Coming back to life

Guitar in hand and making her way to the end of the stage’s catwalk at March 17’s Eras kickoff in Glendale, Ariz., Taylor Swift revealed her intentions for the acoustic portion of her long-awaited live show. “The plan, the goal, would be to play different songs every single night and never repeat one. Right? So that when you heard one on this tour, you would know it’s the only time that I was going to play it in the acoustic set, unless — caveat — unless I mess it up so badly,” while performing live she said with a small laugh, “That I have to do it over again in some other city. Send your best wishes towards me so that I don’t do that.”

Electronic music is huge, and it gets its claws everywhere — even the “Teardrops on My Guitar” singer Swift, who made her name as a country-pop star, jumped to squelchy electronic pop long ago.

The “Fearless” Swift’s Eras Tour setlist featured a surprise song (or two), performed during a mini acoustic set, on each date of the superstar’s trek, which kicked off in March 2023.

The Simplicity

Acoustic music allows simplicity to be valued. Music video director Taufiq Khan notes that both acoustic and electronic music create great auditory experiences and at the end of it all, the whole purpose of music is to decorate time. So, it doesn’t matter if the music is sorely acoustic when fusing it with electronic beats ‘demonstrates that music’s value transcends its medium.’ “Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos, released in 1968, exemplifies a climactic metamorphosis in music. This album featured classical music by Johann Sebastian Bach performed on a Moog synthesiser, playing a crucial role in popularising electronic music and the synthesiser, and bringing them to a broader audience. The album was a commercial success, earning several Grammy Awards,” he shares.

Taufiq continues, “House music, which originated in early 1980s Chicago during the counterculture era, further showcases this evolution. It gained widespread popularity by the mid-to-late 1980s, especially in the U.S. and Europe. Artists like Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, and Daedalus have significantly contributed to the landscape of Intelligent Dance Music (IDM), enriching the music scene from Los Angeles with their innovative sounds. While electronic music has surged in popularity, the timeless appeal of artists such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan continues to resonate.”

Musician Hayden Scott observes that the cyclical nature of musical trends, particularly the dominance of electronic and AI-generated music has led to a renewed appreciation for acoustic sounds. “Today, audiences of a certain age have seen pandemics, climate change, increasing isolation and loneliness. All of this contributes to a desire for something real, heartfelt and raw. Acoustic music can give a listener that. Is it financially promising? If done well, of course. But so long as it stays genuine and authentic and does not fall into the trap of commerciality,” adds Hayden.

Reflecting on the enduring appeal of acoustic music, Tanmay Bichu, who is an active performer in Indian classical and world music concerts tells us, “Not trying to minimise any of the digital music and the artists producing it, I think people still yearn for authentic acoustic music at the end of the day. Just think about what music you remember from last year that was very popular then. How many different pieces can you think of? And then think about what music you remember from over 50 years ago. Be it Indian classical music records from artists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia or Bollywood songs from the era of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, that music has remained fresh through more than half a century. How is that different from this music? It’s all acoustic.”

Acoustic music can give a listener something real, heartfelt and raw. Is it financially promising? If done well, of course. But so long as it stays genuine and authentic and does not fall into the trap of commerciality. —hayden scott, musician

Not trying to minimise any of the digital music and the artists producing it, I think people still yearn for authentic acoustic music at the end of the day. —tanmay bichu, classical musician

While electronic music has surged in popularity, the timeless appeal of artists such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan continues to resonate.” —taufiq khan, music video director