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Telharmonium - Mark I
The Telharmonium was an early electrical organ, developed by Thaddeus Cahill created in 1896 and patented in 1897. The final design, patented in 1897, had twelve separate alternating-current generators, to generate electric waves, to produce the twelve basic tones of the musical scale, that would be controlled by a keyboard and heard through a telephone receiver. By 1901, Cahill had constructed a working model, to seek financial backing for a finished machine. The Mark I weighed 7 tons. -
Intonarumoris
Intonarumori Intonarumori are experimental musical instruments invented and built by the Italian futurist Luigi Russolo between roughly 1910 and 1930. Russolo built these instruments to perform the music outlined in his The Art of Noises manifesto written in 1913 and published in book form in 1916. -
The Art of Noises - Luigi Russolo
The Art of Noise is a Futurist manifesto written by Luigi Russolo in a 1913. Russolo argues that the human ear has become accustomed to the speed, energy, and noise of the urban industrial soundscape. This new sonic palette requires a new approach to musical instrumentation & composition. Technology will allow futurist musicians to "substitute for the limited variety of timbres that the orchestra possesses today the infinite variety of timbres in noises, reproduced with appropriate mechanisms". -
Opening of the Panama Canal
After a long series of political events that include the involvement of slave work and the independence of Panama from Colombia, the Panama Canal opened for traffic August 15, 1914 to change commercial routes for the entire world and the political, geological and financial landscape of the region. -
Bolshevik Revolution
After sustaining territorial losses in the early twentieth century and devastating loss of life during World War I, the czarist regime in Russia was on the verge of collapse. In early 1917, protests led by working-class women, and joined by factory workers and deserted soldiers, escalated into a revolution. By the end of the year, revolutionaries overthrew Tsar Nicholas II & established a provisional democratic government in the country. This kicked off a period of seismic change within Russia. -
Theremin
The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which function not as radio antennas but rather as position sensors. Each antenna forms one half of a capacitor with each of the thereminist's hands as the other half of the capacitor. -
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Great Depression
Before World War I, the global economy was booming. Technological advances (such as the steamship and the telegraph) coupled with trade and investment sparked an era of economic growth. The postwar world scenery: countries grew protectionist, and trade and immigration restrictions followed. When the U.S. stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, the Great Depression was already starting to affect countries around the globe. The depression spread to Europe by 1931. -
Ecuatorial - Edgar Varese
Ecuatorial, was completed in 1934, and contained parts for two fingerboard Theremin cellos, along with winds, percussion, and a bass singer. Anticipating the successful receipt of one of his grants, Varèse eagerly returned to the United States to realize his electronic music. Slonimsky conducted its premiere in New York on April 15, 1934. Edgard Varèse - Ecuatorial - Ensemble intercontemporain -
Spanish Civil War
As authoritarian or far-right governments came to power across Europe, Spain was ripe for civil conflict. In July of 1936, a coup in Spain pitted the country’s liberal and leftist Republican government against the Nationalists. The Nationalists were a group of fascist rebels led by General Francisco Franco who were eager to overthrow the Spanish Second Republic. Germany used the conflict to test-run blitzkrieg, or lightning war. -
Free Music No. 1 (For Four Theremins)
Not much information is found about this piece. Percy Grainger - Free Music No. 1 (For Four Theremins) [1936] -
Imaginary Landscapes No. 1
Imaginary Landscape No. 1 is the first composition for records of constant and variable frequency, it also includes large chinese cymbal and string piano by American composer John Cage and the first in the series of Imaginary Landscapes. It was composed in 1939. -
CSIRAC
CSIRAC (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Automatic Computer), originally known as CSIR Mk 1, was Australia's first digital computer, and the fifth stored program computer in the world. It is the oldest surviving first-generation electronic computer, and was the first in the world to play digital music. The CSIRAC was constructed by a team led by Trevor Pearcey and Maston Beard, working in large part independently of similar efforts across Europe and the United States. -
End of Korean War
The Korean War ends after three years of inconclusive fighting. An armistice is signed and the boundary between North and South Korea is drawn at the 38th parallel. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board of Education decision is handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court saying that “separate but equal” school systems are unconstitutional. An era of desegregation of schools is instituted. -
RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer
The RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer was the first programmable electronic synthesizer and the flagship piece of equipment at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Designed by Herbert Belar and Harry Olson at RCA, with contributions by Vladimir Ussachevsky and Peter Mauzey, it was installed at Columbia University in 1957. Consisting of a room-sized array of interconnected sound synthesis components, the Mark II had flexibility and twice the number of tone oscillators as the Mark I. -
Illiac Suite - Lejaren Hiller
Illiac Suite (later retitled String Quartet No. 4) is a 1957 composition for string quartet which is generally agreed to be the first score composed by an electronic computer. Lejaren Hiller, in collaboration with Leonard Isaacson, programmed the ILLIAC I computer at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (where both composers were professors) to generate compositional material for his String Quartet No. 4. Lejaren Hiller - Illiac Suite -
Leiyla and the Poet - El-Dabh's
Leiyla and the Poet, a 1959 series of electronic compositions that stood out for its immersion and seamless fusion of electronic and folk music, in contrast to the more mathematical approach used by serial composers of the time such as Babbitt. El-Dabh's Leiyla and the Poet, released as part of the album Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in 1961, would be cited as a strong influence by a number of musicians. Leiyla and the Poet -
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Dub music - Jamaica
Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style. Generally, dub consists of remixes of existing recordings created by manipulating the original, through the removal of vocal parts, emphasis of the rhythm section, the application of effects as echo and reverb, and the occasional vocal or instrumental sample from other works. -
Nelson Mandela's Arrest
Nelson Mandela, deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC), is arrested in South Africa for agitating against apartheid laws. This will be the beginning of a long journey of anti segregation and equality movements worldwide. -
US Led Coupe in Honduras
Democratically Elected President Ramón Villeda Morales was taken down to place a president that better aligned with the Transnationals and American Banana Companies. This being just one more out of a series of operations that the US led in Latin-America named Operation Condor.
