Why Is There New Music?
Why Is There New Music?
New Music is often considered to be a broad term that envelopes a wide array of musical projects, mostly focused on electronic musical forms but also can be expressed through the written, the visual, or even the theatrical that nonetheless position themselves under the broad umbrella of modernism in a very definitive way. New Music tends to be more diffuse and has not been clearly demarcated by any kind of clearly delineated classification system that the major labels seem to impose. The idea that a new kind of music can emerge any time has been considered a pipe dream by some, while others think that the only way that this can happen is if there is a sudden explosion of new music from an unheard of source. These days, however, a new music seems to emerge out of nowhere every single day.
No doubt, New Music will always remain relatively vague. It is a concept that many listeners are uncertain about. However, when we talk about ‘New Music’, we are generally referring to genres that have emerged in recent years – usually decades after the’mainstreaming’ of the music that was dominating the airwaves at any given point in time. A prime example of a new music genre that has emerged recently is the Noise Music movement that came together in the late ’70s. Though the movement achieved near-complete success in the mainstream, it still managed to carve out a sacred place for itself as one of the most important and influential new music scenes ever.
So what makes a new music? In many ways, it has to do with the way that the listener perceives a melody, a rhythm, or a signature – or a combination of these elements – in a piece of music. This is especially true for rock and classical music, where the very structure of the piece (the melody) and the way that the melody is expressed changes consistently over time. In classical music, this can be seen more obviously in works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and fugues of different forms, such as the Sibelius symphonies. It is in these examples that the composers have to create new music that has a fundamental difference from what they had been doing previously.
Many people would ask what distinguishes the new music from its relative past. One answer comes from the fact that the new music scene has evolved alongside the evolution of the music itself, and thus, it is often characterized by hybrid elements of musical styles and influences. Examples of these include the fusion of folk and western classical music, and the use of avant-garde metal. Some examples of newer music include the experimental sounds of post-rock and the post- punk/ post-rock bands such as Sonic Youth, and later, the post- Indie bands such as Everything Forever.
One of the reasons why new music is able to stand apart from the rest of the pack can be attributed to the many innovations that artists use as part of the composition process. One famous example is the song “Haitian Divorce” by The Nelly Furtado. The song begins with a slow and somber piano intro that quickly changes to a fast and bouncy beat. At around 2 minutes into the song, a piano solo begins to play which quickly progresses into the use of another instrument like a harmonica. As well as this energetic piano and string combinations used during the song, the video by YouTube’s music experts also includes text by the band stating how they came to record the video.
Another explanation as to why new music may have a better chance of becoming mainstream in this day and age comes from the influence of hip hop and techno. Many of the artists that have become famous due to their appearance on popular DJ talk shows like BBC Radio 1Xtrax and BBC World Online have incorporated elements of new age and new music styles into their live performances. In addition to being able to incorporate these new styles into their performance, they have also made it possible for their audiences to communicate and collaborate online using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. By incorporating these new media features, new music and new technology has become more readily available to audiences around the world.