Rather than traditional instruments, musique concrète composers like Tod Dockstader and Pierre Boulez took recorded sounds as its raw material - anything from trains to clattering saucepans and the noises of the human body. It also used the technologies of the time to distort and reassemble these sounds beyond recognition, creating weird compositions that lacked any of the hallmarks of traditional music.

When some of the earliest musique concrète pieces hit the airwaves in the 1940s, listeners reached for their earplugs. But musicians were intrigued by the concept, which opened up the idea of the studio as an instrument for the very first time. This influence spread as far as The Beatles, who used the genre's techniques on countless tracks, culminating in their eight-and-a-half-minute musique concrète extravaganza 'Revolution 9'. But the genre's influence can be heard far beyond this. It's in the iconic cash register on Pink Floyd's 'Money'. It's in the rainfall sound effect on your yoga instructor's favorite ambient playlist. And it's in the sampling technique that gave rise to hip-hop.

Christian Kriticos traces the origins, development and impact of musique concrète. In doing so, he makes a compelling case for this perplexing genre. Though it seems like a bad joke, he argues that musique concrète is a genre that's having the last laugh - with its ongoing impact still to be heard everywhere, even if you've never listened to it.