The steampunk movement, dear reader, is a lifestyle, limited not only to aesthetics; the movement spans writing, language, and, most notably, music. But what defines "steampunk" music?
Reader, this is a difficult question to answer. The truth is, there is no widely agreed upon "sound" of steampunk. However, there are a great deal of groups and musicians who have been dubbed steampunk, or refer to themselves as steampunk.
My personal opinion is as follows: steampunk music should contain, for the most part, instruments that reflect the era. For instance, no electric guitar or synthesizers. Piano, banjo, violin, trumpet, accordion, and other instruments indicative of the Victorian age are acceptable. Part of what makes the music steampunk for me can be the lyrics... I especially enjoy lyrics with a story behind them, much like the work of The Clockwork Quartet, a prominent steampunk group based out of London.
In opposition to my opinion lies the belief that anything involving ladies and gentlemen dressed for the part is to be promptly labelled steampunk, whether the sound is authentic or not. For instance, Abney Park, arguably the most popular steampunk music group, utilize a great deal of electronic instruments in their music. I have no qualms with the sound (I actually quite enjoy the epic scale of their tunes and the adventurous spirit present in their music), and would normally take no offense to the instruments, but I feel as though the heavy electronic beats simply aren't fitting for a pseudo-Victorian environment. Likewise, the bizarre musical stylings of Dr. Steel have come to be labelled steampunk. I am an avid fan of the good doctor's work, but must insist that the audio samples used to give his music an "aged" feel seem to be more indicative of the 20's or 50's; certainly an industrial beat, but hardly reminiscent of the Industrial Age itself. Dr. Steel has never claimed to be a steampunk musician, but I can understand why the aesthetic choices and sound would lend his style to Neo-Victorian themes. Good use of accordion, though!
Regardless, it is up to the individual to decide which music is Neo-Victorian. Part of the beauty of steampunk culture is the focus not only on the individual, but on the freedom that individual has to impact the community. The entire movement is open to suggestions; creative thought is not only encouraged but necessary for the growing steampunk community to expand. As new opinions form and new ideas are hatched, steampunk itself evolves to further reflect the community. Whether you're playing an accordion or a Cassio, or just a member of th audience, your creative input can actually change the course of the Neo-Victorian movement.
And so, I ask you, dear reader: what is your opinion? Should steampunk music be more reflective of the era, or are electronic instruments and beats acceptable? Feel free to leave your comment below.
By todays standards of music labeling, everything is blurred. Rap is being labeled as Rock, Pop is being labeled as Hip-Hop, what sets the line for any of these styles? I fear that your tastes are coming under the same lax scrutiny of todays listeners. I think the better way to describe it is just the straight up lack of care in the subject.
ReplyDeleteAs for a theme of the musicians dress, it's not needed. You're listening to the music off of an MP3, CD, Cassette, or other variation of listening portal. You're eyes needn't be the judge of musical stylings. If you're attending a concert then the musicians should be dressed in a confortable attire as to present their best capabilities without distraction. The exception of course is any performance where the attire is part of the act thus being rather important for the show.
I like the amount of detail and thought that you've obviously put into this. My question, however, is why you do not consider electrical instruments to be particularly steampunk. A large part of current steampunk, at least as far as my basic knowledge extends, seems to involve the external modification of many completely modern and electronic devices, including computers and usb thumb-drives. If using a computer can be considered a steampunk act, simply because it has been externally modded, then couldn't one then say that using a modern electrical instrument is within the bounds of steampunk, at least when said use is for the purpose of producing steampunk-related music?
ReplyDeleteYou make a valid point, Deborah. Although much of steampunk is rooted in the Victorian Era, it is important to remember that much of the spirit of the movement lies in alternative history. For instance, computers are considered fair game as a result of Charles Babbage's "difference engine," a primitive computing device that could well have been constructed in the early 1800's, potentially leading to the development of computers and the internet as early as the 19th century. The issue for me, however (myself being a history buff) is that electronic instruments aren't quite as plausible, having little to no background at the time.
ReplyDeleteI do understand that, since steampunk generally lends itself to less mainstream audiences, that the "sound" of steampunk would lean more towards a darker, electronic sound. Electric instruments can certainly look steampunk, but for me an electric guitar will never conjure images of cobbled streets and gaslight torches.
Hi! Found this entry by accident, when searching for "steampunk plausible electric guitar".
ReplyDeleteRegarding electric guitars: I think that a **basic** electric guitar (i.e. **not** a Stratocaster with a few brass knobs) would be "period-plausible".
Tuning gears were already in existence (I believe) for stand-up basses, and the basic principle of guitar pickups were presumably known at the time: basically just electromagnets with permanent magnets as the slugs, rather than non-magnetized metal. I'm not sure about variable resistors (the volume knobs). My preliminary research indicates that capacitors were about the size of a lunchbox, though -- and therefore "tone controls" might be questionable.
Likewise, in the "real world", simple tubes (valves) existed around 1880(?) -- so a rudimentary "tube amp" would be "period plausible".
Both of the above are on my "To Do" list -- although not anytime soon.
--Gye Greene ("Steampunk sympathetic", though not a practitioner)