[Column] The 100 most influential records in music history: A new history of music reconstructed solely based on its influence on contemporary music (Part 9, 81-90: Maturation of electronic music and establishment of acoustic art)

第9回（81位）

Mezzanine

“The moment when downtempo became music that depicts the psychology of the city”

"”Mezzanine”, released in 1998, is a historic work in which Massive Attack further expanded the trip-hop genre, fusing electronic music with rock, dub, and post-punk, and depicting the ““psychology of humans living in the city” in acoustic form.

If ““Blue Lines” in the early 1990s gave birth to a new type of urban music called trip-hop, ““Mezzanine” was its mature form.

Here, tension takes precedence over a comfortable groove.

An unstable atmosphere dominates rather than a beautiful melody.

Music is not just background music that colors city life.

It becomes a medium that visualizes the loneliness, surveillance, and anonymity of the city itself.

Evolution of the Bristol Sound

Since the late 1980s, Massive Attack has developed a unique sound that blends reggae, dub, soul, and hip-hop.

However, in addition to its roots, ““Mezzanine’’ incorporates new elements.

post-punk.

noise.

industrial.

A sustained sound made by a guitar.

These overlapped with the deep bass sounds derived from dub, creating a much darker acoustic space than traditional trip-hop.

The introduction of guitar sounds was particularly important.

This was not a return to rock, but a choice to expand the “texture of sound.”

“Silence” creates the greatest tension

『Mezzanine』には派手な展開は少ない。

On the contrary, it is being thoroughly suppressed.

A quiet beat.

Bass that sounds low.

Whispering vocals.

vast reverberations.

In this stillness, the slightest noise or change in tone gives off a strong presence.

This was a reinterpretation of the aesthetics of “margin” cultivated by dub music in the digital production environment of the late 1990s.

Acoustics demanded by movies and television

Mezzanine’s influence was more pronounced in film culture than in clubs.

Many songs from the album have been used in movies, TV dramas, documentaries, and commercials, and their profound and tense sound has become synonymous with ““urban suspense.’’

The existence of this work is the reason why electronic music has become an important element supporting psychological depictions in video works.

It’s not the soundtrack.

However, it strongly reminds me of images.

Its cinematic construction power was the greatest feature of ““Mezzanine.’’

Influence on 21st century alternative sounds

This was the era when Radiohead approached electronic music with “Kid A.”

Nine Inch Nailsが静寂とノイズを融合した時代。

This was the era when James Blake presented minimalist songs.

Behind this lies the aesthetic of ““dark, quiet, and deep acoustics” established by ““Mezzanine.”

Furthermore, the influence of this work remains strong in contemporary dark pop and ambient R&B.

Why is it ranked 81st?

"”Mezzanine’’ is an important work that developed trip-hop from a genre of urban culture to a sound art that depicts the psychology of modern cities.

Its influence extends to dark electronica, film music, alternative pop, and contemporary R&B, providing the prototype for the 21st century’s “urban sounds.”

In this ranking, ““Blue Lines” is ranked 81st because it is ranked high as the definitive work that started trip hop. However, ““Mezzanine” is a work that matures that aesthetic to the extreme and proves that electronic music is a powerful medium of expression for depicting psychology and space.

「『Mezzanine』はトリップホップを都市心理の音響芸術へと成熟させ、21世紀のダーク・エレクトロニカの原型を築いた。その歴史的意義により本ランキング第81位に位置付ける。」

9th (82nd place)

Maxinquaye

「トリップホップが“個人の内面”を描く音楽へと進化した瞬間」

Released in 1995, Maxinquaye is a landmark work in which Tricky pushed the trip-hop genre to a new level.

Massive Attackの『Blue Lines』が都市のグルーヴを描き、『Mezzanine』が都市の心理を描いたとすれば、『Maxinquaye』はさらに深く、人間の内面そのものへ潜り込んだ。

ここには明快なメッセージはない。

There is no right or wrong.

There are no heroes either.

What exists is an extremely personal spiritual world where conflicting emotions such as anxiety, memory, dependence, love, violence, and loneliness coexist.

Using hip-hop and dub language, Tricky presented a new form of ““inner realism’’ in popular music.

The Third Way of Bristol Sound

From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Bristol began to develop a unique sound centered around Massive Attack.

One of the central characters was Tricky.

But for his solo debut, Maxinquaye, he goes in a different direction than Massive Attack.

Not for the club.

