A Synthesis Music Project
by Ashley Catalan
Everyone loves a good electronic disco. It gives music more of a personality than it already has, either boosted highs or lows and incorporating weird twists and turns. EDM has evolved from its humble yet strong entrance into the music world, leaving a long-lasting presence for generations to enjoy. But in order for the genre to become the way it is today, we must go back and see how the genre was first used.
What is Synthesis?
By far, the most famous aspect of electronic music is its synthesizers. Synthesizers give musicians the ability to shape music into any way they want by manipulating any electronic device. It allows musicians to change nearly every aspect of music, from the duration of a sound wave, the waveshape, the way it’s generated, and even altering the sound wave itself. It works almost as a science due to the many different factors musicians have to consider to compose a song to their liking, but first, someone has to figure out how this science even works. This leads us to one of the best examples of presenting synthesis.
Musique Numerique
Once we get to the late 1970s/early 1980s, we see the boundaries of music become non-existent. Especially with Daniel Arfib's album: Musique Numerique. The album was created in 1979 and wasn't officially released until 1980. Mnémothèque Internationale des Sciences et Arts published it en Musique Électroacoustique in Bourges, France. The album was even "re-issued" by Creel Pone, listed as C.P. 088 CD. The album lasts thirty-six minutes and thirteen seconds, consisting of what the producer loved: pure synthesis. But for the sake of time, we'll focus on the first song of the album: Le Souffle Du Duox.
The Composer
But before we delve deep about the piece, let's learn about the creator: Daniel Arfib. Daniel actually was never a musician, initially receiving his engineering degree from École Centrale, Paris, France and his PhD from the University of Aix-Marseille II, Marseille, France. Daniel Arfib’s foremost study of focus is synthesis. He currently holds the Director of Research at the Laboratory of Mechanics and Acoustics position at the CNR’s de Marseille.
His work consists of his album LP Musique Numerique (1980), which focuses on purse synthesis. His album won him several awards, and although he did not continue creating music afterward, he worked closely with music technology and synthesis. In 2003, Daniel, alongside Jean-Michel Courtier and Loic Kessous, released a conference paper explaining the design and use of new digital instruments. Since then, he has hosted festivals and conventions and participated in several concerts with collaborators, including Alexander Mourier Vincent Verfaille.
Creating the Art
About a decade before Arfib created Le Souffle Du Doux, Music V was created—the most widely used sound synthesis program developed. "Music V consists of computer models of oscillator and amplifier modules, plus procedures for establishing interactions among the modules. " - Britannica. With this in mind, we must consider that Daniel was never a professional musician, graduating with an engineering degree and no history in composing music. Instead of writing usually, he would use a computer and translate computer data into the Music V Language. Giving it its unique "numeric music" sound.
Interpretations of the Music
Obviously, due to this being a factor of music, the song will be up to interpretation, leaving many behind. One of them is on the back of the album itself. Unfortunately, due to the album’s lack of popularity and being in French, it is unknown who the critic is. Yet Alpha State gives a good summary of the writing on the back of the album. The critic takes on a very scientific way, analyzing the music instead of enjoying it. The following points are brought up:
bubbling, overloaded overtone-blobs & distant wind-creep & resonant jaw-harp-like attacks of “Voyelles d’Eveil” - based on interpolations of the harmonic series more noise-oriented - pitched, narrow-band noise slow arcs of octave-doubled tones slide in & around, morphing mathematically-proportioned drones a shifting morass of dissonant tone combinations before a series of chugging, low-bit white-noise formations pave the way for a full-volume explosion of rippling, panning, harsh noise doesn’t resemble certain factions of the contemporary chip-noise / circuit-bending wave.
Yet if someone is looking for more of an environment of vibe type of feeling, I am willing to share my own opinions:
It's mainly confusion, almost giving a headache due to the different array of noises and pitches. The song is almost overwhelming, almost giving a science-fiction type of feel to it, as if you're about to get abducted. It's confusing, loud, and overwhelming, like a Transformers movie. But after several listens, you start noticing the different aspects Daniel adds to the piece, such as the low pitches and its reverb, as well as the high pitches and the rhythms they follow. It allows you to finally gain an appreciation for it and realize the types of breakthroughs this piece has caused.
How do You Listen to This Piece? Now, how do you listen to such a unique piece? It's honestly a hard piece to get through, especially if you're sensitive to sound or easily overwhelmed. I remember listening to the song the first time, having to start and stop several times before building up the tolerance to listen to all ten minutes of the piece. However, the best way to listen to and process Daniel Arfib's piece is to find time and clear your head beforehand. Set aside half an hour, lay on the floor (preferably a carpet), and grab noise-canceling headphones. It'll make you uncomfortable and may even hurt, but to properly experience the piece, it has to be accepted as it is part of the experience. This piece is too unique and is made in such a specific manner that it cannot be replicated by a musician at a concert. The current audio is the only way to listen to Le Souffle Du Doux. All in all, this is not a piece to sit down and enjoy. It is one to appreciate and analyze.
Is there a Reason?
Music never has a reason. That's what makes it so unique!
But as said before, Le Souffle Du Doux is extremely unique and doesn't fit in a category of music (Pop, Rock, Techno, etc.) while it is considered Electronic, it isn't necessarily the electronic music we imagine nowadays. Daniel doesn't seem to be heading toward an aesthetic when making Le Souffle Du Doux. Mainly just testing the limits (if any) of music. At the time, the program was still decently new, and with Daniel being so interested in synthesis, he took this project as if it were a science project. This seems accurate because shortly after the project release (1982), Daniel released a paper labeled "Is Music V a Real-Time Program?" figuring out if Music V can work just as well as a real-time machine.
Daniel didn't make a piece for us to necessarily "enjoy," it's not a piece we can properly sing or dance to, but it is one we can use to appreciate. It’s a piece that allows the audience to truly appreciate how far technology has evolved, now being able to convert data into music. While today isn’t too groundbreaking, it was during its release date in 1980.
The end product makes it leaves the aesthetic of an almost horror type of sound, due to it mainly leaving us with the thought of “What did I just listen to.” which is a benefit and makes it even more fascinating with what Daniel was developing.
Le Souffle Du Duox has a duration of ten minutes and twenty-eight seconds. While it is long for an average song, Le Souffle Du Duox isn't your average pop song.
According to UNT Digital Libraries, the song is a "play on simple elements always harmonically connected, voluntarily limited to the point of view of the choice of the timbres, it is the relation between the Bottom and the Top..."