These intriguing titles look at our sonic, gaming and tech-strewn landscapes, charting hitherto unheard histories and exploring virtual worlds. The physical solidity of the book is an enduring way to chronicle the ephemeral realm of video games, and good writing has always added depth and appreciation to music. Here’s our guide to what’s new and coming soon.
New books about music and tech
Neu Klang
Christoph Dallach’s exploration of the history Kraut Rock charts the origins of West Germany’s esoteric but influential avant-rock scene from its late 60s beginnings right up to the present day. Written over a number of years, Neu Klang includes extensive interviews with many of the key players in the movement and its offshoots, many of whom are no longer with us. These include Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit and the Holger Czukay of CAN, Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream, Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk, and key figures who orbited the periphery, such as Brian Eno.
Neu Klang, Christoph Dallach, Faber, £25, Faber.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, @FaberBooks
The Minimoog Book
Bjooks continues its series on electronic instrumentation with a monograph about one of the most famous synthesizers of all time, the Minimoog. First released in 1970 and since lavishly honoured and reissued, this story of this masterpiece of analog synthesis is captured by author JoE Silva. The book captures views, tips and tricks from a vast swathe of musicians and producers, ranging from Kraftwerk, Tony Visconti, Anne Dudley, Air, J Dilla, Kraftwerk and more, all of whom have put the Minimoog to use in ground-breaking and culturally resonant ways. Lavish photography throughout will have you itching to tweak some sounds yourself.
The Minimoog Book, JoE Silva, £65, pre-order from Bjooks.com, @WeMakeBjooks
Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines and Tomorrow’s Music Today
Simon Reynolds is one of the most distinct voices in music writing, bringing his hugely eclectic tastes to life through rich prose that brings fresh insight to unfamiliar sounds. His new book, Futuromania, attempts to seek out the peaks in machine-driven music, from disco and Hi-NRG through to abstract noise, ambient soundtracks, and the many, many attempts to give sonic shape to the future. A must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and music.
Futuromania, Simon Reynolds, White Rabbit Books, £25, WhiteRabbitBooks.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, @WhiteRabbitsBks
Sounding Human: Music and Machines, 1740 - 2020
Deirdre Loughridge’s Sounding Human treads similar ground to Reynolds but casts its historical net far wider. Going back nearly three centuries to early pioneers in mechanised music-making, Sounding Human is a more academic excursion into the relationship between composition, performance and the myriad ways we’ve created to mediate human invention and creativity through the means of machines.
Sounding Human, Deirdre Loughridge, The University of Chicago Press, £85, Press.UChicago.Edu, Amazon.co.uk
New books about gaming
Critical Hits: Writers on Gaming and the Alternate Worlds We Inhabit
Just as the best music writing conjures up the sounds themselves, good writing about gaming gets under the skin of what it means to be at one with the moves and mechanisms of an entirely virtual world. Critical Hits is an anthology of new writing about gaming, edited by Carmen Maria Machado and J. Robert Lennon. Eighteen writers explain the ways in which gaming – or even observing or being in proximity to gamers – has shaped their world, through the shift in perspective, the chance to create new identities, or simply the landscapes and characters that they have encountered along the way.
Critical Hits, edited by Carmen Maria Machado, J. Robert Lennon, £14.99, Serpent’s Tail, SerpentsTail.com, Amazon.co.uk, @SerpentsTail
WipEout Futurism: The Graphic Archives
1995’s WipEout was a major PlayStation hit and a big crossover for the worlds of gaming, music and graphic design. This forthcoming book from Thames & Hudson is a more accessible version of a limited-edition monograph created by Read-Only Memory and art-directed by Sheffield agency The Designers Republic alumni Michael C Place and Studio Build. WipEout’s aesthetic drew heavily on the club scene, with The Designers Republic conjuring up a futuristic stew of visuals that took gaming art direction to another level. The book captures concept art and the evolution of this sci-fi racing classic.
WipEout Futurism, Duncan Harris, $60, Thames & Hudson, pre-order from ThamesandHudsonUSA.com, Amazon.co.uk
Genius Loci
Finally, a couple of titles we’ve touched on before, starting with the intriguing but still unpublished Genius Loci. Rob Dwiar’s proposal is to treat video game landscapes as the subject of an authorial grand tour, traversing the historically dense and highly crafted landscapes of games like Elder Scrolls and Assassin’s Creed. As photorealism edges ever closer, these spaces create a emotionally rich relationship with gardens, horticulture and varied biomes.
Genius Loci, Rob Dwiar, backing details at Unbound.com, @Unbounders
Videogame Atlas: Mapping Interactive Worlds
The Videogame Atlas was originally launched as a limited edition slipcased volume but is now available as a monograph from Thames & Hudson. A must have for anyone seeking to draw the curtain on the complex mechanisms that underpin modern video game design, The Videogame Atlas is richly illustrated with insights into game design and its relationship with architecture real and virtual.
Videogame Atlas, Luke Caspar Pearson, Sandra Youkhana, Marie Foulston, £40, Thames & Hudson, ThamesandHudson.com, Amazon.co.uk, @ThamesandHudson
