clatterbased

Clatterbased is a term used in music criticism and sound design to describe an approach that centers on clatter-like timbres. It refers to textures built from rapid, brittle percussion, metallic rattles, granulated noise, and fragmented sounds that are processed to preserve sharp transients. Composers and producers working in this mode typically foreground the sonic character of objects and surfaces, with less emphasis on conventional melodic or harmonic development.

Techniques and tools commonly associated with clatterbased include found-object percussion, prepared instruments, contact microphones, field recordings, and software processing such as granular synthesis, spectral processing, and sample-rate reductions. Practitioners often layer multiple clatter sources, apply denoising or harsh compression sparingly to keep the natural bite, and use irregular timing, micro-rhythms, and abrupt edits to sustain a sense of unpredictability.

Context and aesthetics: Clatterbased emerged within experimental electronic, industrial, and musique concrète practices, and has connections to noise music and avant-garde improvisation. It is not a single genre but a descriptive umbrella for works that treat mechanical sound as a central material. The term is sometimes employed descriptively in reviews rather than as a strict taxonomy.

Reception and critique: Some listeners appreciate its focus on tactile sonic texture and percussion’s physicality; others find it overly narrow or vague as a category. In academic and critical contexts, clatterbased is often discussed alongside concepts such as timbre-focused composition and textural music.