Why Do You Listen To Noise? (I'm writing an opinion article)

[Zeno Marx]

What IS music

the element of intent.  the last toilet remaining in a shipping warehouse vs a sole toilet sitting in the middle of a show room or gallery or even a parking lot with spectacle in mind.  (oversimplified example, but it should suffice)

[A.R.GH]

It just triggers something in (probably)the most rudimentary part of the brain that estimulates me and makes me feel good, a rush, similar to what any other kind of extreme music made for me before, but maybe intensified  a thousand times, feels right, just like, for instance, the first time I listened to some extreme metal albums (10 -12 years old), just felt right even without the understanding of how an electric guitar is played in metal, etc...I was just listening to sounds and later developed an understanding of how all this music is made and became more "cerebral".
I think that's maybe one of thing that happens with noise, you get the rush, you get the feeling, but not always can figure out what's going on or how is this people playing their "instruments",you are  just receiving the raw sound, texture, etc... 

just some early morning ramblings....

[ImpulsyStetoskopu]

What IS music

the element of intent.  the last toilet remaining in a shipping warehouse vs a sole toilet sitting in the middle of a show room or gallery or even a parking lot with spectacle in mind.  (oversimplified example, but it should suffice)

I share this opinion. Before coming avant-garde in the begining of XX century,  definition of music included harmony, melody and rhythm. So, in my opinion after avant-garde this definition was changed and had to include all less or more consciuos (artist's choice) acts on sound. The HATERS (or The NEW BLOCKADERS) says that he doesn't do music, only antimusic, but I am sured they still do music.

[RyanWreck]

I agree that Mikko pretty much covers why Noise is appealing to most of us. I would add just a few other things. Most music, especially music with words, is limiting and usually has a small scope of interpretation/apprehension. Noise on the other hand is pure to me, pure sound that seems to ignore that hurdle which most mainstream music creates. Sound is more universal than words and Noise, for me, is one of the best expressions of that pure sound. The feelings that Noise can evoke are almost never as direct as the lyrically/melody driven messages in pop music and even stuff like Drone or Classical which you can usually tell that a track is suppose to be "dark" or one that is "happy". Where traditional genres usually offer diliberate and consciously available narratives, Noise brings more complex, subtle ideas and narratives to the table, ideas that don't necessarily develop in a linear way.

Noise is not marketable, therefore the majority of the "music" is made for the sake of the "music", or whatever you wish to call it. Because Noise is not marketable it is obviously viewed as unorthodox and individualistic so association with the genre also provides a sense of community and because it is so underground it is a close knit community where the people you listen to you can actually talk with about their influences, what they use to create their sounds, etc.

Atmosphere. I don't think I need to go into details about this.

The themes of most Power Electronics and Noise releases appeal greatly to me, it is a composition of everything I enjoy and am interested in (sex/porn, war, violence, etc).

[ARKHE]

Where traditional genres usually offer diliberate and consciously available narratives, Noise brings more complex, subtle ideas and narratives to the table, ideas that don't necessarily develop in a linear way.

Very good point.

To me, it's a lot about the disruption of traditional musical form and sound - the first presentation of Industrial music I encountered, Einstürzende Neubauten, had that one important message: any sound can be music (Kraftwerk - Radioactivity had a say in that as well). Of course, my personal preferences led me to enjoy harsh and abrasive sounds, that's just relating to me as person coping with a harsh and abrasive existence. As Gewaltmonopol said, broken sounds for broken people. But that's the major appeal, the creation of music from unmusical sources and broken/unwanted sounds (feedback, jammed equipment, dying electronics, destroyed & decaying tapes). Broken sounds for a broken world.

I think Mikko had a good point as well in the arbitrariness of what is formulaic rock music - thinking the other day, what really led up to the standardization of the drum kit, for example? A lot of things of course (orchestral percussion into marching bands into proto-jazz kits a century ago), but that's where noise and industrial music disrupts that paradigm, at least for me as a listener (even though I, most of the time, still stay in the fringes of rock music).

