Klangexperimente

Klangexperimente is a German term commonly used in musicology, sound art, and media theory to refer to practices that investigate the properties of sound for its own sake, rather than primarily as a vehicle for melody or text. The phrase translates roughly as "sound experiments" and is applied to projects, performances, works, or exhibitions concerned with exploring timbre, dynamics, spatialization, duration, and perception.

In practice, Klangexperimente encompasses electroacoustic composition, musique concrète, granular synthesis, field recording, live electronics, contact microphone work, sound installations, and generative or algorithmic systems. It often involves unconventional performance settings, non-traditional venues, and a focus on process, texture, and listening experience.

The term has historical roots in the 20th-century avant-garde and the broadened concept of listening promoted by new music and sound art. In German-speaking regions it is used in academic courses, festival programming, and artist statements to classify works that foreground sonic exploration rather than narrative content.

While not tied to a single canonical work, Klangexperimente appears in various project titles and program notes by composers and artists working in electroacoustic, digital, and installation art. Related topics include electroacoustic music, sound art, musique concrète, and spatial audio.