【コラム】ベイエリア・ノイズ／実験音楽シーン — 破壊と共鳴の50年史

Column en 80s 90s Experimental Noise

01 Oct 2025

What happened in the Bay Area?

Text: mmr｜Theme: The intersection of machines, collage, and improvisation – the history and recommended discography of noise/experimental music nurtured in the Bay Area

The Bay Area, centered around San Francisco and Oakland, is a subcultural testing ground and has provided a unique ``place for actual production’’ for noise/experimental music.The stages and methods are diverse, such as performance art that foregrounded the DIY spirit of the 1970s and 1980s and the violence of machines and sound (e.g. Survival Research Laboratories), and groups that pushed tape collage/sampling culture to a popular level (e.g. Negativland).These activities led to live houses, art spaces, cassette/indie labels, and later festival culture.

overview

The San Francisco Bay Area has been an important hub for noise/experimental music from the late 1970s to the present. We will trace the genealogy of locally cultivated noise/experimental music and explain the main people/groups, venues/festivals, and recommended albums by year.

flowchart TD A["1978: SRL (Mark Pauline)"] --> B["1980s: Negativland — Tape collage/radio experiment"] B --> C["1990s: Indie/Bandcamp rise and expansion of experimental ecosystem"] C --> D["2000s: Matmos — International evaluation with emphasis on samples/concepts"] D --> E["2010s-2020s: Regional compilation/improvisation network maturation"]

Key players and field ecology

Survival Research Laboratories (SRL)

SRL, known for its destructive mechanical performance, was founded in 1978 by Marc Poulin.The show, which used huge equipment and the sounds of fire, dust, and metal, clearly presented the “visibility” and “danger” of noise, and established the Bay Area as a “testing ground for sound and machinery.”SRL’s activities are praised not only for expressing acoustic noise, but also for their perspective on industrial technology.

Negativland

A group active in the San Francisco area and known for their media critical works that use sampling/collage.Works such as Escape From Noise from the late 1980s were important works that showed the intersection of noise and pop culture, attracting controversy and attention through DIY radio and fake advertising techniques.

Matmos and local derivation

Matmos was formed in San Francisco in the 1990s and gained international acclaim for their conceptual work that uses sampling.Since the 2000s, it has continued to lead the “conceptual side” of experimental music, strengthening its connections with art institutions and contemporary music festivals.

Community and the field (Noise Pop, Bay Improviser, etc.)

The Bay Area is home to indie festivals like Noise Pop and improvisational/experimental music communities like Bay Improviser, which are responsible for passing down expressions and venues for younger generations.These scenes circulate through the venue of “live” and provide a platform where old and new intersect.

Main acts

Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) — Mechanical performance and fracture aesthetics.An organization that blurs the line between performance art and noise.
Negativland — A sound collage collective from San Francisco.Known for his media critical approach in the 1990s.
Matmos — A duo that has received international acclaim for their sampling/conceptual works.It will also be connected to contemporary music and art museums.
Local Improvisation/Noise Network — Communities like Bay Improviser maintain and update the field.

Recommended albums by generation

The following are the main works mentioned in the main text.

Artist / Work	Year	Notes	Link
Negativland — Escape From Noise	1987	A mixture of tape collages and short songs, a masterpiece	Amazon
Matmos — A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure	2001	Concept work using medical sounds	Amazon
Matmos — The Civil War	2003	Continuation of concept and sampling experiments	Amazon
Bay Area compilation (regional edition)	2010s	Mainly local distribution.Recommended to get from Bandcamp or local labels	Bay Improviser
Bill Orcutt — Jump On It	2023	Experimental acoustic.Representative examples of Bay Area guitar work	Amazon

Summary (now/future)

Noise/experimental music in the Bay Area is constantly being updated as an act of not only destruction'' but alsore-editing and critiquing.’‘SRL’s mechanical theater, Negativland’s media criticism, Matmos’ sound research—all have presented practices that go beyond music.Currently, a hybrid of digital distribution and local DIY is progressing, and Bandcamp and local festivals are supporting young artists.Listening and participating in the scene is the best way to understand this scene.

Appendix: Local communities and events

Bay Improviser: A curation and calendar for the Bay Area’s improvisational/experimental community, including management contact information and monthly event information.
Noise Pop: Annual festival in San Francisco.Provides exposure opportunities for local indie/experimental acts.

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