The New Wave of Electronic Music

By Brian Coakley

Lately, I've noticed that there is a new branch of electronic music that is catching on very quickly amongst the college-age youth: the so-called livetronica. What it boils down to is a blend of experimental, largely improvisational rock music with computer generated beats and electronic sounds that are produced live to accompany the other instruments. Call it trance-fusion, call it a jam band with a DJ, call it whatever you want...it's a style that is blowing up right now, especially in the southeast, and Knoxville is no exception. Bands like Sound Tribe Sector 9 and The Disco Biscuits sell out shows left and right around here and in places like Asheville, NC and Atlanta, and there are plenty of similar bands that love to open for the bigger names or play their after parties like Pnuma Trio, Future Rock, Eoto, and Knoxville's own Arpetrio (pronounced like Arpeggio but change a couple of letters). Part of the appeal with this style seems to be that it introduces electronic music in a way that places more emphasis on live performance and instrumentation. Many people seem to think makes this makes the show more legitimate than a DJ or typical electronic performance, which many mistake for being nothing more than the mere act of "pushing buttons" (in the case of a good DJ or electronic producer, this couldn't be further from the truth).

The scene for this type of music has evolved into a pretty interesting amalgamation of hippie culture and rave culture, which makes sense due to the fact that they share so many of the same ideals, but it has created a breed of music fan that has potential to be absolutely out of control insane. I have seen proof of this being at shows by some of these bands, where you are likely to see kids on unfathomable combinations of drugs on their wildest behavior. At times, this can lead to a lot of energy and everyone having a great time, but other times it can lead to people passing out or getting arrested. Either way, this creates an environment that makes it easy to confuse having a good time with being at a good concert. Sometimes those two things coexist, but sometimes it seems like people get wrapped up in the fun and forget about the music and what makes it worth listening to.

I don't mean to make generalizations about this music or the people who are really into the scene. I enjoy some of these bands quite a bit, and I've had many a good time at their shows; I just though I'd share my thoughts on some of the things I've noticed in my epxeriences throughout the years. If anyone else finds this subculture interesting or has any other thoughts to share, please leave a comment. I'd love to talk about this further.

Last but not least, I'd like to engage in some shameless self-promotion. If you like electronic music, check out my radio show here in Knoxville, The Midnight Voyage. You can find out more details and a link to listen online at the following address: http://www.myspace.com/midnightvoyage903.

Take care, everyone!

Brian