Art of Noise

"Noise Music" refers to a specific genre, still very much in its infancy, which I believe to be one of the most interesting cultural developments of the past twenty-or-so years. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where this music began, it is certainly true that it has existed in one form or another for a very long time, dating back to albums such as John Coltrane's Interstellar Space (1967) or Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica (1969).

Noise does not refer to simple atonality. Similarly, it does not refer to the unwanted sounds which are all about us. Instead, Noise refers to a form which most brilliantly recollects every important, major musical and artistic development of the past century. More specifically, Noise combines the energy and simplicity of Punk, the free-form and expressive compositional nature of Jazz and the technological fascination of Electronic music.

Noise has always existed in the furthest reaches of any given musical underground. A casual listen from those who are uninitiated would be sufficient in determining why: Noise has absolutely nothing to do with any mainstream taste or time line. The complete lack of reverence and disregard for mainstream culture, and especially Western notions of musical composition, have rendered this music simply incapable of ever "crossing over."

It is not an impotent, safely crafted expression of self, but rather, a collective instance of war being waged on all that is mundane, thoughtless and easy. Most importantly, these Noise artists could care less about whether or not we understand what they are doing, and many of the genre's best acts seem to exist in their own time and space, completely independent and unflinchingly brave.

The sheer originality of this movement is something which arouses much fascination in me, because unlike the many genres that have predated it, Noise does not become increasingly irrelevant as artists push the genre forward and the philosophy behind such music is accepted and understood as being one of the last, great forms of musical rebellion. More importantly, when one looks at the history of the genre, and the recent explosion of Noise acts which have blossomed in the past ten years, it becomes ever clearer that Noise is decidedly a music that is of and most relevant to this particularly digital generation.

It is also interesting to note that as Noise continues on, it becomes more inclusive and timeless, helping to give definition and a home to music that was well ahead of its time. This is the case with the albums mentioned at the beginning of this article. When Coltrane first released Interstellar Space, it was considered an album of contemporary, avant-garde jazz music, and this was fine, considering that at the time there quite possibly was no other explanation for the way it sounded, but because of more modern composers such as Justice Yeldham and bands such as Ultralyd and Black Pus, we have a more complete understanding of the influence and importance of Coltrane's visionary work. Likewise, when Captain Beefheart released Trout Mask Replica, it was an avant-garde rock album, but because of modern bands such as Arab on Radar, XBXRX and AIDS Wolf, we can see that such albums were merely disconnected instances of a genre which had yet to be named.

This is not the case today. Noise has now been more clearly expressed and defined as a musical philosophy. Increasingly, people of all ages, from all over the globe, have discovered the freedom which Noise can so distinctly provide. Festivals such as the annual International Noise Conference invite anyone and everyone to participate, regardless of talent or stature. The results, of course, are always mixed, but its specifically this chaos which gives such merit to Noise as a overly modern art form capable of sustaining its own freedom through the sheer diversity of artists involved.

But the most striking and urgent aspect of Noise is the way in which it simply does not move backwards. It is incapable of regression. This is true primarily because the history of Noise is also the history of technology, and as the capabilities of technology increase exponentially with every year, so does the ability of Noise to express itself more perfectly. Also, it is of the highest importance that I make clear the boundless forum which is the internet. I believe that, given the sheer capitalistic, bottom-line mentality which permeates all Western music (whatever sells the most is best), a genre such as Noise would find it nearly impossible to exist without the kind of free distribution and promotion which only the internet could hope to accomplish.

For those of you who are exhausted by the mainstream, and realize the hypocrisy of the conforming non-conformists, Noise offers the only true alternative. It is the freest form of music alive today, and albums such as Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's Calibration (2008) seemingly point to the brightest of artistic futures for the genre--a future which holds, in its very essence, the promise, creativity, diversity and originality of our own human consciousness.