Thursday 17 April, 8pm
(BBC broadcast 26 April)

According to Oval's Markus Popp, traditional definitions and categories are inadequate when it comes to evaluating electronic music. Instead, his highly conceptual projects aim to make us understand music in terms of the software processes used to produce it. Popp's intention is "not to engage with meaning, but with the analysis of technical standards and the materiality of sound hardware in order to define a margin for aesthetic intervention"

"The main culprit in electronic music is the term music itself".

"The whole field of electronic music has long since reached a state of pure abstraction and music only survives as a metaphor in software". He considers this before softening the blow. "Well, musical metaphors in software are just providing some means of orientation for people who deal with music as it was, whereas music as I would see it..." His voice trails off.

"I usually don't use the term music too much. I just say 'audio'"

www.formandfunction.net/en/artists/oval/oval2.htm#linx