Noise And Beauty

[Andrew McIntosh]

In an interview, Chris Groves mentioned he thought Toshiji Mikawa's album "Gyo-Kai Elegy" to be beautiful. I have to admit it took me by surprise as until then, I hadn't really equated Noise with anything that could be called beauty. It's still an interesting idea to me. I had always happily equated Noise with ugliness, filth, anger, all the so-called "negative" emotions (which I don't always regard as a negative). But as others have pointed out before, Noise can exhilarate to such a positive level that one can find beauty in it.

What do others think? Can Noise be beautiful? Should it be? Why?

[rottingmouth]

There's definitely some harsh noise that I would say is beautiful.  A lot of work by Incapacitants & Mikawa seems to me to be positive and in some cases beautiful.  It's harnessing pure energy and building it to impossible levels so it's both cathartic and frightening.  Another name that comes to mind is Lasse Marhaug, not his whole body of work of course but parts of it.

[heretogo]

Definitely. The bands/artists mentioned above are perfect examples of beauty in noise. I mean, I don't see anything negative or ugly in Incapacitants, it's just overwhelming joy. I guess not beautiful in the traditional aesthetic sense but for me, at least it serves exactly the same purpose as looking at a beautiful sunset or a masterful painting. Positive vibes all the way. Keränen is another example. Noise that is brimming with life and pleasure. Sure, sometimes it's drunken pleasure but there's beauty in that too, hah!
I would even go as far as to say that in its primal form noise IS beauty. People hang all these concepts of filth and degradation on it but to me pure noise is just a celebration of energy and life.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I would think band like AUBE.
I can't think what exactly is negative in textures of water or many other sources he uses. In artwork or the titles, it goes on the routes like "spindrift", "drip", "metal de metal" etc.. but sometimes perhaps something associated with negative:  "hydrophobia", "frequency for collapse", etc...
Always somewhat elegant sharp lined design too.

Listening also to for example Archane Device. It is exactly noisE, is another debate, but his approach to feedback is not like XE or Sutcliffe Jugend. It's purely beautiful. Perhaps same could be said about bands like Small Cruel Party of Chop Shop. They may not be pure noise, and they may apply aesthetic of rust and decay, but in very beautiful way.

[Zeno Marx]

When I think of beauty in noise, I first come to thoughts of crystalline structures, like you'd find in some of Gelsomina's material.  Glass, cacophonies of shattering glass (Einleitungszeit), and particular tones and timbre of shimmering glass.  It's from a pedestrian definition, but that's all right.

[heretogo]

I guess there are (at least) two main sources of beauty in noise. One is the nature of the particular tones and sounds that Mikko and Zeno refer to. And the other one is the structure and form of liberating and joyous (harsh) noise. The first one I appreciate more on the rational level, like I would admire and enjoy a delicate flower. The second is something that at its best just overwhelms me, beautiful ecstasy if you will.

[tiny_tove]

I see beauty in engines, white marble walls, lakes and beasts fighting.
So listening to recordings of BMW engines is as intense and mesmerizing as the sound of water.

[GEWALTMONOPOL]

Spoken like a true Italian Futurist. Well said Marco, well fucking said!

Thinking of the quote "beauty exists only in struggle". To me PE and industrial is the sound of struggle be it individual or collective which is by itself beautiful.

It's much more rare to find those qualities in noise. There's too much chancery, "humour", "noise is fun" and general faggotry to take it seriously. It's unfocused and weak willed. A sound by and for the feeble and feeble can never be beautiful.

[A.R.GH]

Noise can be about everything and nothing, that's one of the qualities I love about it, no restriction in topic, aproach, methods, etc.total freedom.

I don't even reject the humour stuff, it's still valid for me, why can't be fun and ridiculous?
ca be fun, can be ugly, can be serious (and also the seriousness of a topic depends on who listen, for some , a "serious" topic can be considered "just a joke")

what's serious for some, can be stupid for others, it's all relative.

[martialgodmask]

I'm not particularly a fan of humour in any music, I think mostly due to the difference in what some musicians think is "funny" compared to what I find actually funny.

Digressing from the original point/post somewhat however. I can see beauty in a lot of noise, and in sound generally. One thing I have enjoyed most recently is standing in my garden with a cigarette after midnight, hearing sudden eruptions of rail noise from the nearby train station, the way it squeels, grates and clatters, carried in the breeze... the glimpse of something much bigger, presented very brief but enough to fill your mind with the rest of the picture. I find that quite beautiful.

[xdementia]

I've definitely thought this from the early days of getting into noise. A lot of noise is beautiful, I guess I consider beauty to be comprised of at least some, if not many negative aspects. The idea of perfection is ugly to me, flaw, sadness, regret, and anger is beautiful.

[Zeno Marx]

Nebris made some beautiful noise.  Had that organic feel to it.  I could have used a few more chapters to Bleak Angels.

[STREETMEAT]

my cock makes beautiful noise.

[Antti O.]

I find this question very interesting and difficult.

The saying goes: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
In the EYE, not in the EAR.

I think there is a fundamental difference between viewing and hearing beauty.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krazydad/4136130/in/photostream/

A mosaic art work can be beautiful, but I'm not sure if it's the same case with noise. I would say that beauty in sound requires notes and chords of some sort and noise does not fill that requirement.

I can see the energy, vitality and pleasure in noise, but in my opinion it still isn't actual beauty.

[martialgodmask]

I find this question very interesting and difficult.

The saying goes: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
In the EYE, not in the EAR.

I think there is a fundamental difference between viewing and hearing beauty.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krazydad/4136130/in/photostream/

A mosaic art work can be beautiful, but I'm not sure if it's the same case with noise. I would say that beauty in sound requires notes and chords of some sort and noise does not fill that requirement.

I can see the energy, vitality and pleasure in noise, but in my opinion it still isn't actual beauty.

If looking at the expression very literally, perhaps. I personally don't see the problem in applying it to aural sensation also.