I really think one should underestimate the influence of the Art of Noise in
modern electronica. They don't just further electro by giving it pop
sensibility. They really pushed the envelope of using environmental sounds (or
noise) as a integral part of the composition. This is a tradition rooted in
classical music in a way unrelated to electro. (AoN discuss early classical
influence in the use of noise in thier liners as I recall.)
I think they really gave a sense of how much could be done with sampling and
wed this to electro (which they really adopted rather than helped develop).
--
Mark Edward Bowen
Warmed Breakdown
mb@gettins.bche.uic.edu