In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn", compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in itself. Both "ostinatos" and "ostinati" are accepted English plural forms, the latter reflecting the word's Italian etymology. Strictly speaking, ostinati should have exact repetition, but in common usage, the term covers repetition with variation and development, such as the alteration of an ostinato line to fit changing harmonies or keys.

Ostinati are used in 20th-century music to stabilize groups of pitches, as in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring "Introduction" and "Augurs of Spring". A famous type of ostinato, called the Rossini crescendo, owes its name to the crescendo underlying a persistent musical pattern, which usually culminates in a solo vocal cadenza. This style was emulated by other bel canto composers, especially Bellini; and later by Wagner (in pure instrumental terms, discarding the closing vocal cadenza). Mozart uses an ostinato phrase throughout the big scene that ends Act 2 of the "Marriage of Figaro", to convey a sense of suspense as the jealous Count Almaviva tries in vain to incriminate the Countess, his wife, and Figaro, his butler, for plotting behind his back.

Vamp or vamps may refer to:

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").

The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within "the arts", music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. There is also a strong connection between music and mathematics.

To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound." Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes the relativist, post-modern viewpoint: "The border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus ... By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be."

Greg Laswell is a musician, recording engineer, and producer from San Diego, California. He has released five studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, Take a Bow in 2010, and Landline in 2012, as well as several EPs and special singles. Many of his songs have been featured in films and television shows.

Greg Laswell was born in Long Beach, California in 1974. He moved to San Diego in 1993 and graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University. From 1998 through the early aughts, Laswell was frontman for the San Diego-based band Shillglen. Members of the band included Chad Lansford (backing vocals and guitar), Justin Skeesuck (guitar), Michael de Neve (bass), Marcel de Neve (drums) and Matt Mintz (lead guitar). The band released one album, titled Sometimes I Feel, in late 1999 and had some moderate success when the band was nominated for Best Alternative Album and Best Alternative Band at the San Diego Music Awards in 2000. By mid 2001, Shillglen had over 400,000 downloads of their music through MP3.com. However, Shillglen quietly disbanded in October 2001 after Laswell suggested the band take a break. The band mutually agreed, but never regrouped.

Porter Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American electronic dance music producer and DJ from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He primarily produces in the electro house genre. He also named the genre complextro when he created the portmanteau to describe his own sound.

Porter Robinson began producing at the age of 13 using Sony ACID Pro emulating sounds he heard from video games. He later began producing hands-up under the alias Ekowraith using FL Studio. It was at this time that Robinson became friends with a young Madeon, who was also producing hands-up under the name Deamon, and also using FL Studio.

Robinson primarily uses Lennard Digital Sylenth1, Native Instruments Massive, 3xOsc, Sytrus and several other commercial and free audio plugins.

He is currently 19 years old and recently graduated high school in his hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

He has released a variety of original singles on Glamara Records and Big Fish Recordings. His first single, "Say My Name", was an enormous success, landing at #1 on Beatport's Electro House chart. In the summer of 2011 he signed with OWSLA, a new label operated by Skrillex, to release his first EP entitled Spitfire. Spitfire reached the number one spot on the iTunes Dance chart as well as the number one spot on Beatport's overall release chart.