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White Noise

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

White Noise was a British experimental electronic group, founded in London in 1968 by David Vorhaus. He was an American-born classical bassist with a background in physics and electronics, and he set to work on the project after attending a lecture by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson joined him.

Music and breakthrough

In 1969 the album An Electric Storm was released on Island Records. It was made using tape manipulation and the EMS Synthi VCS3, the first British synthesizer. The opening track, Love Without Sound, uses sped-up recordings of Vorhaus on the double bass to create violin and cello sounds. The album at first sold poorly, but is now considered important for the development of electronic music. Groups such as The Orb and Broadcast cite it as an inspiration. After Derbyshire and Hodgson left, Vorhaus carried on: White Noise 2 appeared in 1974, followed by Re-Entry in 1980, and Inferno and Sound Mind in 2000. For the fiftieth anniversary of the debut, Lightning Strikes Twice was released in 2021.

Influence

White Noise shows that the studio itself could be an instrument. In doing so the group opened the way for later electronic pop music and ambient.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Love Without Sound and notice the string-like sounds. These are not real violins and cellos, but processed double bass sounds. Can you hear how strange and yet soft that sounds?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsRadiophonic Workshop