# Jarring Music?



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Can anyone recommend me some music that fulfils at least some if not all of the following criteria:

- Loud

- Harsh

- Grating

- Unnerving

- Rhythmic

- Possibly features electronic/synthetic sounds

- Atonal/dodecaphonic might be nice but is not necessary

Basically think of music that be totally out of place being played at a wedding/christening/maternity ward. Something as far removed from Pachelbel's _Canon in D_ as possible.

Something not too dissimilar to this, only more extreme:


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

Sure. Look in between the Atonal Music and the Dog Kennel training threads. 

I'm sure you'll find something in there. If not, then maybe skinning a chicken alive into the two track mix, would create some interesting fusion music


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## Il Seraglio (Sep 14, 2009)

I find this gets better with pretty much every listen.






For 'classical' music, try Stockhausen's _Gruppen_, my idea of serialist Hell, although it doesn't quite fit the 'rhythmic' description.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Argus said:


> Can anyone recommend me some music that fulfils at least some if not all of the following criteria:
> 
> - Loud
> 
> ...


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

Here's some Bartok for when you walk down the aisle.

And some Boulez for the maternity ward.


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)




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## Guest (Feb 18, 2010)

This might be too pretty and mild. But it's still nice.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Or what about Mosolov´s "The Iron Foundry", 
the futuristic symphonic poem enthusiastically 
celebrating modern steel production ? Select
a relatively fast recording, lasting 3:30.




And hear a - likewise short - work by Luigi Russolo, 
available for free as MP3 at the www-site ubu-web: 
"Macchina Tipografica". It is quite unforgettable
and unique, and has a humorous dimension as well.
Another anarchistic piece, if more delicate,
is Lucia Dlugoszewski´s "Fire Fragile Flight".


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

I'm thinking Ligeti


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Some excellent music in this thread.

That Autechre track was actually quite good. It had pretty much everything I was looking for. My only quibble is that as great as the beats are they seem to overpower the melody lying underneath.

The Bartok string quartet was excellent. Generally, the string quartet is one of my least favourite classical configurations but I really got to enjoy most of Bartok's after watching the series _Takacs play Bartok_.

I had tried to listen to _Kontakte_ a few years ago and thought it was just ametuerish noise. However, now I have completely changed my mind. It's bloody genius. The theme that emerges in the last few minutes is beautiful. Is that a sample or did Stockhausen compose the entire piece?

I had never heard of Government Alpha before and I can see why. Commercial they are not. But that's neither good nor a bad thing. That piece was close to what I had in mind when starting the thread. It's so abrasive and dense it's painful. Needs more rhythm though. More like that please.

_The Iron Foundry_ is just top class. It has a great rhythmic pulse. I wouldn't say it's particularly grating or jarring but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. Do you have a link to the Dlugoszewski piece? I can't seem to find it on Youtube.

Keep them coming.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I can only think of non-classical, but classically influenced. You are surely describing Sleepytime Gorilla Museum






and / or






You have to give that 2nd one some time - really gets going about 2:45. They invented many of the instruments they play.

Well, heck. There's also Birdsongs of the Mesozoic:






For something a little closer to classical:


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

As regards the Dlugoszewski, I´ve only seen it on 
classicsonline, where you have to pay a bit to get
the MP3-download. This composer has been much 
too rarely recorded. It is less rythmically stable,
more a kind of nature-sounding anarchy of 
instrumental solos, but much, much better than, 
say, Cage´s Piano Concertos.


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

begining if *Bartok's Miraculous mandarin *cant be far off that description or the loud climax in the 1st movement of *Shostakovich symphony 4*


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## Il Seraglio (Sep 14, 2009)

I think you may like this, although it's probably quite straightforward by avant-garde standards.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Not so sure about Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The second vid had parts that were great but the cookie monster vocals weren't doing it for me. They were like a mix of Opeth and Arcade Fire.

I dug both the Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and the Frank Zappa track but they weren't really jarring to me. That BotM piece was too serene after the first few minutes and the Zappa tune was very playful and fun.

Again, the Bartok and Shostakovich pieces are excellent but too conservative for what I'm thinking of. I want something great yet ugly. The kind of thing most people would hate.



> I think you may like this, although it's probably quite straightforward by avant-garde standards.


You'd be right. I love some Glenn Branca, particularly his aggressive early stuff with lots of guitars. I agree it is straight forward but it's just plain awesome. This another piece by him that I really like:






It's sounds slightly chaotic but there is a real inert beauty bubbling in there.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2010)

Argus said:


> ...they weren't really jarring to me.


This is key. What's jarring to one is just music as usual to another. Without knowing more about you, since this is about you and not about the music, we can only guess. Some of us guessed pretty well, some not so much.



Argus said:


> I want something great yet ugly. The kind of thing most people would hate.





