wtf defines "electronic album"?
Jean-Michel Jarre, in the introduction, says:
"I was always convinced that electronic music wasn't just another genre: it was a different way of approaching the composition and production of music. It was about the idea that music is not only made up of notes and harmonies, but could be made with sound - and that the difference between noise and musical sound is entirely in the hands of the composer."
Although I am a JM Jarre fan, I found this to be an unhelpful waffle. In other words, Mojo failed to define their terms, which makes me question their motives. It could be just an excuse for writing about albums, with a broadly electronic theme, which they like. They do comment on the albums in the list and suggest an alternative for each, but the alternative list would take me some time to type and add to this thread.
I've got the magazine because I like what I would call electronic music, ie music made with sounds and tapes, or synthesizers. This would include Walter Carlos, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, White Noise, The Neu!, ELP, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, etc. I am in denial about elecro-pop, because I was so traumatised by the eighties. There are many modern albums in the list I have not heard.
Certainly, Vangelis should be included, along with pioneers such as ELP, Dave Greenslade, Steve Winwood, Rod Argent and the Tangerine Dream side projects (which are as good as TD, if not better).
Wikipedia says:
"Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound producing devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, and the electric guitar. Purely electronic sound production can be achieved using devices such as the Theremin, sound synthesizer, and computer.
Electronic music was once associated almost exclusively with Western art music but from the late 1960s on the availability of affordable music technology meant that music produced using electronic means became increasingly common in the popular domain. Today electronic music includes many varieties and ranges from experimental art music to popular forms such as electronic dance music."
This would include a lot of different types of music, hence perhaps Mojo's fragmented and disparate list.
