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Chapter 5 The Temple of Electronic Music: The Electronic Music Studio of Cologne in the 1990s1
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159 Chapter 5 The Temple of Electronic Music: The Electronic Music Studio of Cologne in the 1990s1 I In the history of the WDR Studio for Electronic Music, there are myriad elements that have influenced the development of electronic music over the past 50 years. What is meant by electronic here is music generated by apparatuses, which include a variety of categories such as electroacoustic music, computer music, and even more specific designations.2 The essence of this genre from a contemporary perspective is not the name given to it, but the close relationship to media and the cultural-technological space. All contemporary or historical music that is medially produced exhibits a certain deformation through the electronics. It is electronic music that is able to provide access to the understanding of music apparatuses. It is generated with apparatuses, but it does not limit itself to the programs of the music apparatuses. Unlike music that is electronically reproduced, electronic music is only justified in that it creates new information and concepts, which help society to understand the programs of the apparatuses. Since its founding in 1951, the Studio for Electronic Music has been closely tied to the radio broadcasting structure of the WDR. The link with 1 The original text in German—“Der pluralistische Raum: Die Produktion des Studios für Elektronische Musik des WDR in den 90er Jahren. Eine Einführung und Dokumentation”—was written in 1999 and published in three parts in the journal Mitteilungen of the DEGEM (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Elektroakustische Musik [German Society of Electronic Music]) (cf. Chagas 2000a; 2000b; 2000c). The three articles are also published in Chagas and Werner (2012, 46-100). I revised the text and updated the information, especially when it was necessary to clarify the changes that occurred in the WDR Electronic Studio afterwards. However, I tried to preserve the historical authenticity by keeping as much as possible the original tone and ideas. For DEGEM cf. http://www.degem.de (accessed August 1, 2013). 2 The terms “electronic music” and “electroacoustic music” are generally used as synonyms in this article. Unsayable Music 160 this media makes the studio distinctive: It determines how the studio works from an artistic, technical, and practical point of view and is reflected in the musical works produced there. At the end of the 1990s, with the rapid development of new technology, the question of media and of communication altogether, became particularly relevant. New models of creativity were required to allow a critical look into the inner structure of the apparatuses and called for reflexive dialog to confront the repeticious automatisms in the growing networking structures. Otherwise we are left with nothing but to sink into the entropy of banality. Trends in art, technology, science, and communication converge in the apparatus electronic studio; they crystallize in the production of the studio and flow from there into society. A look at the production of the WDR Electronic Studio from 1990 to 1999 tracks its evolution, makes the knowhow of the studio understandable, and introduces it as an object of discussion. Space for Living Experience In the 1980s, the production of the Electronic Studio was restricted by the move out of the WDR broadcasting studio in the center of Cologne, where the studio had occupied different rooms for production since its founding. Morawska-Büngeler (1988) provides a critical documentation from the 1950s up to this period. This outstanding book provides information on the compositions, composers, and technical equipment, though an update is in order to correct a couple of errors. The Electronic Studio relocated in 1987 into the building of the former WDR television studio “L” in the Annostraße (south Cologne); the move and the renovation of the rooms stretched over two years. As of 1987, some commissioned works were partially produced in the new rooms of the Electronic Studio, but it took several years before the infrastructure enabled full production activity. The sound engineer Volker Müller developed the spatial and technical concept of the studio that would be normative for the work in the 1990s. This concept is based on “methods of production that have a historical tradition in the Studio”, while creating space for the expansion, improvement, and rationalization of these methods and opening possibilities for the gradual introduction of new technology.3 3 Allgemeine Ziele/Allgemeine Anforderungen [General Objectives/General Requirements], notes by the engineer Volker Müller written in the beginning of the planning phase for the [44.203.235.24] Project...