One of the museums in London to open, despite the COVID-19 restrictions, is the Design Museum in London. By maintaining social distancing and by having only a few number of people at any one time, the museum was able to launch an exhibition that had been planned for March 2020 – an exhibition about electronic and digital music.
The exhibition not only considers music (and musical instruments) in chronological order, the focus extends to culture and design aspects, charting the evolution of these aspects as well.
The first electronic music can be traced back to the 1900s and there are various odd instruments used across the following decades (including the Telharmonium, Trautonium, Ondes Martenot, and theremin). The mid-1930s saw the launch of the Hammond organ an electrical powered device.
However, it was the invention of the synthesizer that helped to propel electronic sound forwards. Notably, the mid-1960s saw the debut of the Moog synthesizer, which functioned by controlling pitch through voltage, in the form of a voltage-controlled oscillator.
The BBC, surprisingly, was a leading innovator in electronic music, pioneered by the corportation’s Radiophonic Workshop (who helped to develop the theme for Dr. Who among other music items and sound effects).
Electronic and digital devices became more sophisticated , and the artists who used them became increasingly innovation. One leading luminary (in more ways than one) was Jean-Michel Jarre. The exhibition includes a recreation of his studio.
Also featured are artists like Brian Eno (pivotal in ambient music) and others who helped to shape electronic sound, like David Bowie.
In terms of one of the first bands to establish electronic music and to take this to an area of commercial success was the German band Kraftwerk, who first performed in 1970. The group fully embraced electronic instrumentation, including synthesizers, drum machines, and vocoders. This was notable on the 1974 release Autobahn.
Club culture and innovations in electronic music have a connected relationship. Many of the first bands to utilize electronic music burst into the New York club scene, and Chicago was synonymous with the emergence of house music.
In the U.K., the Manchester scene and clubs like the Haçienda were pivotal to launching many bands and acting as the host venue for pioneering acts like New Order.
Through this the exhibition poignantly brings the spirit of communal celebration in one place. Visitors can move through the dance floors of Detroit to Chicago, Paris, and Berlin.
Given the association with more recent electronic music and ‘rave’ culture, the exhibition made reference to both illegal raves (and the ubiquitous smiley face, which became linked to the ecstasy drug) and the latter day club scene. Some of this is presented in dizzying fashion, through lights, sounds and fashion.
Towards the end of the exhibition a space is given over to a video and light display celebrating the music of The Chemical Brothers, the British electronic music duo composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. The group originated in Manchester in 1989.
The exhibition is superbly curated, eclectic as well as electric, with plenty of places to stop and plug in headphones and soak up a century of electronic sound.
