Intelligent dance music

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Intelligent dance music (commonly IDM) is a genre name invented by the creators of an online mailing list to describe dance music of the 1980s and early 1990s which uses unusual and "weird" sounds, defies rhythmic convention, and is much harder to dance to than most forms of techno. Intelligent Dance Music was originally applied to musicians like Leftfield, FSOL, Orb, Orbital, Aphex Twin, Black Dog, and B12. However, many artists disagree with this label and simply call their own tracks electronic music. Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records prefers to use the term braindance, or names of already existing genres such as acid house and drum and bass.

Contents

[edit] History

Artificial Intelligence, an influential album.
Artificial Intelligence, an influential album.

In 1992, Warp Records released Artificial Intelligence, the first album in the Artificial Intelligence series. The record was a collection of tracks from artists such as Autechre, B12, The Black Dog, Aphex Twin, and The Orb, under various aliases.[1] These artists, among others, would eventually become the main topics of conversation in the Intelligent Dance Music List, an electronic mailing list founded in August 1993 Solans of cabres.

Artists that appeared in discussions on the list included Autechre, Atom Heart, LFO, Aphex Twin and others on Rephlex Records, artists such as The Orb, Richard H. Kirk, and Future Sound of London, and even artists like System 7, William Orbit, Sabres of Paradise, Orbital, Plastikman and Björk.

Autechre, a paragon of IDM.
Autechre, a paragon of IDM.

Warp's second Artificial Intelligence compilation was released in 1994, featuring posts from the mailing list in the sleeve notes. During this period the electronic music produced by Warp Records artists such as Polygon Window (an alias of Richard D. James), Autechre, LFO, B12, Seefeel, and The Black Dog, gained popularity among electronic music fans. Lesser-known artists on the Likemind label and Kirk Degiorgio's A.R.T. and Op-Art labels, including Degiorgio himself under various names (As One, Future/Past and Esoterik). Steve Pickton (Stasis) and Nurmad Jusat (Nuron) were also gaining acknowledgement, along with artists like Björk and Future Sound of London. The majority of electronic music producers during this era originated from Britain, with a few exceptions, such as Sun Electric from Berlin, coming from other parts of Europe.

In the late 1990s record labels from around the globe began to notice electronic "listening music" pushing in new directions. Notable artists from this period include Boards of Canada and others on the Skam Records label, many of which were beginning to use software synthesis, a technology that had recently become possible to use on ordinary personal computers.

During this period, In addition to the growing influence of Warp Records, Intelligent Dance Music production greatly increased in the United States. In Miami, Florida, labels like Schematic, AiRecords, Merck Records, Nophi Recordings, and The Beta Bodega Coalition released material by artists such as Phoenecia, Dino Felipe, Machinedrum, and Proem. Another burgeoning scene was the Chicago/Milwaukee area, with labels such as Addict, Chocolate Industries, Hefty, and Zod supporting artists like Doormouse, Trs-80 and Emotional Joystick.

Soulseek, a filesharing application originally designed for members of the IDM discussion list.
Soulseek, a filesharing application originally designed for members of the IDM discussion list.

In the new century, the growing popularity of cheap music production software and software piracy allowed many Internet-based artists to publish their own work. The recent surge of software piracy has enabled amateur IDM musicians to use the same high-end programs that professionals use. Developed out of the IDM community during this time was a filesharing program called Soulseek, which underground artists used to share their music and make contacts. The artists Khonnor, Diagram of Suburban Chaos and Venetian Snares went on from Soulseek to earn public acclaim. Soulseek is still associated strongly with the IDM scene through Soulseek Records, which specializes in IDM.[2]


Groups such as Autechre have also influenced the rock and post-rock scenes. In particular, Radiohead has cited Aphex Twin, Casino Versus Japan and Warp Records as influences for their Kid A album.

[edit] Characteristics

 Samples of Intelligent dance music:

"Room 208"

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"Telephasic Workshop"

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"Sprint (A87 Mud)"

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"Alpenrausch"

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"Slip"

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"T.T.V."

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A 2001 monthly editorial in Audiogalaxy stated that IDM producers use "squelched beats, jagged synth lines, static washes, electrical shorts" and other odd sounds, and that IDM "defies rhythmic convention," introducing sudden changes in rhythm. Besides these musical features, the editorial points out that IDM is typically difficult to dance to.

