A cool picture book on electronic music in the 20th century

books:


	• Modulations: A History of Electronic Music: Throbbing Words on Sound Iara Lee, Michael Berk, ... D.A.P./Caipirinha, 2000 - 264 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Throbbing Words on Sound!

Arty package with good content, I even mostly agree with the selected discography recommendations. Covering a nice time line from Stockhausen to present but the focus is mainly from early eighties onwards.

A good read, that offers a reasonably balanced view. One of the best books on electronic music available today, not that there are many anyway.

Highly recommended

This is a tremendously informative book. Densly packed with info, and a fascinating read. My only complaint is that, since chapters were contributed by different writers, there's no style that really permeates the book. The chapter on Techno, for example, does a great job at contextualizing the Detroit sound, pointing out the influences that led to the evolution of techno, from a musical perspective, as well as from a social and even economic perspective. Unfortunately not all chapters are written the same way. The chapter on House, for example, is a bit dizzying for readers unfamiliar with the sounds and beats being described. But nevertheless... READ IT. (And Dance to it, more importantly!)

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Fun read

A light engaging read. the subtitle 'a history of Electonic Music' must be taken with a grain of salt -- really it's a pop book about the electronic dance music craze and it's arty offshoots in electronica, as viewed from the mid-nineties. Because of its focus on artists popular at the time the book was compiled and since, at this writing, a decade has passed, it's a bit of a period piece.

'Downtempo' anyone?

A cool picture book on electronic music in the 20th century

Modulations is a nice little book with some interesting info and plenty of pictures. It claims to be "a history of electronic music", but it's really more of a small-scale coffee-table book. The presentation is colorful and catchy, although it's got a bit more style than substance. If you're looking for something scholarly, this is not it. It IS, however, a fun introduction and may even expose you to some new composers and artists.

It's broken down by style covering Pioneerings, Krautrock, Disco, Post Punk, House, Hip-Hop, Techno, Jungle, Ambient, and Downtempo, in that order. Those chapter headings will give you an idea of where the editor is coming from. I don't think it's at all accurate to label Kraftwerk as "Krautrock", but this book isn't really about detailed history or critique.

At the prices it's selling for on the Marketplace, I'd say it's worth it, just to flip through every now and then. I would also say that $20 is the cutoff point where its cost exceeds its value. It's cool, but not *that* cool. Take advantage of Amazon's online reader. If it looks interesting, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Moderately recommended.

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Edited by Peter Shapiro. Contributions by Iara Lee, David Toop. Text by Kodwo Eshun, Michael Berk, Tony Marcus, Kurt Reighley, Simon Reynolds, Michael Rubin, Chris Sharp, Rob Young.