Modulations: A History of Electronic Music : Throbbing Words on Sound

Peter Shapiro

Caipirinha Productions, 2000 - Music - 255 pages

Other books have been written on electronic music, but none with the breadth and accessibility offered by Modulations, the tie-in volume to the critically acclaimed 1998 film directed by Iara Lee. Going beyond the limits of an encyclopedia or a record guide, essays by musicians and music journalists illuminate such genres as techno, house, krautrock, disco, hip-hop, drum'n'bass, ambient, and down-tempo in more expansive detail than was possible in the film. From the "art of noise" proposed by then Italian Futurists to the musique concrete experiments of Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, Modulations probes the conceptual origins of synthesized sound. Present day geographic trends and cross-fertilized styles are traced back to the experimental and groundbreaking work of diverse pioneers such as Iannis Xenakis, Kraftwerk, Giorgo Moroder, Robert Moog, and John Cage. The African-American roots of electronic music are also documented, from free-jazz fellow traveler Sun Ra to funk innovators Parliament/Funkadelic. Sections on fusion, dub, post-punk, breakbeats, latin freestyle, and Miami bass make this book an all-encompassing reference tool for devoted followers as well as an excellent introduction for curious newcomers.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - adulau - LibraryThing

A great book describing a part of the electronic music history with various stories. Stories are sometime connected and show how the electronic movement evolved. The book is not exhaustive but that's ...

Modulations: a history of electronic music: throbbing words on sound

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

In this expansive history of electronic music, Shapiro (The Rough Guide to Drum 'n' Bass) chronicles the creative moment of generating sound through sampling, mixing, and manipulation. Written by ...

About the author

Peter Shapiro is an experienced music journalist and his work has appeared in The Times (London), Spin, The Wire, Vibe, Uncut, Sleaze Nation and Urb. He is author of the Rough Guide to-Hip-Hop and contributor to the Rough Guides to Rock, Website Directory and the Rough Guide Book of Playlists.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Modulations: A History of Electronic Music : Throbbing Words on Sound
• Editor: Peter Shapiro
• Contributors: Peter Shapiro, Iara Lee
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Caipirinha Productions, 2000
• ISBN: 189102406X, 9781891024061
• Length: 255 pages
• Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Electronic; Music / History & Criticism; Music / Reference