The Joy of Electronic Music

by Matas Petrikas

This book is for people who love electronic music, people who probably have a synthesizer or two at home. It’s for people who tell themselves that they should find some time for their passion, who blame themselves for not making enough music. This book is for them.For decades, I thought that I could be a music producer. But over the years, I have discovered that my contribution to the electronic scene wasn’t exactly the music itself. Although I was lucky enough to produce a few successful tracks in Lithuania, back in the ‘90s, my actual achievement turned out to be raising interest in electronic music, for other young people. I’m still surprised when someone remembers my old tracks, but I’m very proud when someone tells me that listening to me speak on the radio about Berlin techno changed their dreams back in the day. Later, in the 2000s, I was part of the early SoundCloud team. The code we wrote has touched hundreds of millions people around the world. No track or song I would have ever produced would have had such an effect. There is a reason that Brian Eno says the evolution of music is moved by technology as much as it is by artists. The people who created Logic and Ableton, those who code SoundCloud and Spotify, design Korg and Roland synths, they influence the course of music on a massive scale. The development of music technology is the work of many people and I’m happy to call myself one of that gang. This book is a natural extension of those ideas. It’s not based on scientific or journalistic research, but it’s not a biography, either. I imagine this book sitting on a studio desk, or in a gig bag. In the process, I hope that some young music creators will find answers here, and inspirations, to the questions they’ve been wrestling with for a long time.

Genres: Music

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2020

Reviews

[Jakob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to electronic music. A personal and poetic guide to making electronic music. It‘s hands-on and practical, nudging you to take a step back and look at your creative process.

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

It reminds me of "Barbarian Days" insofar it explains to lay audiences the intricacies of a process foreign to them - in this case not surfing but electronic music production.

It also reminds me, in its composition of Kyle Chayka's recent book and personal, tight, and concise writing.

Well worth a read for anyone engaging in any sort of vaguely creative process as the conclusions apply across many disciplines - not just electronic music production.

Can't wait for a sequel or further writing from the author.

[Movie Goer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very meditative read. Recommend it to anyone who wants to be inspired to create and finish their creations (Not limited to electronic music or even music for that matter)

[Augustas R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could be called The Joy of Life. Maybe I’m stating the obvious, but most of the thoughts are universal, easily adaptable to many facets of life, told in the aesthetic of a mature person with lots of experience in the field of electronic music.
It’s a book told from a point after you realise that you don’t have anything to prove to anyone. It’s an invitation to set aside the pressure of knowing and having, and remember to focus on the feeling and catching the impromptu creative moments.
Flowing through relatively short paragraphs, you cannot, but notice the genuineness of the anecdotal stories. Yes, there are lots of cool stories told, but in a humble way. You get the idea that the contents of those stories are not the point - they are just a tool to relay the intangible. It reminded me of the saying “you cannot know the truth, you can only be it.” Somehow it feels the book is saying just be it, be the music, be the joy and be in the moment.

[Javo Guajardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very easy and fun read for anyone interested in electronic music. I especially found it insightful because it touched on a lot of doubts and ideas I’ve had as a programmer venturing into music.

I finish this book feeling more inspired about continuing my journey as a musician and bridging that to by love for computers and technology.

[Christian Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pure reading joy. Not only did it inspire me to dust off my instruments again, but to walk through life with open ears, eyes and heart (again). The Joy Of Electronic Music is clever, inspiring, heart-warming and mind-boggling. Thank you so much, Matas!

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave me some nice mornings with easy reading. Some good anecdotes. Some nice pictures. Unfortunately very repetitive and thematically narrow, but still a pleasant experience. I don't feel differently about music after having read it, but I do feel glad I picked it up.

[Lukas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, no coherent story and unpolished writing style. Still, a nice read for aspiring music producers.