Published
Wed, Sep 28, 2022, 15:40
- The emergence of dub, disco and Afrobeat are some of the featured examples.
A new book identifies David Mancuso, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Giorgio Moroder and several other electronic artists as key figures in music history.
Written by Robert Dimery, who previously worked on 24 Hour Party People and 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, MusicQuake documents major records, performances and artists from 1913 until present-day. Starting with Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite Of Spring" and ending with the #MeToo movement, the book includes several episodes of electronic music history.
Among them are David Mancuso's The Loft parties, the rise of DJ culture, Afrobeat under Fela Kuti, Lee Scratch Perry's Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle, Kraftwerk, acid and Brian Eno's contribution to experimental composition. Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and Daft Punk's Discovery are some of the notable records mentioned.
Many chapters focus on how various genres influence one another. In describing post-punk, for instance, Dimery notes how the style "diversified into an abundance of genres, ranging from goth to neo-psychedelia and indie shoegazing." Connections are also made between pop, disco and dance music. "One of the takeaways from MusicQuake is that the story of radical pop goes hand-in-hand with the rise of electronic music," Dimery told Resident Advisor.
MusicQuake, out now, is part of UK publisher Frances Lincoln’s Culture Quake series that examines seminal moments across creative industries.
