Local artists and musicians are creating new opportunities for electronic music
Electronic music is not the most active part of the Keweenaw’s music scene, but local artists are working to change that by organizing shows, experimenting with new forms of performance, and bringing in musicians from outside the Houghton and Hancock area.
One recent example came from Saturday, Sep. 26, at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, where local performers Qualms and Haunted Ghost performed alongside Detroit musician Jonah Baseball. For Al Lynch, the solo electronic musician who performs as Qualms, the show was an opportunity to help build a larger electronic music community in the area. He said there are not many electronic shows in the Keweenaw, making performances like the Orpheum event an opportunity to experiment with what an electronic show can be.
“I think the more people can be expansive with music, the better stuff we get, the deeper we go,” said Lynch. “And you can do anything in electronica, it’s great that way too, because you can just create sounds that just don’t exist.” Lynch hopes to continue developing that approach through future projects that combine music with film and visual art. He also said the Keweenaw’s landscape could become part of those projects, providing a setting for music and other creative work.
Logan, who performs as Haunted Ghost, is also working to develop the local electronic scene. In addition to making music, Logan runs Special Species Records, an electronic-focused label that explores experimental and unconventional sounds.
Bringing artists from outside the area is another part of building the scene. Performers such as Jonah Baseball give local musicians and audiences opportunities to experience different styles of electronic music while connecting the Keweenaw with music communities elsewhere in the Midwest.
For Michigan Tech students interested in electronic music, opportunities exist both on and off campus. Michael Maxwell, a Michigan Tech professor who teaches a course on electronic music, said the local scene is relatively small but includes a variety of performers and organizers.
“It’s not super present as far as when you’re just looking for music stuff, but there’s a lot of it happening here and there’s a lot of cool producers and a lot of cool performers and several different people trying to organize cool shows,” Maxwell said. “By inserting some others, we get to add variety to that and connect our communities to larger communities.”
Electronic music also has a presence at Michigan Tech through classes and student organizations. Maxwell teaches MUS 3210, Electronic Music History and Production, which explores how electronic tools can be used to create, manipulate, and produce sound. Students in this course work with programs such as VCV Rack, a free, open-source virtual modular synthesizer, as well as other production software. The course explores different approaches to synthesis and sound design rather than focusing on a particular genre.“Most music you consume now is electronic music,” Maxwell said.
For students interested in getting involved, Maxwell recommended connecting with the student record label, Above Bridge Records, attending local shows, and experimenting with music production software. He noted that students do not need to worry about creating something perfect before getting started.“It’s more important that you start doing it than worrying about being good,” Maxwell elaborated. “Just start making some kind of music.”
As local artists continue organizing performances, collaborating with outside musicians and exploring new ways to create, electronic music is finding more opportunities to reach audiences in the Keweenaw.
