Glitch (also known as
clicks and cuts from a
representative compilation series by the German
record label Mille Plateaux) is a genre of
electronic music that became popular in the late 1990s with the increasing use of
digital signal processing, particularly on
computers. The origins of glitch music are derived from the failure of digital technology. The effects of failure in technology, such as bugs, crashes, system errors, hardware noise, skipping and audio distortion, can be captured on computers and provide the basic building blocks of Glitch music.
[2] Often considered a sub-genre of
electronica or
intelligent dance music, glitch eschews traditional instrumentation, preferring instead the use of mechanized and non-natural sounds. Though
rhythm is a central focal point of glitch, the style's various sub-genres range from the
ambient to the dance-oriented.
[3]
Glitch is often produced on computers using modern digital production software to splice together small "cuts" (
samples) of music from previously recorded works. These cuts are then integrated with the signature of glitch music:
beats made up of glitches, clicks, scratches, and otherwise "erroneously" produced or sounding noise. These glitches are often very short, and are typically used in place of traditional percussion or instrumentation. Skipping
CDs, scratched vinyl records,
circuit bending, and other noise-like distortions figure prominently into the creation of rhythm and feeling in glitch; it is from the use of these digital artifacts that the genre derives its name. However, not all artists of the genre are working with erroneously produced sounds or are even using digital sounds.
The overlap between glitch and
shoegazer music also includes some artists that have moved away from the song structures and defined beats mentioned above, favouring more ambient forms. The general
shoegazer style of
pop rock melodies buried under layers of
reverberation and
distortion is combined with the precise programming capabilities of
digital signal processing.
Fennesz and
Tim Hecker are two notable artists that have received critical praise for their compositions done in this style. The looped constructions of
lovesliescrushing, from about 1992, demonstrated a pre-glitch sound. Later, in 2000, the band ventured into the computer realm by translating their signature four track guitar damage into an iMac to produce glissceule and voirshn, dubbed glitch bliss. The duo
Belong has also released music of this nature. In addition to comparing them to other
ambient or electronic musicians, reviewers and fans also tend to mention the similarities to
My Bloody Valentine (arguably the most highly regarded band of the early 1990s
shoegazer movement). The primary point of similarity is the emphasis placed on the texture of the music; it appears to play as important a role as the melodies themselves. Also, see
Labradford, The Night Owl Cafe Killers, or
Little Glitches for similarly ambient/glitch sounds.
