An “Aesthetic of Failure”, Glitch Hop

An introduction to glitchy art from the geniuses over at PBS Idea Channel…

“Here’s an idea, Glitchy artwork can shows us how beautiful ‘broken’ really is!”

Glitch Hop noun : “A style of electronic music that emerged in the mid to late 1990s. It has been described as a genre that adheres to an “aesthetic of failure,” where the deliberate use of glitch based audio media, and other sonic artifacts, is a central concern.” (1)

So, what does this ‘deliberate use of glitch based audio and other sonic artifacts’ actually sound like?

Let’s start of with the three producer group, whose name is synonymous with the genre…

The Glitch Mob (edIT, Boreta, and Ooah)

With the explosion of the electronic dance music scene in the past few years (Electronic Cash Kings 2013), it isn’t surprising that some of the more fringe sub-genres are also experiencing some success. So if you’ve grown tired with traditional dubstep or brostep and are looking for something fresh, I would strongly recommend Glitch Hop!

Some of my favorite artists to wet your appetite!

Pyramyth (Guillermo Gonzalez)

“Pyramyth is Mexican DJ, producer, musician and remixer Guillermo Gonzalez. Influenced by an electric charge with varying range and rhythm, an ever-changing sound and a rich and colorful musical background.”(2) Check him out of Pyramyth Facebook.

One of his more popular glitch hop tracks, Cowbell Rock references a classic Saturday Night Live skit.

And a single from his new EP, Heavy (released 2013/07/08)

Savant (Aleksander Vinter)

“Hailing from Oslo, Norway SAVANT, known by birth as Aleksander Vinter, was not a name chosen but rather a description. He has Aspergers Syndrome. With production, and in performance it is a gift of an extraordinary musical splinter skills. He has created over 10,000 songs from Classical to Black Metal, Dubstep and everything in between.”(3) Check him out on Savant Facebook. Not only has he produced over 10,000 songs, but he has also (in collaboration with D Pad Studio) released a video game Savant Ascent, which I would strongly recommend checking out!

Having just released his seventh full length album in  2 years, here is one of the best glitch hop tracks on Cult (released 2013/07/07).

And one of my personal favorites, sampling from none other than Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite.
http://youtu.be/4224x8SCdww

Some other artists to check out: Pegboard Nerds, Opiuo, Xilent, Far Too Loud, and Staunch.

The genre of glitch hop is quite expansive, what are some of your favorite songs/artists?

References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch_(music)
2. http://www.beatport.com/artist/pyramyth/210665
3. http://www.savantofficial.com/bio/

A special thank you to Brendan Powers