Thursday Tunes

A music tracker, for those not in the know, is someone who utilizes a computer program (called a "tracker," natch) to compose purely electronic music by arranging samples and data. There are no instruments involved at all. It's a niche area of music, to put it mildly, but there have been -- and still are -- some extraordinarily talented people who have broken into more mainstream forms of music through tracking modules, (what the composed pieces are called). The form originated in the '80s and I was first introduced to it by our own Mad Builder, (on his venerable TRS-80, if I remember correctly). If you're interested, you can find a better explanation and all the modules you can eat at Mod Archive.

Skaven was one of the better "trackers" during the '90s. This piece, named "Catch that Goblin," is an excellent modern example of Franz Liszt's famous invention, the tone poem. A tone poem is a piece of music which is intended to evoke clear visuals in your head as you listen to it. Many of Liszt's examples were based upon his real world experiences, such as his first visit to a Gothic cathedral. They were often embedded as small parts in much larger symphonic pieces, and can thus be quite subtle unless you know what to listen for. Skaven takes a much more direct approach here; you won't have any trouble visualizing the scene this piece is intended to evoke.




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