With the purpose to control the political results and leaders of the region. This would set up the seeds for a massive immigration in the latter 20th Century and earlier 21st. -
Mikrophonie - Stockhausen
Mikrophonie is the title given by Karlheinz Stockhausen to two of his compositions, written in 1964 and 1965, in which "normally inaudible vibrations ... are made audible by an active process of sound detection (comparable to the auscultation of a body by a physician); the microphone is used actively as a musical instrument, in contrast to its former passive function of reproducing sounds as faithfully as possible". Mikrophonie - Stockhausen -
Switched-On Bach wins Grammys
Switched-On Bach is a bestselling album of Bach compositions arranged for Moog synthesizer by American composer Wendy Carlos. The album achieved critical and commercial success, winning the 1970 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album, Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (With or Without Orchestra), and Best Engineered Classical Recording. Author has limited access to analog only. -
Dub Of A Woman - King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Dub Of A Woman -
Pinochet Takes Power in Chile
Augusto Pinochet leads a military junta that overthrows the socialist government of President Salvador Allende of Chile. During Pinochet's dictatorial reign, tens of thousands of his opponents are tortured. Another US led/backed coupe from Operation Condor. -
The Beatles Dissolve
On 10 April 1970, McCartney said in a press release that he was no longer working with the group, which sparked a widespread media reaction and worsened the tensions between him and his bandmates. Legal disputes continued long after his announcement, and the dissolution was not formalised until 29 December 1974. Could this have given electronic music a bigger space and platform to grow in the 70s? -
First Commercial Sampler
The Melodian was a monophonic synthesizer with 12-bit analog-to-digital sampling at rates up to 22 kHz. Computer Music Inc. was started in New Jersey in 1972 by Harry Mendell and Dan Coren. The company was established to produce musical instruments based on computer software. The Melodian, developed in 1976, was based on Digital Equipment Corporation's PDP-8 computer.. The Melodian was first used by Stevie Wonder on his album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" (1979). -
Europe Endless - Kraftwerk
Between 1977 and 1981, Kraftwerk released albums such as Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine or Computer World, which influenced subgenres of electronic music. Europe Endless -
Hiroshima Mon Amour - Ultravox
Synth-pop pioneering bands which enjoyed success for years included Ultravox with their 1977 track "Hiroshima Mon Amour" on Ha!-Ha!-Ha! Hiroshima Mon Amour -
Jonestown Massacre
More than 900 followers of Jim Jones and the California-based Peoples Temple die by suicide or are murdered in Jonestown, Guyana. It is one of the largest mass deaths in American history. -
Compact Disc
The compact disc begins to appear in record stores. Within a decade the small, digital discs will all but replace phonograph records and radically improve the quality of music recording. -
KORG Poly-800
The Korg Poly-800 is a synthesizer released by Korg in 1983. Its initial list price of $795 made it the first fully programmable synthesizer that sold for less than $1000. It had 8-voice polyphony with one Digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) per voice. Making the entry to electronic music making more accessible. -
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First "Eurobeat" Album Released
This style of music that was popular at the clubs was exclusively from Europe, and it was dance music, so it centered around the beat, so "Euro-beat". The term "Eurobeat" first officially appeared on the Eurobeat Fantasy compilation album, released by Pony Canyon in 1986. -
So Long (Original Mix) - Mark Farina
Mark Farina (born March 25, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is an American disc jockey and musician, known for his Chicago house, acid jazz and downtempo works. His notable releases include Mood (KMS Records, 1989) and the Mushroom Jazz series (Om Records, 1996–2011), and recently known also from house compilations El Divinio. So Long -
Berlin Wall
Long a symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall falls. For nearly 30 years the concrete barrier surrounded West Berlin, preventing access to it from East Germany. -
View from Space
The Hubble Space Telescope is launched. It is the first sophisticated optical observatory placed into orbit around Earth. -
First Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is currently the largest electronic dance music festival in North America. The first Electric Daisy Carnival was held in 1991, and was first organized by Stephen Hauptfuhr. EDC has become one of the most prestigious festivals alongside Tomorrowland and UMF. -
