitch music equal to high art, replacing the roughness of the sound by melody and beauty.

Also read: Ambient, Industrial, Techno, IDM

Umbrellate style: Experimental

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Glitch tracks and remixes

56 1:57   119 PR 3 ▲
320
Glitch, IDM
89 2:19   66 PR 2,7 ▲
WAV
Glitch, Future Bass
73 3:45   80 PR 2 ▲
320
Glitch, Psybient

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