It’s not just social criticism.

What Tricky was trying to portray was the human unconscious.

The album title comes from the name of his mother, Maxine Quaye, who passed away at a young age.

A sense of loss, family memories, and questions about self-development flow quietly throughout the work.

This intensely personal perspective was something that had rarely been seen in club music up until then.

Expressive power of “whisper”

『Maxinquaye』を特徴づけるのは、Tricky自身のラップというよりも、囁くような語りである。

力強く主張するのではない。

It’s not about exploding emotions.

The words are spoken low, vague, and sometimes so quietly that they are inaudible.

Martina Topley-Bird’s clear singing voice floats around them.

men and women.

light and darkness.

reality and dreams.

The interplay of these two voices creates a multilayered mental space, rather than the psychology of one person.

Emotions expressed by “margin”

『Maxinquaye』では、音数は決して多くない。

Dry beets.

A heavily sinking base.

Interrupted sample.

A long silence.

That blank space is an important element for expressing emotion.

This was an application of the ““subtraction’’ aesthetic developed by dub music to psychological depiction.

音が鳴っていない時間さえも、物語の一部になる。

This idea had a major influence on later alternative R&B and minimal pop.

Genealogy of 21st century dark pop

Maxinquaye’s influences extend beyond trip-hop.

Dark electronica from the 2000s onwards.

James Blake’s quiet vocal expression.

FKA twigs’ experimental R&B.

The xx’s minimalist sound.

An intimate, introverted production from Billie Eilish.

This work’s philosophy of ““depicting deep psychology through quiet voices’’ can be seen in these works as well.

"”Maxinquaye” changed club music from ““music for dancing” to ““music that reflects the inside of the soul.’’

なぜ82位なのか

"”Maxinquaye’’ is a historical work that deepened trip-hop from the sound of urban culture to an art that depicts the spiritual world of individuals.

Its influence spanned alternative R&B, dark pop, electronica, and indie music, and became an important source of introspective pop music in the 21st century.

本ランキングでは、『Blue Lines』（19位）がジャンルを創出し、『Mezzanine』（81位）がその音響美学を完成させた作品として位置付けられているため、第82位とした。しかし、『Maxinquaye』が切り開いた「音楽による心理描写」という新しい表現領域は、その後のポピュラー音楽全体に静かで深い影響を与え続けている。

“‘Maxinquaye” has evolved trip-hop from the “sound of the city” to the “sound of the heart’. It is ranked 82nd in this ranking as a work that opens up new possibilities for electronic music that depicts the inner world.”

9th (83rd place)

Consumed

「テクノが“沈黙”を表現する芸術になった瞬間」

Consumed, released in 1998, is a historic work in which Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, separated minimal techno from its dance music functions and created a “sonic art stripped down to its limits.”

The techno of the 1980s sang about the future, and the minimal techno of the early 1990s pursued space through repetition.

However, in ““Consumed,’’ even that space is whittled down to its limits.

The number of sounds is extremely small.

Kicks are minimal.

The bass sinks deep and is barely visible.

Silence and reverberation have the same value as the sound itself.

At this point, music changed from being something that was making sounds to an art of perceiving things that were not being made.

Breaking up with club music

Richie Hawtin emerged as a member of the second generation of Detroit techno, working as a DJ in clubs around the world in the 1990s.

However, despite his success, he had doubts.

「フロアを盛り上げることだけがテクノなのか。」

『Consumed』は、その問いへの答えだった。

Rather than focusing on its functionality as a DJ tool, we sought to create a sense of tension that can only be achieved through the medium of an album.

Limit of “subtraction”

In this work, each sound is extremely carefully considered.

A low resounding kick.

わずかなハイハット。

A short synth snippet.

深いリバーブ。

This alone is what makes a song.

Rather than adding more sound to liven things up, reducing the sound improves concentration.

This idea resonates with minimalism in contemporary architecture and the Japanese aesthetic of “ma”.

"”Consumed” was a work that pushed the value of ““white space” in electronic music to the limit.

From “club” to “museum”

"”Consumed’’ is also a work that was better appreciated in galleries and museums than in clubs.

A quiet exhibition space.

A huge concrete building.

暗い映像作品。

This work works surprisingly naturally in such a place.

This means that techno has evolved from being ““music for dancing” to ““art for perceiving space.”

The influence of this work can be seen in subsequent sound installations and sound works in contemporary art.

