The guitar in the 21st century

Spectra: guitar in the 21st century is an interesting compilation published by the netlabel quietdesign.

The musicians represented are largely unknown to most, but all are committed to expanding the possibilities of this instrument, often through the inclusion of electronics. And in my opinion, this is one of the cases in which cutting-edge electroacoustics clearly transcends "academic" research. While the latter is still struggling with the problem of incorporating electronics into largely acoustic compositions, with the attendant issues such as standardizing the score, these guys, who must certainly be joined by musicians like Hans Reichel and Fred Frith, are taking action.

Of course, one might argue that their level of planning is perhaps lacking, but when sound research exists, planning follows; it's just a matter of developing ideas starting from the sound materials.

The artists involved are:

tetuzi akiyama
cory allen
erdem helvacioglu
jandek
kim myhr
duane pitre
sebastien roux
keith rowe
mike vernusky

Some excerpts:

Sebastien Roux + Kim Myhr – Six (excerpt)
Erdem Helvacıoğlu – The end of the world (excerpt)

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