Der Krawallmeister by Frédéric Scarfone

"Again with the Baroque synth? Are you going to do the 'Clockwork Orange' sound forever?" Of course! When is it not Baroque o'clock? It's more relevant than ever.

When Wendy Carlos released 'Switched-On Bach' in 1968, consciously or not, she was performing a very Promethean act: reclaiming a music traditionally associated with the ruling class — with privilege, refinement and exclusivity — and bringing it to ordinary people, like a spark of fire stolen from Olympus. For many, the enjoyment of Baroque music began via exposure to Carlos's synthetic renditions. For others it was via videogame or film soundtracks, or via sampling, especially in the context of hip hop. But even today there is still a lingering aura of elitism associated with the Baroque style, as if it wasn't meant for us losers to enjoy. Serious music, to be heard sitting down — as if it wasn't itself largely based on popular dances!

Keep in mind: being a composer in the Baroque period was not some kind of freelance job. These guys were employees, like you and me. Many were employed by the Church, others by wealthy princes. They were not themselves members of the elite. Bach was famously jailed for a whole month for trying to quit his job without first obtaining permission. Works which today are famous had only ever been heard by a limited audience while their author was alive: you had to be invited by those who commissioned the music, as a member of their social circle, or their church parish, or pay for admission at the opera. Composers often remained their whole life in relative obscurity and economic precarity, despite having made monumental contributions to our collective cultural heritage.

But you know what else was going on alongside Baroque music? The Enlightenment. Egalitarian, progressive ideals were spreading. Baroque was the soundtrack to the final crisis of feudalism and the birth of a new order. Today, as we watch all of this seemingly happen again but in reverse, technology melting away our sanity, Kubrick-style, as perverted business oligarchs crown themselves kings, can you think of a better soundtrack?

Better known as the producer behind Danish synth pop trio Neonsol, and maybe also as a relentless fanboy preaching the gospel of Laibach (or Wendy Carlos) to random victims at parties, Fred started out making industrial music in Montreal under the alias NORAD, before moving to Europe in 2011. He was an accomplice to industrial/breakcore veteran Iszoloscope, and noise electro archvillains Memmaker.

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