The complete form of minimal techno

After ““Consumed,” the idea of ​​”“creating a rich space with less sound” spread all over the world.

Ricardo Villalobos.

Spatial design of Röyksopp’s early works.

Alva Noto.

Ryoji Ikeda.

Also ambient techno and micro house.

All of this is not unrelated to the aesthetics of this work, which is that ““reducing sound becomes creativity.’’

Consumed elevated minimal techno to a fully fledged art form.

Why is it ranked 83rd?

"”Consumed’’ is a historical work that evolved minimal techno from dance music to acoustic art that expresses silence and space.

His influence spanned a wide range of fields, including micro house, sound art, contemporary ambient, and installation works, and he established the ““aesthetics of subtraction’’ in electronic music.

In this ranking, ““69: The Sound of Music” (76th place) and ““BCD” (79th place) are ranked high as works that were responsible for the structural innovation of techno, so we placed it at 83rd place. However, ““Consumed” is an important work that purifies this idea to the utmost and opens up a new area of ​​expression called ““techno that makes you listen to silence.”

“‘Consumed’ strips down techno to its limits and establishes a new aesthetic of ““music that listens to silence itself.” Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 83rd in this ranking.”

9th (84th place)

Music for the Jilted Generation

“The moment when rave was etched into history as a ‘rebellious culture’“

In 1994, The Prodigy released Music for the Jilted Generation, a historical work that symbolizes the maturation of rave culture as not just a trend, but a social movement.

Acid house and illegal rave, which began to spread in Britain in the late 1980s, developed into a huge youth culture.

However, in 1994, this enthusiasm came into conflict with the state.

The British government enacted the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, creating legislation to crack down on unauthorized raves that are characterized by ““repetitive beats.’’

"”Music for the Jilted Generation’’ is an album that truly captures the atmosphere of that era.

The title ““Betrayed Generation’’ refers to the rave generation whose freedom was restricted by the state.

Rave was a culture

The Prodigy weren’t just hitmakers.

They are acid house.

break beat.

punk.

hip hop.

industrial.

By boldly fusing these elements, he transformed “British youth culture” itself into music.

"”Music for the Jilted Generation’’ takes this attitude even further.

The beat becomes aggressive;

The sound is heavier;

The composition will be bold.

Here, club music became not just an expression of pleasure, but an expression of resistance.

Fusion of dance music and rock

The innovation of this work lies in the fact that it brought the language of club music to the scale of rock.

Huge breakbeat.

Distorted synthesizer.

sampling.

Punk aggression.

The combination of these things had a strong impact even on rock listeners who were unfamiliar with rave culture.

The influence of this work remains strong on subsequent big beat, electro rock, and even festival culture.

The prototype of “Festival Electronic”

Since the late 1990s, electronic music has become a mainstay not only in clubs but also at huge outdoor festivals.

The Chemical Brothers.

Fatboy Slim.

The Crystal Method.

Justice.

Pendulum.

The ““fusion of rock and electronic music” created by these artists cannot be described without ““Music for the Jilted Generation”.

The Prodigy also presented a new form of live performance, playing electronic music as a band rather than as a DJ.

This was an important turning point that still applies to today’s EDM festivals.

Engraving conflict with society into music

This work is not an album that directly shouts political slogans.

But tensions over state regulation, pressure on youth culture, and the freedom of club culture run through the album.

電子音楽はここで、「未来」や「機械」を歌うだけではなく、現実社会への応答という役割も担うようになった。

This attitude would be inherited by later electro-punk and rave revivals.

Why is it ranked 84th?

"”Music for the Jilted Generation’’ is an important work that etched rave culture into history as not a passing fad, but as a culture that confronts society.

Its influence extends to big beat, electro rock, festival culture, and the development of live electronic.

In this ranking, works that formed the early days of house and techno are ranked higher, so they are ranked 84th. However, the perspective that ““electronic music is a culture with a social identity’’ that this work showed left a huge footprint on the subsequent history of dance music.

“‘Music for the Jilted Generation” established rave as a “culture of freedom’ and pushed the relationship between electronic music and society to a new level. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 84th in this ranking.”

9th (85th place)

Second Toughest in the Infants

“The moment when techno became an album that felt like a full-length novel”

Second Toughest in the Infants, released in 1996, is a historical work in which Underworld gave dance music a new value as a ““long-length album.’’

In the mid-1990s, club culture was developing around singles.

DJs connect 12-inch units, and on the floor, the functionality of each song is emphasized.