Also that quote from Joseph Roemer comes to mind, which to me sums up the attraction of noise pretty well:

More like a mirror we reflect society, some things you might not ordinarily look at. A dark and perversely twisted photo-journalism. Freaks and other like-minded individuals aren't the only people who can look past "-isms" and "-ologies" to find a relevant voice. NOISE is as old as millions of years of volcanic eruption and mountain erosion. The modern industry of metal and machines added more to this mix. All we do is use everything at our disposal to record the true power that had been filling the airwaves since the beginning of time.

[Goat93]

Noise is not marketable, therefore the majority of the "music" is made for the sake of the "music", or whatever you wish to call it. Because Noise is not marketable it is obviously viewed as unorthodox and individualistic so association with the genre also provides a sense of community and because it is so underground it is a close knit community where the people you listen to you can actually talk with about their influences, what they use to create their sounds, etc.

Atmosphere. I don't think I need to go into details about this.

The themes of most Power Electronics and Noise releases appeal greatly to me, it is a composition of everything I enjoy and am interested in (sex/porn, war, violence, etc).

Noise is Marketabe, truly it is used Long time now already. There are different uses for it, may it be as Elements of other Music or as Sellout Name for other Music. But the Fascination of the Sounds itself is not only very old, it is also very Famous. I think most People doesn't recognize it- (You can't watch a Film without it, for example)

And as Second, Noise must'n have Themes or Intentions at all. Its morely about the Sound, not the Chlichee

[RyanWreck]

Noise is not marketable, therefore the majority of the "music" is made for the sake of the "music", or whatever you wish to call it. Because Noise is not marketable it is obviously viewed as unorthodox and individualistic so association with the genre also provides a sense of community and because it is so underground it is a close knit community where the people you listen to you can actually talk with about their influences, what they use to create their sounds, etc.

Atmosphere. I don't think I need to go into details about this.

The themes of most Power Electronics and Noise releases appeal greatly to me, it is a composition of everything I enjoy and am interested in (sex/porn, war, violence, etc).

Noise is Marketabe, truly it is used Long time now already. There are different uses for it, may it be as Elements of other Music or as Sellout Name for other Music. But the Fascination of the Sounds itself is not only very old, it is also very Famous. I think most People doesn't recognize it- (You can't watch a Film without it, for example)

There is a major difference between movie scores, sound efx in a film or commercial, a few seconds of some industrial sounds in a mainstream song/interludes, etc. and a Whitehouse record (for example). And Whitehouse is probably the most marketable name out of Noise/P.E. maybe next to Prurient. And since I am specifically talking about the genre as a whole and not little bits and pieces here and there I'll stick by what I said - this is not marketable "music", i.e. easily sold/profitable or a dominant, large and common genre of music, aka mainstream.

And yes I agree that the fascination with the sound is very old (so are piccolo's but you don't see a huge market for piccolo solos) and very common for people to enjoy, but like you said they don't recognize it and even if they did I don't think the masses would want to listen to these sounds put on to a cassette for 20 minutes or whatever it may be.

And as Second, Noise must'n have Themes or Intentions at all. Its morely about the Sound, not the Chlichee

Well this was a subjective question; "Why do you listen to Noise?" and this specific answer that I gave was very subjective so I don't really think someone else can say that it is true or "not true" since I was specifically talking about how the theme's of the Noise I listen to appeals to me, not you. I know that a lot of other fans don't listen to something based on subject matter or concept, and not all of my favorite artists touch on any themes that I personally enjoy to hear about, but some of them do, so I have to include that as a small part of why I listen to a certain group of select artists.

[Brad]

And Whitehouse is probably the most marketable name out of Noise/P.E. maybe next to Prurient.

Are you just talking about noise with p.e. elements, or all noise?  I'd have guessed the "most marketable name in noise" is probably Merzbow.

