Sometimes referred to as “The Father of Electronic Music,” Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (1883-1965) was one of the strongest voices of the early 20th-century avant garde. Forced by his father to study engineering, he went on to let his music be dictated by scientific and mathematical concepts. Ruled too ill to serve in the French army during World War I, he moved to America in 1915, where he would spend most of his remaining life. His emphasis on timbre, rhythm, and new technology made him a strong influence on the following generation of composers. The record label Varèse Sarabande is named after him.