However, Underworld dared to face the album format head-on within that culture.

"”Second Toughest in the Infants’’ is not a collection of individual hits.

The entire album is designed as a journey.

It was here that electronic music evolved from ““music for DJs” to ““works to be listened to until the end.”

New story after rave

Underworld was a new wave band in the 1980s, but their musical style changed dramatically with the addition of Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, and Darren Emerson.

The energy of rave culture.

Repetition of Detroit techno.

The spatiality of dub.

The drama of rock.

これらを統合し、「クラブで機能しながら、家でも没入できるアルバム」を目指した。

The final product was ““Second Toughest in the Infants.’’

Long expression

“Juanita: Kiteless: To Dream of Love”, which opens the album, is over 16 minutes long.

しかし、その長さは決して冗長ではない。

The rhythm changes little by little,

Layers of synthesizers,

Karl Hyde’s fragmented words appear and disappear.

The songs don’t “develop”, they “grow”.

While maintaining the repetitive aesthetic of club music, the album achieved a narrative quality unique to an album.

Live electronic innovation

Underworld has created a unique live expression that is neither a DJ nor a band.

Operate the sequencer in real time,

Karl Hyde sings impromptu,

The songs change little by little each time.

The world view built on the album will be rebuilt in the live performance as well.

This style influenced many later live electronic acts, including The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Moderat, and Bicep.

At this point, electronic music once again approaches ““music to be performed” rather than ““music to be played.”

Reevaluating the art form of “album”

Since the late 1990s, electronic music has increasingly been talked about in terms of albums.

concept.

flow.

A feeling of air.

We build a world not based on one song, but on the time axis of one hour.

One of the works that determined this trend was ““Second Toughest in the Infants.’’

This work may have shown why many electronic musicians today emphasize the “album experience.”

Why is it ranked 85th?

"”Second Toughest in the Infants’’ is an important work that established the artistry of the full-length album in dance music.

Its influence extends across progressive electronica, live electronic, and album-oriented electronic music.

In this ranking, works that created genres themselves and works that fundamentally changed the structure of electronic music are ranked higher, so they were ranked 85th. However, the value that this work proved, that ““electronic music can tell deep stories in the form of an album,’’ was inherited by many subsequent artists, and became an important cornerstone of modern electronic music.

“‘Second Toughest in the Infants” elevated dance music to the art of full-length albums. We rank it at number 85 in this ranking as a work that shows that electronic music can be a “storytelling medium.’“

9th (86th place)

Permutation

“The moment when bass music evolved into ‘sound sculpture’“

"”Permutation’’, released in 1998, is a historical work in which Amon Tobin developed sampling from a simple quoting technique to a compositional method that reconstructs the sound itself.

Hip-hop in the 1980s recycled music from the past through sampling.

Jungle in the 1990s evolved it into fast breakbeats.

But Amon Tobin goes in yet another direction.

It’s not just the songs that he chops up.

jazz.

movie music.

environmental sounds.

Sounds of life.

Every sound material is broken down and given new life.

Permutation was an album that didn’t make you listen to samples, but rather made you forget the very concept of samples.

Laboratory called Ninja Tune

In the late 1990s, London’s Ninja Tune was a testing ground for club music.

DJ Food.

Coldcut.

The Cinematic Orchestra.

Funki Porcini.

Among them, Amon Tobin was a particularly unusual figure.

彼はダンスフロアのためだけではなく、「音そのものの質感」を探究することに情熱を注いだ。

Cut jazz records into small pieces and process them until the original shape is no longer recognizable.

The result was not just a quote, but a completely new sonic world.

From sampling to “acoustic design”

In Permutation, the sample loses its original meaning.

The horn makes noise.

The drum becomes fragments.

The base transforms like a liquid.

There is no point in knowing the source of the sound.

What is important is how they are reconfigured to create new spaces.

This idea was not an extension of DJ culture, but sound design itself.

Spread into video and game music

Amon Tobin’s influence was more pronounced in the film field than in the clubs.

movie.

documentary.

CM.

And games.

Especially in game music since the 2000s, ““sound design that blurs the line between reality and unreality’’ has become an important theme.

The complex textures and three-dimensional sound that Permutation presented had a great influence on later interactive audio and sound design.

This is where electronic music begins to blur the boundaries between ““song production” and ““sound design.”

The maturation of the sampler instrument

In the 1980s, samplers were machines that reused existing sound sources.