[Arvo]

At this point I am looking for scientific/psyiological effects of sounds, especially sustained ones, as they relate to music or noise, but especially noise.   If anyone has anything to share on that I would appreciate it (and keeping in mind I don't have time or money to buy books).   

[Arvo]

The article is done.   Thanks to everybody who contributed to the conversation.   

[Goat93]

There is a major difference between movie scores, sound efx in a film or commercial, a few seconds of some industrial sounds in a mainstream song/interludes, etc. and a Whitehouse record (for example). And Whitehouse is probably the most marketable name out of Noise/P.E. maybe next to Prurient. And since I am specifically talking about the genre as a whole and not little bits and pieces here and there I'll stick by what I said - this is not marketable "music", i.e. easily sold/profitable or a dominant, large and common genre of music, aka mainstream.

What Major Difference is it?  see no difference for Myself if the Sounds are played in a Movie, in a Elevator or pressed on CD. Whitehouse, Haus Arafna and some others are used for different Soundusings, Merzbow had long time Ago a MTV Special and in common its all "Art". Greame Revell and Brian Lustmord make Movie Soundtracks, not too far from their old Stuff. The Using of the Sound is for me the Important part. The Music has nothing to do with the Lenght of it. The RRR Sampler Loops are great for me as Example of Noise Music and thats some Seconds long each song.
I don't think that you must run around with a 50 CD Merzbow Box to listen to noise ;)

[RyanWreck]

Agree to disagree, I suppose. We just don't listen to the same noise and we don't listen to it for the same reasons.

P.S. I have never been a Merz fan.

[ImpulsyStetoskopu]

I don't think that you must run around with a 50 CD Merzbow Box to listen to noise ;)

Why not? This is a very good music.

[Arvo]

One of my points in the article is that Bob Dylan and Gary Numan are kind of ruined for me because their music is in commercials.   Same for lots of dance music, it all sounds like a video game.  Occasionally some sounds will sound like the Terminator movies, but this doesn't bother me. 

[xdementia]

I wrote an article which tackled this in some respects. Here's some excerpts concerning the topic at hand:

The Attraction of Noise:

Once a person understands what I am talking about when I use the word "Noise," the next question is, "Why do you like it?"

Curiosity alone will not suffice for a full appreciation of Noise. There must be some other drive that compels a person to endure the non-traditional sounds and controversial concepts. Frustration is probably the most common incentive. Frustration of the Noise enthusiast can come from a desire to create something different, to be unique; it might come from a disappointment in traditional music, or a simple lack of being able to express oneself with an instrument that requires practice and physical dexterity.

The idea that Noise is somehow a more primal expression – a step closer to being a stream-of-consciousness directly from the mind of the creator – is another great appeal, as is the fact that the palette of sounds available can be just about anything. Exploration and experimentation also play a larger role in Noise than in most other forms of music, and this is another appeal. The idea of the "beautiful accident" is a central theme in so many styles of Noise, especially those culling their sound from feedback and improvisational techniques.

The possibility of any source of sound being acceptable for use in Noise is a very important part of enjoying and creating Noise. For aesthetic reasons, not all sounds are used, and some sounds are considered better then others. There is also a scientific factor, or at least a psychoacoustic factor to the enjoying of noise-like sounds. Many sounds of nature share a spectrum of sound similar to that of white noise. Rain, wind in the leaves of the forest, waves crashing on the shore are all sounds that can be found in nature and considered beautiful sounds by many that also are very close to pure noise.

Just as a Noise enthusiast enjoys sounds that are intriguing yet painful to listen to, the Noise artist enjoys the accidental sounds just as much as, sometimes even more than, the original intended sound. Inevitably there is also the "shock value." There is a small contingent of Noise enthusiasts that might find inherent appeal in this, but for the weathered connoisseur it is a laughable quality. Although it wouldn't be farfetched to speculate that perhaps while many adolescents find an initial draw to Noise due to its shock value, it is not why they generally stick around.