Spaceboy - Dave Rodgers
"Space Boy" is a song by Giancarlo Pasquini under his alias Dave Rodgers. Written by Pasquini, Fabrizio Rizzolo and Giuseppe Mauro, and produced by Pasquini as Dave Rodgers in 1997, the song made its first appearance in the anime adaptation of Initial D First Stage on April 18, 1998, then it was released in "Super Eurobeat Vol. 87" on April 22. Spaceboy -
Trip Like I Do - The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method really shaped the later stage of the 90s Electronic sound. They would later get asked to make a song for Need for Speed Underground 1 for its release in 2002 Trip like I do -
Initial D gets released
Initial D, anime about street car racing in the mountains of Japan releases with exclusively Modern Eurobeat Music as its soundtrack. Pushing Eurobeat to an aesthetic that will maintain it alive as long as car affinity exists as a subculture. Eventually this leads to Phonk being influenced and adopted by the "car guy"/street racer subculture. -
Columbine Shooting
In one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, two students attack Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 13 before taking their own lives. -
One more time - Daft Punk
One More Time" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. The video forms part of the 2003 anime film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. "One More Time" reached number one on the French Singles Chart, number two on the UK Singles Chart, and number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100. One more time - Daft Punk -
ISS Opens
The International Space Station becomes fully operational with the arrival of its first resident crew. -
Ableton Live gets released
Live was created by Gerhard Behles, Robert Henke and Bernd Roggendorf in the mid-1990s.
They released the first commercial version of Live on October 30, 2001. -
Kontakt gets released
First introduced in 2002, Kontakt combines sampler functionality with elements of synthesis and effects.Kontakt works as either a stand-alone application or as a plug-in on both Mac and Windows platforms. Until this day Kontakt is one of the leading softwares in its kind. -
Satisfaction - Benny Benassi
"Satisfaction" is a song by Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was released in Italy in June 2002 as the lead single from his album Hypnotica. Using MacinTalk, the song's vocals consist of two speech synthesizers, one male and one female, repeatedly saying "Push me and then just touch me till I can get my satisfaction". The track was Benassi's debut single and most successful song, peaking at number two in the UK and multiple countries. Satisfaction -
US Backed Coup of Manuel Zelaya Rosales in Honduras
Coup by the conservative political party of Honduras enabled and ratified by the US. -
Skrillex Debuts his solo EP
On June 7, 2010, Moore released his official Skrillex debut EP, My Name Is Skrillex as a free download. Leading Dubstep and bringing a whole new set of ideas that will disrupt the mainstream sounds and might even pose the question of "What is music?" to some of the average radio listener. -
Animals - Martin Garrix
Martin Garrix has being able to understand the musical landscape of his times and not only adapt to it but also leave his thumbprint on it. Animals by Martin Garrix dominated the streams of Big Room House Music for a while after its release. Garrix is still relevant to this day for multiple of his hits in the 2010s and continues to release new music. Animals -
Honduras Electoral Fraud
Electoral Fraud through a series of strange events later ratified by the OAN (a US-institution). President elected from that fraud is currently on trial for drug trafficking and accepting money from the Sinaloa Cartel to finance the campaigns in exchange to help them move drugs to the US. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The moment for full marriage equality finally arrived on June 26, 2015, with the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. In a landmark 5-4 decision, marriage equality became the law of the land and granted same-sex couples in all 50 states the right to full, equal recognition under the law. This would allow LGBTQ identities to develop further aesthetically and freely embrace/claim certain music subcultures. Such as hyperpop. -
Shelter | Collaboration: Porter Robinson, Madeon, A1 Studio, Crunchyroll
An animated music video with the music of Porter Robinson with the A1 Animation Studio. A mix of a US electronic music producer with one of the top Japanese animation studios to produce an amazing audiovisual experience. -
Beat Music (Live) - Mark Guiliana
This live performance of Mark Guiliana's band is the perfect mix of avant garde, jazz, acid house, taping and electronic music with synthesizers. Mark Guiliana - Beat Music
