ABSTRACT
The history of distortion is one of subversion, misappropriation, and unintended consequences when manipulating sound. From the distorted guitar sound caused by a ripped speaker cone on recordings by pioneering artists such as Link Wray and Jackie Brenston, to the use of explicit digital clip distortion by artists such as Skrillex and Aphex Twin, distortion has been used to create excitement, danger, and aggression at one end of the audible spectrum, to warmth and subtle harmonic enhancement at the other. Whilst in the analogue domain distortion has not always been an intended aesthetic intention (and indeed, great steps have been taken to avoid it), in the digital domain artists, musicians, and sound engineers have made it their mission to be explicit about its use. There is arguably a sense that something has been missing from the sound since digital recording became the de facto standard. It has become an unintended consequence of escaping from the clarity, precision, and often sterile nature that can define digital recordings. This chapter attempts to track some of this historical narrative and perspective, painting a picture of the chronological progression of distortion in music production.
