[Column] The complete history of Electroacoustic Improvisation
Column en Electroacoustic Improvisation![[Column] The complete history of Electroacoustic Improvisation](/../assets/images/column-electroacoustic-improvisation.webp)
From Fennesz to Toral, a fusion of electronic and improvisational
Text: mmr｜Theme: About Christian Fennesz, Rafael Toral, AMM, Sachiko M, Otomo Yoshihide
Electroacoustic Improvisation (EAI) is a musical trend that combines electronic acoustics and improvisation, which formed mainly in Europe and Japan from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Improvisational music, electroacoustic music, noise, field recording, modular synths, and digital samplers intersect, establishing a unique practice system that differs from traditional jazz-oriented free improvisation and acoustic school.
1. What is EAI?
EAI is an abbreviation for “Electroacoustic Improvisation,” and it began to be used internationally around the year 2000 to refer to improvisation using electroacoustic processing and processing technology. Although there is no clear unified definition, the following are common points:
- Improvisationally operate electronic equipment (modulars, laptops, effectors, samplers)
- Blurring the boundaries between live instruments and electronic sounds
- Active use of sustained sounds and subtle sounds (hum, hiss, signal sounds)
- Breaking away from traditional rhythmic and melodic structures
- "”The performance itself’’ is also subject to appreciation.
- Although it is a generation before live coding, it focuses on electrical operation
Although EAI is often talked about in the context of improvised music, it is more appropriate to call it a ““practical area’’ rather than a single genre because it involves multiple areas such as acoustic technology, electronic engineering, and noise culture.
2. Historical background: 4 sources that prepared EAI
2-1. Origin ①: Electroacoustic music of the 1970s
The electroacoustic production techniques pioneered by Pierre Henry, Iannis Xenakis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen gave rise to later EAI interest in material processing—granularity, signal manipulation, and electronic noise. In particular, the development of live electronics is an important foundation linked to the improvisational nature of EAI.
2-2. Origin ②: Free Improvisation
AMM (UK, 1960s-) was a pioneer in incorporating electronic equipment (radio, contact microphone, etc.) into their performances. The ““liberation of non-instrumental sounds’’ demonstrated by Eddie Prévost and Keith Rowe would later become the inspiration for EAI.
2-3. Origin ③: 1980s-1990s noise/alternative electronic sound
Japanese noise (Merzbow, Incapacitants, etc.) exposed the ““materiality of sound’’ through the ultimate pursuit of acoustic materials. On the other hand, Otomo Yoshihide and Sachiko M introduced minimal and sophisticated electronic sounds (sine waves) into their improvisations, creating the foundations of EAI: ““reducing the number of sounds” and ““emphasizing space.”
2-4. Origin ④: Laptop music in the late 1990s
With the spread of Max/MSP, SuperCollider, etc., laptops have entered the arena of improvisation. This means the democratization of real-time sound processing and will decisively support EAI’s ““improvisation using electronic equipment.’’
3. Practical analysis of major artists
3-1. Christian Fennesz
Originally from Austria. He is known for his style, which uses a guitar as a sound source and processes it on a laptop, gently crossing the line between melody and noise. His masterpiece “Endless Summer” (2001) was highly praised as an example of the fusion of electronic and guitar sounds.
From an EAI perspective, the following points are important:
- Treat raw guitar sound and processed sound on the same plane
- Introduce glitch noise to improvise
- Treat your laptop as a “second instrument”
- Incorporate signal processing (filtering, granular) as a performance act
Particularly in live performances, the process of capturing, processing, and creating space in real time is responsible for the improvisational nature of the guitar’s minute noises.
3-2. Rafael Toral
Originally from Portugal. Initially, he produced ambient-oriented electro-acoustic works, but around 2003 he developed a project collectively known as ““Space Program,’’ and shifted his focus to improvisational performances using electronic equipment manually.
Features:
- Homemade/modified synthesizer circuits, signal generators, etc.
- Plays “controllable electronic signals” instead of noise
- Treat electronic sounds like jazz phrases
- Pursuing the match between physical movements and electronic reactions
Toral is unique among EAI in its thoroughness of “hand-playing electronic sounds” and is a representative example of the improvisational possibilities of modular operation.
3-3. Otomo Yoshihide / Sachiko M (Japan)
EAI’s Asian roots were formed in an area that overlapped with the ““onkyoha’’ movement of the late 1990s.
- Sachiko M establishes extreme minimalism using the sampler’s internal test tone (sine wave)
- Otomo Yoshihide develops acoustic improvisation using turntables, guitars, and samplers
- Filament (Otomo x Sachiko M) is an important unit in the EAI context
Particular emphasis was placed on ““white space” and ““the treatment of silence,” which had a great influence on the later international EAI movement.
3-4. AMM (UK)
AMM, which has been active since the 1960s, is one of the oldest groups to incorporate electronic equipment into their performances. Keith Rowe”s ““horizontal guitar’’ became the prototype for later EAI”s use of radio noise and contact microphones.
EAI inherits AMM’s aesthetics: ““the social nature of performance,” ““the use of silence,” and ““respect for the contingency of sound.’’
4. Systematic analysis of equipment and techniques used
4-1. Equipment: Modular synth
Modular in EAI is
- Unpredictable signal changes
- Non-tempo/non-chord operation
- Fine sound generation by voltage control
It has characteristics suitable for improvisation.
4-2. Sampler
In EAI, samplers are often treated as signal generators/circuit devices rather than as sound sources. The Sachiko M example is a typical example, in which only the internal test tone was used.
4-3. Laptop
Real-time processing using Max/MSP and Pure Data is typified by Fennesz’s style. It is important to note that the laptop is not a sensor; the processing itself is an act of performance.
4-4. Effector / Physical Noise
Techniques that utilize signals beyond musical intent, such as contact microphones, mixer feedback, and power supply noise, are also common.
5. Regional expansion
5-1. Europe: Vienna / Berlin / London
- Fennesz (around Vienna)
- AMM (London)
- Erstwhile Records (EAI’s important label)
5-2. Japan: Acoustic school centered on Tokyo
- Off Site (Sendagi, late 1990s to early 2000s) was a base for international EAI exchange
5-3. Portugal: Electronic Improvisation in Lisbon
- Rafael Toral plays a central role
6. EAI-related chronology
7. Conceptual relationship diagram of EAI
8. Current status and future development of EAI
Although EAI is not as concentrated as it was in the early 2000s as a distinct scene, it continues to create new forms as equipment evolves. In particular, connections are progressing with the following areas:
- Live coding
- Modular synth automatic generation system
- Sound art/installation
- Integration with field recording technology
- Improvisation of Ambisonics
Since EAI remains a “practice” rather than a “genre,” its form will continue to change as long as there are musicians who work with electrical signals.
Conclusion
Electroacoustic Improvisation is a rare system of practice where diverse fields such as electronic technology, acoustic science, free improvisation, and noise culture intersect, and the activities of Christian Fennesz and Rafael Toral occupy a central position.