But for Amon Tobin, it was a new instrument.

Recorded sounds are just raw materials.

cut,

processed,

rearrange and

Give new meaning.

This way of thinking will become the standard for digital music production in the 21st century.

The production method of ““treating sound as a raw material’’ practiced by many producers today is an extension of this work.

Why is it ranked 86th?

"”Permutation’’ is an important work that developed sampling from a quoting technique to sound design itself.

His influence extends to diverse fields such as glitch, electronica, sound design, game music, and film sound.

In this ranking, ““Endtroducing….” (30th place) and ““3 Feet High and Rising” (17th place) are ranked high as works that changed sampling culture itself, so we placed it at 86th place. However, ““Permutation” has high historical value as a work that refined this technique to the utmost and perfected the modern production idea of ​​”“creating a new world using samples as raw materials.”

“‘Permutation” evolved sampling from “quotation” to “sound design’. As a work that laid the foundation for sound design in the digital age, it is ranked 86th in this ranking.”

9th (87th place)

Decksandrumsandrockandroll

“The moment when big beat established a post-rock live culture”

1998年に発表された『Decksandrumsandrockandroll』は、Propellerheadsがビッグ・ビートを単なるクラブ・ミュージックではなく、ロック、ヒップホップ、映画音楽、DJカルチャーを横断する総合エンターテインメントへと昇華した歴史的作品である。

In the late 1990s, big beat was enjoying a global boom in Britain, led by bands such as The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and The Prodigy.

But Propellerheads stood out from the crowd.

They didn’t just pursue the functionality of the club.

sampling.

scratch.

horn section.

ブレイクビーツ。

Orchestration reminiscent of a spy movie.

By boldly fusing these elements, he created electronic music with a sense of cinematic scale.

Bridging DJ culture and rock

In the 1980s, DJs were often perceived as the people behind the scenes in clubs.

However, in the 1990s, DJs began to become artists themselves, producing albums and holding large-scale live performances.

"”Decksandrumsandrockandroll’’ was a work that symbolized this trend.

The turntable becomes a rhythm instrument,

The sampler becomes an orchestra,

A mixer becomes a musical instrument.

At this point, DJs changed from being ““someone who plays songs” to ““someone who plays music.”

Establishing a cinematic sound

The main feature of this work is its overwhelming cinematic composition.

Brass fanfare.

Strings create a sense of urgency.

Thrilling breakbeats.

Groove derived from funk.

These are not just quotations, but form a story like an action movie.

This work established electronic music as an ““album that makes you imagine images,’’ and it had a great influence on later movie trailers and commercial music.

Go beyond just “listening” to “watching” electronic music

Propellerheads’ live performances and visual expressions also played an important role in connecting electronic music with visual experiences.

illumination.

Video production.

Huge sound system.

From the club to the arena.

This is where electronic music grows into a genre that can offer a live experience on par with a rock concert.

This trend would later lead to live performances accompanied by video production by Daft Punk, Justice, The Chemical Brothers, and others.

Completion of the Big Beat era

Big Beat in the late 1990s was not a passing fad.

club.

TV commercial.

movie.

Sports broadcast.

game.

Its powerful beat and flashy sound permeated throughout pop culture.

"”Decksandrumsandrockandroll” is a record that symbolizes this cultural expansion and showed the possibility that ““electronic music could become the center of popular entertainment.”

Why is it ranked 87th?

"”Decksandrumsandrockandroll’’ is an important work that developed big beat into a comprehensive entertainment that fuses rock, film music, and DJ culture.

Its influence extended to live electronics, visual production, advertising music, and festival culture, accelerating the infiltration of electronic music into large-scale pop culture.

In this ranking, ““Music for the Jilted Generation” (84th place) is ranked 87th because it is ranked highly as a work that explains the social significance of rave culture, and ““Homework” (23rd place) is ranked high as a work that was responsible for the structural innovation of French house. However, this is an important album that proves that electronic music can be a ““comprehensive art that can be shown live.’’

“‘Decksandrumsandrockandroll’ fused DJ culture, film music, and rock, elevating electronic music to live entertainment. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 87th in this ranking.”

9th (88th place)

Richard D. James Album

“The moment when IDM regained its “humanity”“

The Richard D. James Album, released in 1996, is a historic work in which Richard D. James, also known as Aphex Twin, once again brought ““melody” and ““humor” into increasingly complex electronic music.

