Pierre Henry, a pioneer in the field of electronic music and composer of over 30 films and stage productions, has died at the age of 89, according to Le Monde.
Born in Paris in 1927, he began experimenting with sound as a teenager. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire from 1938 to 1948, he joined Pierre Schaeffer in establishing the genre of musique concrète at the Club d’Essai studio at RTF. The experimental style of composition came to prominence in the 1940s and drew upon recorded sounds as raw material for composition. It would go on to have a profound effect on the development of modern music. He is also credited with composing the first musique concrète to appear in a commercial film, the 1952 short film Astrologie ou le miroir de la vie.
He would continue to find inspiration in new forms of music: Henry collaborated with British progressive rock band Spooky Tooth on the LP Ceremony in 1970 and is credited as a co-producer on the 2000 LP Freak Magnet by the Violent Femmes. The circle of influence was completed when a remix album of his work was released in 1997. Metamorphosé: Messe Pour Le Temps Présent featured reworkings by Fatboy Slim, William Orbit, Coldcut, St Germain and more.
