When Bob Dylan 'Went Electric': The Inside Story of the Night Rock Changed Forever Revealed in New Documentary
people.com
Because some are experimental artists, musicians often push the envelope of what's possible with new technology when it comes along.
We saw this in the 50's with Les Paul's electric guitar. We saw this in the 60's with the wah-wah pedal, studios as instruments, new amps with new sound effects, and electric organs.
In the 70's the keyboard tech continued to improve, and this gave us lots of prog rock and disco music. The Clavinova was invented, and even the Rolling Stones were using it. We also got Frankenstein from Edgar Winter thanks to the new synthesizer. Stevie Wonder had an un-matched 3-album run that featured synthesizers, Clavinova, and basically a 1-man band.
In the late 70's and early 80's, synthesizers really came into their own, and drum machines started to gain acceptance. In the early 80's, we started to see the creative mixology of the club DJ, and sampling begat rap music. With computers becoming ubiquitous, we finally got Pro Tools, the standard for mixing.
Today we have musicians at home who can use their computers to do what used to only be possible in an expensive studio with expensive musicians and predatory record companies.
Basically, technology enabled greater freedom of expression for artists who crave pushing the creative envelope, and the trend continues even today. |
