When in the 1970s and 1980s it was impossible to release a movie or record a song without the involvement of huge corporations, independent studios appeared – indie, from which the acronym “indie” emerged. Thanks to independent studios, many musicians experimented with sound and offered new variations of musical styles and were able to release albums. They promoted creative individuality, were non-conformists, and represented mostly the underground.
And so it came to be that in music, the term “indie” first referred not to genres, but to studios – labels. And only later it began to be applied to the products of such companies.
Many indie musicians even now record albums without help. Their music is considered more free and original, less pop.
It was originally thought that independent musicians created music for themselves and friends, but not for profit and popularity.
The success of indie products was due to the fact that independent labels could create what they wanted rather than what profit-driven corporations dictated. As a result of this, there were musicians on the scene who became world famous. For example, Oasis, Blur and Stone Roses.
The indie trend embraced several spheres, including fashion and film. In 1989 the independent concept released a film made in a different, non-Hollywood tradition, Sex, Lies, and Video, directed by Steven Soderbergh. The picture was considered the best and became a landmark for the underground.
Successful and Sumptuous.
In the mid-1990s there was a strong interest in indie music from corporations. This happened after Nirvana recorded their debut album Bleach, which became mega-popular.
Since successful and independent bands like Oasis and Blur were imitated by many musicians, the tag “indie” was attached to anyone whose sound resembled familiar tunes. And also because the whole independent music movement-parody began and accumulated in Britain, experimental alternative rock music released in England was mostly tagged with the “indie” label.
It is difficult to determine exactly which musicians belong to this genre, as many change their usual sound and experiment within their own styles. However, it is generally accepted that indie is necessarily rock – mellow and unusual.
Indie Rock. Soft rock mixed with Brit-pop, and this is probably the most familiar sound for indie bands. Independent rock has motifs of shoegaze, blues rock, and garage rock. And also this kind of rock has absorbed a lot of other styles, so it’s hard to predict – you can’t buy an indie album and know exactly what it’s going to sound like. It could be punk and post-punk and retro rock and lo-fi.
Indie-rock usually means measured rock – especially in a professional environment. Because of this, not all musicians like to be called indie. For example, if they play neo-rock-n-roll, they have obviously created music not according to the general rules, but it is groovy and expressive, and indie in the general sense is already different.