Explore → Experimental / Avant-Garde / Noise Experimental / Avant-Garde / Noise Music that foregrounds process, extremity or concept over song — noise, musique concrète, free improvisation, sound art, drone and avant composition. Has a real core of its own AND gathers the avant edges of Jazz, Classical, Rock, Electronic and Ambient.
12 families 63 sub-genres
🌿 Right Tree 🌳 Tree Down
★ Popular A–Z
Click a family to fan out its sub-genres · dashed = cross-listed Musique Concrète Tape Music Acousmatic Electroacoustic Cut-Up / Splice 1 Harsh Noise Harsh Noise Wall Japanoise Power Electronics Death Industrial Noisecore 2 Free Improv Free Jazz EAI (Electroacoustic Improv) Onkyo Reductionism / Lowercase 3 Sound Art Field Recording Soundscape Phonography Installation Sound 4 Drone Minimalism Just Intonation Dronescape Maximal Drone 5 Plunderphonics Sound Collage Sampladelia Hauntology Mashup / Bootleg Art 6 Serialism Aleatoric / Chance Spectralism Graphic-Score New Complexity Fluxus / Event Score 7 Glitch Clicks & Cuts Circuit Bending Databending Breakcore Microsound 8 Rock in Opposition No Wave Avant-Prog Brutal Prog Zeuhl Math Rock 9 Industrial Martial Industrial Rhythmic Noise Power Noise Dark Experimental 10 Deconstructed Club Outsider Music Naïve / Primitive Anti-Music Wrong Music 11 Sound Poetry Extended Vocal Technique Text-Sound Composition Vocal Improvisation 12 Experimental Avant-Garde Noise ◎ hide wheel 1. Musique Concrète / Tape Music 5 › 2. Noise 6 › 3. Free Improvisation 5 › 4. Sound Art / Field 5 › 5. Drone & Minimalism 5 › 6. Plunderphonics / Collage 5 › 7. Avant-Garde Composition 6 › 8. Glitch / Digital Experimental 6 › 9. Avant-Rock / RIO 6 › 10. Industrial / Experimental 5 › 11. Deconstructed & Outsider 5 › 12. Voice & Sound Poetry 4 ›
1 Musique Concrète / Tape MusicComposition from recorded sound and manipulated tape.
Musique Concrète / Tape Music Composition from recorded sound and manipulated tape.
Noise Texture, distortion and volume as the material itself.
Free Improvisation Real-time creation with no fixed score or idiom.
Sound Art / Field Listening, place and the gallery rather than the stage.
Drone & Minimalism Sustained tones and slow process.
Plunderphonics / Collage Music built from other music.
Avant-Garde Composition The experimental edge of notated/concept composition.
Glitch / Digital Experimental Error, data and the machine as instrument.
Avant-Rock / RIO Rock's most uncompromising experimental wing.
Industrial / Experimental Mechanized, confrontational sound design.
Deconstructed & Outsider Club music dismantled, plus the untrained avant.
Voice & Sound Poetry Extended voice and text-as-sound (musical, not speeches).