[edit] Sound production in Intelligent dance music

Reaktor, a software synthesis program used in IDM production
Reaktor, a software synthesis program used in IDM production

Venetian Snares, for example, uses Renoise, a powerful tracking software, while Proem uses Fruityloops in his studio setup.[3]

[edit] Origins of the name

In November 1991, the phrase "intelligent techno" appeared on Usenet in reference to Coil's The Snow EP.[4] Another instance of the phrase appeared on Usenet in April 1993 in reference to The Black Dog's album Bytes.[5]

Wider public use of such terms on the Internet did not come until August 1993, when Alan Parry coined the term "intelligent dance music" and its initials were adopted in the name and charter of the IDM electronic mailing list:

"IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) is a forum for the discussion of what has been termed 'intelligent' music – that is, music that moves the mind, not just the body. There is no specific definition of intelligence in music, however, artists that I see as appropriate are FSOL, Orb, Orbital, Richard James (aka Aphex Twin), Black Dog, B12, and various others from Warp's Artificial Intelligence series. Of course, the list is open to all interpretations of intelligent dance music."[6]

The mailing list is still active and hosted by Hyperreal.org. You can find useful informations about its purpose and how to subscribe on the The Intelligent Dance Music Mailing List page.

"The IDM list was originally created in August of 1993 for the discussion of music relating to Aphex Twin and Warp's early 'Artificial Intelligence' compilations."[7]

You can search or read the IDM mailing list archives at resynthesize.com. The first message was sent on 1st August 1993 and was entitled "Can Dumb People Enjoy IDM, Too?".

Many listmembers have been known to use the phrase "IDM is a mailing list, not a genre!" when the acronym was debated. [8][9]

[edit] Criticisms of the name

Allmusic Guide describes the IDM name as "A loaded term meant to distinguish electronic music of the '90s and later that's equally comfortable on the dancefloor as in the living room, IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) eventually acquired a good deal of negative publicity, not least among the legion of dance producers and fans whose exclusion from the community prompted the question of whether they produced stupid dance music."

In a September 1997 interview, Aphex Twin commented on the 'Intelligent Dance Music' label: "I just think it's really funny to have terms like that. It's basically saying 'this is intelligent and everything else is stupid.' It's really nasty to everyone else's music. (laughs) It makes me laugh, things like that. I don't use names. I just say that I like something or I don't."[10]

Aphex Twin's Rephlex records official overarching genre name is Braindance, of which Dave Segal of Stylus Magazine asked whether it was a "snide dig at IDM’s mockworthy Intelligent Dance Music tag?"[11]

British artist Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq) has bluntly said: “No one uses or used it in UK. Only Americans ever used the term. It was invented by Alan Parry who set up the IDM mailing list.” [12]

Kid 606 has said, "I hate IDM and its elitist champions. It makes the music sound so much more than it actually is. It's a label invented by PR companies who need catchphrases. I like sounds, but hate what people attach to sounds."[13]

"Also, anyone who applies the term IDM to my music deserves to be shot." - Chris Jeffs (Cylob) [14]

Matmos interviewed by Perfect Sound Forever: I belong to the weblist called "IDM" and occasionally enjoy the discussions there, because I like some of the artists who get lassoed into that category (not to mention that we, occasionally, are lumped into that category too), and because you can occasionally find out about interesting records on that list... Matmos is IDM if that only means "might be talked about on the IDM list"- but I don't endorse that term "intelligent dance music" because it's laughable. Rather Interesting Records had a nice slogan that kind of says it all: "Remember: Only Stupid People Call It "Intelligent". [15]

[edit] Notable IDM artists

For a thorough list of IDM artists with articles on Wikipedia, see Category:IDM musicians.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Allmusic Guide, Overview of Artificial Intelligence [1]
  2. ^ Soulseek@Everything2.com
  3. ^ n5md records, interview with Proem.[2]
  4. ^ Google Groups archive of rec.music.industrial, "Coil, The Snow EP" [3]
  5. ^ Google Groups archive of alt.rave, "miniREVIEWS galore (No hardcore please, we're Finnish)" [4]
  6. ^ Google Groups archive of alt.rave, "list announcement: IDM" [5]
  7. ^ The Intelligent Dance Music Mailing List - Hosted by Hyperreal.org
  8. ^ Warp Records@Everything2.com
  9. ^ dubstepforum.com :: View topic - VENETIAN SNARES - dubstep 10"
  10. ^ Aphex Twin interview, September, 1997 [6]
  11. ^ Rephlexions!: A Braindance Compilation, 20/11/2003, Dave Segal, Stylus Magazine, [7]
  12. ^ Igloo Magazine :: :: Is IDM dead?
  13. ^ Kid606 Ultrahang festival
  14. ^ Intelligent Dance Music@Everything2.com
  15. ^ Matmos interview

Reynolds, Simon: Generation Ecstasy: into the world of techno and rave culture Routledge, New York 1999.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links