Post #33264 by Can-Tiki-E on Wed, May 7, 2003 7:26 AM

Throbbing Gristle covering Martin Denny?

The only thing scarier than that, is realizing how many people out there actually enjoy BOTH Gristle and Denny! Hmm. I don’t think I can imagine two more opposing styles of music. Let’s investigate this interesting phenomenon.

The Theory:
I’m believed that some brains are just tuned to respond to certain types of sounds. (Getting back to the Theremin) That zero attack, portamento / glissando sliding from one note to the next is the signature sound of the Theremin, and of the Hawaiian steel guitar sound, which, by the way, is also similar how the whammy bar is usually applied in slow/relaxed surf music.

Similarly, the vibes are an Exotica staple instrument – and they’re all over mid to early Zappa music (thanks to the amazing Ruth Underwood).

The Evidence:
Try this out – if you have software that can slow down a song without altering the pitch – it’s amazing. The Star Trek theme slowed down sounds like Hawaiian music, and the crazy vibe runs right at the end of Zappa’s Inca Roads sound like they could have come right out of a Martin Denny track.

Which brings us full circle: would Quiet Village speeded up and run through a Death Metal Distortion sound like Throbbing Gristle?

Aloha.