I've never really been into "noise music" as such, but it has some crossover into other genres I'm more familiar with.
Interesting to see Zoviet France in that list - one of my favourite artists is "Rapoon" (Robin Storey), a former member of Zoviet France, who has released some very atmospheric ambient / electronic albums. Also I'm familiar with Angel Marcloid in her guise as "Fire-Toolz," but more in association with Vaporwave and its offshoots.
I watched a couple of good videos about noise music on the "deep cuts" channel, which has some useful "5 albums to get you into..." introductory videos to various genres of music. The first discusses the concept of noise music in general, the second focuses on the intriguingly named "Power Electronics."
deep cuts - Talking About Noise Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgI082zbtM
deep cuts - 5 Albums to Get You Into POWER ELECTRONICS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3-4BTEEpRY
One of the artists mentioned on wikipedia as being historically associated with noise music (via industrial music) is Cabaret Voltaire. Richard H. Kirk, one of the members of Cabaret Voltaire, later had a prolific and varied solo career under a wide range of aliases. Probably my first exposure to anything approaching noise music was his album "Ugly Spirit," particularly the track "Frankie Machine," a strange and disorienting arrangement incorporating film noir samples and harsh noises. A Youtube comment on one of the album tracks describes it as "industrial jazz" - overall, the album "Ugly Spirit" is fairly accessible and listenable despite being somewhat experimental.
Richard H. Kirk - Frankie Machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAdwfRneW3o
Richard H. Kirk also released a lot of more danceable electronic music. One of my favourite tracks is "With False Identity" from an album titled "Loopstatic: Amine β Ring Modulations." If you're not a fan of acid techno, this will perhaps sound like noise music with a bassline. I was googling to find out exactly what
ring modulation involved. A ring modulator seems to be a piece of electronic equipment or circuitry related to oscillators / synthesizers, and is mentioned as being used on the "Forbidden Planet" soundtrack.
Ring modulation basically involves taking two separate inputted signals, and outputting something new made up of the sum and differences of those signals. To calculate this new output, a ring modulator will typically take the input signal from any instrument and mix it with a second signal generated by an internal oscillator.
From the Wikipedia article on
ring modulation:
Two oscillators, whose frequencies were harmonically related and ring modulated against each other, produce sounds that still adhere to the harmonic partials of the notes, but contain a very different spectral make up. When the oscillators' frequencies are not harmonically related, ring modulation creates inharmonics, often producing bell-like or otherwise metallic sounds.
On "With False Identity," I assume the ring modulator is producing the wonderful electronic swooping howling noises that overlay the rest of the track:
Richard H. Kirk - With False Identity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsseFh5Nkjw
While searching for "Amine β Ring modulations" I found a bizarre 1975 album by Lou Reed titled "Metal Machine Music." To me it sounds like electric guitar feedback looped through ice cream van speakers. I swear I can hear the distorted chimes of an ice cream van (along with a cat miaowing occasionally) buried in the background, as though Lou Reed is parked in the street selling ices, while launching some sort of sonic attack on the neighbourhood children.
Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music, Pt. 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w02O-XdsXE
These chiming, bell-like sounds in the background also remind me of
Raymond Scott and his "Manhattan Research" company of the 50s and 60s, which apparently also used ring modulators:
In 1946, he established Manhattan Research, a division of Raymond Scott Enterprises. As well as designing audio devices for personal use, Manhattan Research provided customers with sales and service for a variety of devices, including components such as ring modulators, wave, tone, and envelope shapers, modulators, and filters. Of interest were the "keyboard theremin", "chromatic electronic drum generators", and "circle generators". Scott described Manhattan Research as "More than a think factory—a dream center where the excitement of tomorrow is made available today." Bob Moog, developer of the Moog Synthesizer, met Scott in the 1950s, designed circuits for him in the 1960s, and considered him an important influence.
Relying on several instruments of his invention, such as the Clavivox and Electronium, Scott recorded futuristic electronic compositions for use in television and radio commercials and records of electronic music.
Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research Inc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SW6qVLSVzw
It's interesting that noise music is sometimes compared to ambient music, at least in the approach to listening to it. At the extremes, ambient music could perhaps be considered as adding atmospheric sounds to a background of calm, while noise music can sometimes sound like someone subtly modifying a wall of noise (I'm thinking of Merzbow's "Pulse Demon" album mentioned in the Pad Chennington video posted earlier). As if to demonstrate this link, someone has overlaid Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" with Brian Eno's "Music For Airports" to create this mashup:
Metal Machine Music for Airports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17AiDQ2b0ww
