The Extremities of Extreme Music

A new book brings light to an intense, intricate genre

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2022, Atari Teenage Riot, Berian Eno, Books, Brutal Truth, Carcass, D.O.A, Extreme Music, Feral House Books, La Monte Young, Lou Reed, Merzbow, Michael Tau, Moby, Napalm Death, Noise Music, William Ackerman

Michael Tau Extreme Music: From Silence to Noise and Everything in Between, Feral House 2022

Extreme Music is a caustic, intricate form of sonic creativity that is no easy format to jump into head on.

This is why those looking to explore this hostile genre should be grateful for author Michael Tau for his new book Extreme Music. From Silence To Noise And Everything In Between.

Extreme Music is a comprehensive exploration into the sounds (and silences) that comprise the outer limits and conceptual expressions that stretch the definition of music.

The book includes over 100 interviews with makers and musicians as Tau helps the reader understand what motivates people to create and listen to non-mainstream music. As a fan of multiple avant-garde musical genres, Tau uncovers the pleasures (and sometimes pain and frustration) found at the outré fringes of music. Extreme Music is the ideal guide for curious seekers, die-hard fans, and cultural investigators.

Tau defines and categorizes these recorded sounds into sections that allow fans and newcomers to explore the fascinating world of musicians who defy convention. He explores a wide range of extremes including volume, speed, and vulgarity to packaging, recording methods, unplayable media, outdated technologies, and digital pioneers. He asks and answers the questions: Are all sounds music? Is silence music? Is a plate of rotting food once cataloged, packaged and sold qualify as music? Extreme Music includes images of rarely seen examples of niche records and art objects cum recordings. Among the artists covered include Lou Reed, Merzbow, Moby, La Monte Young, William Ackerman, Napalm Death, Berian Eno, Carcass, Atari Teenage Riot, D.O.A. and Brutal Truth.

“Extreme Music deserves extreme documentation, and Michael Tau is more than up to the task,” declares Marc Masters, author of the forthcoming book Hi Bias: A Distorted History of the Cassette Tape (University of North Carolina Press, 2023). “There’s so much to confront–and be confronted by–in the nearly 350 pages he’s written, a dizzying compendium of wild sounds, strange sights, radical concepts, and hidden histories. Oh, and also bodily fluids. If you’re into any art that pushes limits until they shatter, you’ll be into Extreme Music.”

Extreme Music. From Silence To Noise And Everything In Between is out now via Feral House. Order a copy now via Amazon. And subscribe to the newsletter here.