Argus said:


> ...there is a real inert beauty bubbling in there.


Yeah, if we knew more about you, we could maybe resolve this (apparent) contradiction as well!!

In the meantime, here's another guess (since I did so well last time!):


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

some guy said:


> This is key. What's jarring to one is just music as usual to another. Without knowing more about you, since this is about you and not about the music, we can only guess. Some of us guessed pretty well, some not so much.
> 
> Yeah, if we knew more about you, we could maybe resolve this (apparent) contradiction as well!!


I deliberately kept the criteria quite vague so that the recommendations would be more eclectic. I wasn't bothered if people chose atonal orchestral or electronic noise/drone or organised samples of nature. As long as people think their chosen pieces fulfill some of the criteria, I'm happy to give them a listen. I'm just giving an opinion on what I thought when listening to the music afterwards, to encourage more recommendations.

I just think that listening to 'pretty' music all the time is not as healthy for a musician as occasionally listening to 'ugly' music as well for perspective. I used quotation marks around the words pretty and ugly because they are obviously greatly subjective.

I didn't particularly enjoy that piece by those Japanese guys you just posted but that's not the point of this thread. It's something I wouldn't have thought to search for which means it's a more useful recommendation compared to say Bartok, who I am already well aware of. But of course you don't know what I am or aren't familiar with so it makes it more open for a wider volume of music.

Also, are some of the guys in that Youtube clip reading sheet music?


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

> I want something _great yet ugly_. The kind of thing most people would hate.


And what indeed, is wrong with Eddy Lizard?!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

some guy said:


> In the meantime, here's another guess (since I did so well last time!):


Which one gets song writing credits?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Argus said:


> Not so sure about Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The second vid had parts that were great but the cookie monster vocals weren't doing it for me. They were like a mix of Opeth and Arcade Fire.


That's always the risk when trying to champion that group. I hated the vocals too at first until I heard some of the other aspects of their music. It's definitely an acquired bad taste.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2010)

Argus said:


> I deliberately kept the criteria quite vague so that the recommendations would be more eclectic.


Oh, of course. Well, never mind!!

Check out the turntablists, too, then, why not?

Christian Marclay
eRikm
Otomo Yoshihide
Martin Tetreault
Busratch
Ignaz Schick
Philip Jeck

For starters...


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## Poppin' Fresh (Oct 24, 2009)

Merzbow of course.


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## The Cosmos (Oct 2, 2009)

How about Glenn Branca's '_The Ascencion_'? Can get a bit harsh at times but certainly not as harsh as those japanese noise-heads.










I've yet to listen to his symphonies, though I'm pretty sure they are quite dissonant as well.

Or you could try some of that improvisation stuff by Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Peter Brotzmann...although I personally can't stand that stuff after few minutes.

*Edit*: whoops, i wasn't reading, since this has already been posted . In that case, try getting this compilation -

http://www.discogs.com/Various-RRR-500/release/94233

Mostly experimental stuff that goes on forever. Its like you groove in and groove out till you get sick of it (500 artists is a LOT!). A turntable is necessary although there might be an mp3 version out there as well.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2010)

Lot of nice people on that RRR compilation. You could do a lot worse than just find stuff by those people.

I was surprised by how many of the Montreal folk are on that, including the guy who runs emprientesDIGITALes.

But the one name that stood out, for me, was R.H.Y Yau. Yeah. Randy Yau. Good noise! He's also the guy who designed the cover art for Ground Fault recordings. You could do a lot worse than just getting the 30+ CDs that Ground Fault put out. Really fine stuff. 

(And yes, I do have all of them!)


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Merzbow has given me a killer headache. Great recommendation.

That Randy H.Yau guy is just out of his tree. He's hilarious to watch.






I've probably heard of about 10 of the artists on that RRR compilation, so I'll have to investigate further. Unfortunately, I don't have a turntable. Also, is Django Reinhardt III any relation to the famous gypsy jazz musician?

I like some Derek Bailey and Peter Brotzmann stuff but haven't really checked out much Evan Parker. They sound halcyonic compared to some of the stuff in this thread.



> Check out the turntablists, too, then, why not?
> 
> Christian Marclay
> eRikm
> ...


I'll check them out when I get the chance.

I'm lisening to Fanfares by Philip Jeck right now, and it seems pretty good. I can hear the Copland in there.

All these people have done really well to make a living out of what is a very niche kind of art.


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## hocket (Feb 21, 2010)

What you're describing is essentially The Fall isn't it?


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## TWhite (Feb 23, 2010)

Aw, heck: Alban Berg's opera WOZZEK. That's about as jarring as I can get. But I happen to like it. 

Tom


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Check out John Zorn and Painkiller. 'Tortured Souls' off 'Buried Secrets' for instance. Nice.


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