Among the first pieces of electronic music I remember hearing were "Magic Fly" by Space and Jean-Michel Jarre's "Oxygène". Floating, otherworldly sounds that, as a child, made me feel as though I could drift freely through time and space.
They were pieces my older brother had recorded onto cassette tapes, which eventually found their way into my hands.
Back then, this new kind of music apparently caused quite a bit of controversy within his own band.
They were young musicians who wanted to discover their own musical paths the traditional way, with guitars, a little percussion, and, of course, vocals.
Electronic influences? Now that was a different matter.
For one thing, around nineteen eighty, the equipment was incredibly expensive.
And, of course, it was something more or less entirely new!
I see a rather similar situation today when it comes to AI-generated music and videos.
Soulless? Really?
I would quite like to remind some of these critics of that accusation the next time they sit down in a cinema to enjoy a science fiction film.
But I wouldn't be that mean.
After all, nobody has to listen to something they don't want to hear.
Electronic music offers an almost limitless world of possibilities, from pulsating rhythms and dark, atmospheric soundscapes to expansive, almost weightless compositions.
Here, synthesizers, electronic rhythms, swelling and fading basslines, and the creation of unusual sonic spaces take centre stage.