Retro Tendencies, Decay, and Haunted Media in Hybrid Electronic Music

Abstract

The consequences of new media and their manifestations in post-digital arts has deeply modified electronic music. Old and new sounds blend into each other to create a new aesthetic, defined in this article as hybrid electronic music. An analysis of this aesthetic helps us understand the impact of retro tendencies on the creative process. In order to have a sufficient amount of data, this article proposes a theoretical framework for the aesthetic which encompasses an analysis of the production’s material, how it is being used, live performances, and an emphasis on retro tendencies. The findings demonstrate the ambiguous and uncanny relationship electronic music can have with the past. One of the hypotheses of this article is the potential link between electronic music, future, and decay.

Keywords

• haunted
• decay
• organic
• uncanny
• regression
• popular
• alienation
• body
• paradox