1992’s Selected Ambient Works 85–92 (#20) opened up a new sonic space called ambient techno.

After that, much electronic music pursued complex rhythms and algorithms, moving in a more abstract direction.

However, ““Richard D. James Album’’ is a little different from that flow.

Super fast breakbeats.

Unpredictable rhythm.

experimental sound.

On the other hand, a surprisingly familiar melody runs throughout the piece.

Aphex Twin proved here that “experimentalism” and “musical pleasure” can coexist.

Electronic music doesn’t end with technology alone

In the mid-1990s, IDM was rapidly becoming more sophisticated.

Rhythms become more complex;

Programming becomes more precise,

Sound becomes abstract.

However, there was also criticism that their ““humanity’’ was being lost in the process.

"”Richard D. James Album’’ was a response to that atmosphere.

Although it has a complex structure,

It’s somewhat like a nursery rhyme,

It is also idyllic,

Sometimes it’s also humorous.

Electronic music doesn’t have to be difficult to understand.

Advanced technology can also be used to support beautiful melodies.

This work shows that.

A new standard in drum programming

The album’s greatest feature is its overwhelming rhythm programming.

The breakbeats are finely chopped,

Multiple senses of time signature overlap,

At first glance, it sounds chaotic.

However, the melody that accompanies it is surprisingly natural and memorable.

This contrast was the originality of Aphex Twin.

After that, many producers began to explore combinations of ““complex beats and familiar melodies.’’

Connection with pop music

The Richard D. James Album also connects IDM from the closed world of clubs and experimental music to broader musical culture.

Radiohead.

Squarepusher.

Four Tet.

Flying Lotus.

Furthermore, much of the idea of ​​”“coexistence of complexity and familiarity’’ has been inherited from this work, even up to modern Hyperpop.

At this point, electronic music went beyond ““experiment for the sake of experiment’’ and became an entity that presented the future of pop music.

Two revolutions called Aphex Twin

Aphex Twin appears twice in this ranking.

If the 20th place “Selected Ambient Works 85–92” is a work that designed the space itself,

"”Richard D. James Album’’ is a work that combines human melodies and extreme programming.

Although they are the same artist, the innovations they left behind in history are completely different.

That is why this work also has independent historical value.

Why is it ranked 88th?

"”Richard D. James Album”’ is an important work that brings a new approachability to electronic music by fusing IDM”s advanced programming and rich melodies.

Its influence spread to glitch pop, experimental pop, Hyperpop, and contemporary electronica, paving the way for both complexity and pop-ness.

In this ranking, ““Selected Ambient Works 85–92’’ (20th place) has a greater influence as a historical turning point for ambient techno, so this work is ranked 88th. However, its historical significance is extremely significant in that it showed the potential for electronic music to reach a wide range of listeners while maintaining a high level of experimentation.

“‘Richard D. James Album’ balances experimentation and melody, leading IDM to a more open music culture. As a work that greatly expanded the possibilities of electronic music, it is ranked 88th in this ranking.”

9th (89th place)

Laughing Stock

“The moment when rock stepped into the unknown realm of “silence”“

"”Laughing Stock”, released in 1991, is a historical work in which Talk Talk overturned the conventional wisdom of rock music and laid the foundation for a new musical philosophy that would later be called ““post-rock.”

In the 1980s, Talk Talk was a synthpop band known for hits such as “It’s My Life.”

But they throw away success.

Making hit songs

It can also be played on the radio,

Nor did he choose to live up to commercial expectations.

Mark Hollis’ goal was not to make a sound, but to record the moment the sound was created.

"”Laughing Stock’’ is a work that changed rock from an art of performance to an art of listening.

Fusion of improvisation and editing

The production method for this work was extremely unique.

Gather musicians in the studio

Record long improvisations,

It takes months to edit that huge amount of material.

In other words, the completed song is

Not the song played,

It was a song discovered through editing.

This production philosophy had a major influence not only on later post-rock, but also on electronica and ambient music.

“Silence” becomes music

There is silence in ““Laughing Stock.’’

A time when only one sound resonates.

A few seconds when no one was playing.

A space where only breathing remains.

Time, which was traditionally considered a “blank space,” now becomes the center of the work.

It’s not about increasing the number of sounds to liven things up.

**Silence itself speaks of emotion. **

This idea was different from Brian Eno’s ambient music, and it was a silence that naturally emerged from a rock ensemble.

The idea of ​​”post-rock”

Since the mid-1990s, the term “post-rock” has become popular.

