8 Musicians That Used Technology to Redefine Music11

By Jason Horton, Mar 20, 2011 in Pop Culture

8 Musicians That Used Technology to Redefine Music

It has been said that video killed the radio star. And now it appears the Internet is killing television. In an Auto-tuned and iTuned world, does technology halt or continue progress? The music video is more alive and well on YouTube than it is on the channel that made music videos a part of our lives. You can now load so many songs on your mp3 player that it no longer lists them by minutes or hours, but by days. And, Band Flyers? They’re ancient history – Twitter feeds and Facebook invites reign supreme.

There are now a myriad of tools available to inspired musicians, such as online marketing platforms and personal sound studios. And with a little bit of help from tech savvy audiophiles, like the guys at Pro Juice, you can record, mix, and reproduce an entire album at home. But with all these digital aids, is music itself evolving? Absolutely. Here are 8 musicians that took advantage of new tech tools to redefine music and create a brand new sound.

Pro Juice – Episode 1

1. Lil Wayne

Technically, Cher was one of the first artists to use auto-tuning to make a hit. However, Lil Wayne has made an entire career of that crazy phase vocoder. Still, and although it’s become a very popular tool, many artists have rejected it, including Jay-Z, whose song “DOA” (Death of Auto-tune), is a direct backlash against the sound. However, Lil Wayne will not cave. He told VIBE magazine auto-tuning “ain’t dead.” If that’s not good enough for you, that’s too ba-a-a-a-a-ad.

2. Duran Duran

I’m not sure if music videos put Duran Duran on the map, or if Duran Duran put music videos on the map. Considering their banned “Girls On Film” video and the fact that they were the first to have their music videos shot on 35mm (rather than videotape), it’s a toss up.

Since the introduction of video to the music world, Duran Duran has been making waves. In 1984, they introduced video technology into their live shows by being one of the first acts to provide video screens above the stage. They have recorded concerts using iMAX and 360 degree panoramic cameras with 10.2 channel audio. They are on MTV’s “100 Greatest Videos Ever Made” list with “Hungry Like The Wolf,” as well as VH1’s “100 Greatest Videos” with “Rio” and “Hungry Like the Wolf.” In fact, MTV named “Hungry Like the Wolf” the fifteenth most-played video of all time.

3. Kraftwerk

If you ever wondered what it would be like for robots, both in look and sound, to compose music, check out Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk, German for “power plant,” is known as a pioneer in the world of electronic music. The signature Kraftwerk sound has repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, a classical Western style of harmony, and a minimal and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group’s simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer speech software. Their videos are also cutting edge in both art and visuals. Next time you make a song on your computer, be sure to thank those crazy Germans!

4. Brian Eno

Brian Eno is credited as one of the principal creators of ambient music. His career began with glam/art-rock band Roxy Music and some of his solo material has that “art-rock” feel, but it’s his ambient music that put him on the map. What is ambient music? A musical genre comprised of sounds that create an atmospheric, visual or unobtrusive quality… like elevator music but way way cooler.

5. Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound

Spector’s signature technique, known as the “Wall of Sound,” was revolutionary. It consisted of a dense, layered, and reverberant sound that reproduced well on AM radio and jukeboxes popular at the time. He accomplished this by having many electric and acoustic guitarists perform the same parts in unison, then added orchestras, and then recorded everything using an echo chamber. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Queen, and The Ramones all utilized this sound.

6. Miles Davis

Miles Davis is known as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. His contribution to traditional and modern jazz, as well as modern music of many genres, is astounding. His use of electric instruments is a “miles-stone” in the chronicles of jazz. His psychedelic influenced album, “Bitches Brew,” is a Miles classic. Jazz first goes electric with Miles Davis.

7. Les Paul

What did Les Paul do? He made rock n’ roll possible. He pioneered the solid body electric guitar. Les Paul also innovated guitar playing itself with a particular fretting style and guitar licks. He has many songs and singles on the charts, but he’s best known for giving rock stars something to smash on stage – making our music louder and more dangerous.

8. Edgar Varese

Edgar Varese, a French composer who spent the better part of his life in the US, is known humbly as the “father of electronic music” in the broadest sense. He used new instruments and experimented with electronic sounds as early as the Depression Era. He was a major innovator in 20th century classical music and a huge influence on musical renegade Frank Zappa. Varese was searching for new sounds before even the introduction of the synthesizer.

Pro Juice – Episode 2

Pro Juice – Episode 3

Watch more episodes of multimedia lab series Pro Juice

Jason Horton is a New Jersey native breaking all the rules in Hollywood. He is an actor, writer, comedian, and improviser performing sketch and improv comedy weekly at both iO West & the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He is also frequently in the top 100 viewed comedians on YouTube. He also wants pizza, now.