eksonisk

Eksonisk is a term used in experimental music and acoustics to describe a mode of sonic production in which the sounds form the primary material and originate largely outside the performer’s instrument or body. In eksonisk practice, composers and sound artists often incorporate field recordings, electroacoustic processing, and spatial diffusion to foreground environmental and architectural sources alongside traditional instrumental or vocal material.

Etymology and usage: The term combines the prefix ekso- meaning outside with sonic, and has appeared in critical writing since the late 20th or early 21st century. It remains informal and variably defined; different writers emphasize different aspects, including external sound sources, listening environments, and the role of space in shaping perception.

Characteristics: Key traits include reliance on sources external to the performer, extensive use of recording technology, live processing, diffusion in spaces, and an emphasis on ambience, texture, and time-based processes over melody or conventional rhythm. It is often discussed as a tendency within electroacoustic music, sound art, and installation works rather than a fixed genre.

History and reception: Eksonisk emerges from broader currents in musique concrète, ambient music, and live-electronics. It is used to describe works where the sonic environment—cities, architecture, natural soundscapes—participates as a co-composer. Critical reception is mixed; some view it as a productive lens for analyzing space-centered listening, while others consider it too broad to be a distinct practice.

See also: Electroacoustic music, Musique concrète, Sound installation, Ambient music.