Using rock instruments,

Don’t play rock.

The guitar creates texture rather than melody,

The drums support the space more than the beat,

A song is built not by the chorus but by the flow of time.

As a starting point for this idea, ““Laughing Stock’’ is one of his most important works.

Bark Psychosis.

Tortoise.

Mogwai.

Sigur Rós.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The quiet revolution that this work pioneered flows through their works.

A culture of listening to the “margins”

Laughing Stock isn’t just a quiet album.

It was a work that turned the “blank spaces” in music into active expression.

That is later ambient.

modern jazz.

contemporary music.

It even influenced film music.

The role played by this album is behind the ““courage to reduce the sound’’ of many of his works today.

Why is it ranked 89th?

"”Laughing Stock” is a historical work that evolved rock music into a temporal art of silence, improvisation, and editing, and laid the foundation for the new idea of ​​”“post-rock.”

Its influence extends not only to post-rock acts such as Bark Psychosis and Tortoise, but also to ambient, electronica, and film music.

In this ranking, ““Spirit of Eden” (61st) is ranked higher as a decisive turning point for Talk Talk, so it is ranked 89th. However, ““Laughing Stock” further purified this idea and left a solid footprint in music history as a work that defined the value that ““music can speak even through silence.’’

“‘Laughing Stock” transformed rock into “the art of listening to silence’ and defined the idea of ​​post-rock. Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 89th in this ranking.”

9th (90th place)

Hex

“The moment when the word “post-rock” became a “sound”“

Released in 1994, "”Hex’‘ is a historical work in which Bark Psychosis fuses rock, jazz, ambient, and dub, and presents the concept of “post-rock” as a concrete sound for the first time.

The term “post-rock” itself was later popularized by music critic Simon Reynolds.

However, many musicians point to ““Hex’’ as the album that first perfected this idea.

Lock is over here.

But the guitar remains.

There’s bass and drums.

Still, it doesn’t sound like rock.

"”Hex’’ marked the beginning of a new era of creating music that was not rock music while using rock instrumentation.

Create a “space” rather than a performance

In “Hex,” the performance itself is not the goal.

The guitar makes the air vibrate more than the chords.

The drums create pauses, like breathing, rather than a beat.

Rather than supporting the rhythm, the bass forms the center of gravity of the sound field.

Each instrument is not the main character.

Together, they become the materials for constructing a single “space.”

This idea was significant in that it was realized in the form of a rock band, although it was influenced by ambient and dub.

Studio becomes the fifth member

Recording technology itself plays an important role in the production of ““Hex.’’

reverberation.

microphone distance.

Subtle environmental sounds.

Volume difference.

These are not decorations added after the performance.

It is designed as the structure of the song itself.

The studio is not just a recording location, it also functions as an ““instrument’’.

This idea deeply permeated not only later post-rock, but also contemporary indie and electronica.

Music that doesn’t explain “emotions”

Pop music conveys emotions through words.

Rock music explodes emotions through performance.

But “Hex” is different.

Don’t explain your feelings.

Silent repetition.

A guitar that seems to disappear.

Long aftertaste.

Through this accumulation, the listener will find their own emotions.

This ““music that leaves things open to interpretation’’ became a major feature of post-rock and film music that followed.

The origin of 21st century instrumental music

The influence left behind by ““Hex’’ extends beyond the post-rock genre.

Mogwai.

Explosions in the Sky.

Mono.

God is an Astronaut.

Furthermore, its lineage can be seen in the accompaniments of modern films and the environmental approach of game music.

The idea of ​​”“reducing the number of sounds and speaking in space’’ became an important foundation for 21st century instrumental music as a whole.

Why is it ranked 90th?

"”Hex’’ is a historical work that embodies the concept of post-rock as a sound and fundamentally expands the possibilities of a rock band.

His influence extends not only to post-rock acts such as Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Mono, but also to film music and contemporary instrumental music.

In this ranking, ““Spirit of Eden” (61st place) and ““Laughing Stock” (89th place) are ranked higher as works that pioneered this trend, so we placed it at 90th place. However, ““Hex” is a definitive work that established this idea as a genre, and it is extremely significant in completing a new musical language called ““rock that speaks in space.”

”“‘Hex” presented the idea of ​​post-rock as a complete sound for the first time, and evolved rock into “the art of designing spaces.’ Due to its historical significance, it is ranked 90th in this ranking.’‘