Thom Holmes is your curator and guide to vintage electronic music recordings and audio experimentation. Drawing from his collection of vintage electronic music recordings spanning the years 1915-1985, each episode explores a topic or theme of historical interest. Holmes is the author of the book, Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, 2020.
Episode 173 Chapter 32, Other Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 32, Other Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: OTHER EARLY SYNTHESIZER RECORDINGS (PRE-MIDI AND NOT MOOG) Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:36 00:00 1. Raymond Scott, “Space Mystery” (1963). Used Scott's Electronium, a custom-made analog synthesizer/sequencer. 05:08 01:42 2. Pauline Oliveros, “Alien Bog” (1967). Used a prototype Buchla 100 modular synthesizer at Mills College. 33:13 06:53 3. John Eaton, “Soliloquy For Syn-Ket” (1973) from Electro-Vibrations (The Music Of John Eaton). Used the Synket, an Italian-made modular synthesizer of which only six were ever made. 06:38 40:06 4. John Keating, “Earthshine” (1975) from Space Experience 2. Featured the ARP 2600 and Pro- Soloist. 04:09 46:46 5. Patrick Gleeson, “Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age” (1976) from Beyond The Sun: An Electronic Portrait Of Holst's The Planets. Used Eµ Systems Polyphonic synthesizer. 09:31 51:02 6. Jean Michel Jarre, “Oxygene, Part IV” (1976) from Oxygene. Used the ARP Odyssey, EMS Synthi AKS, EMS Synthi VCS3, and RMI Harmonic Synthesizer and Keyboard Computer. 03:07 01:00:34 7. Bennie Maupin, “Crystals” (1978) from Moonscapes. Featured the E-mu Modular Synthesizer programmed by Patrick Gleeson, who owned Different Fur Studios in the San Francisco area and owned E-mu synthesizers (see previous track for an example of the E-mu Systems Polyphonic synthesizer). Here, we have a different treatment of the same instrument by jazz woodwind player Maupin, who played Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Marimba, Glockenspiel, E-mu Synthesizer, and Computone Synthesizer Winddriver on this album. I picked this track because this is most stripped-down arrangement featuring only Maupin playing the E-mu synthesizer and other instruments. 01:18 01:03:44 8. Pere Ubu, “On the Surface” (1978) from Dub Housing. Allen Ravenstein used the EML Electrocomp 101 modular synthesizer as a member of this band. 02:37 01:05:02 9. Sylvester, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (1978) from Step II. One of the few albums to feature EML (Electronic Music Laboratories) Modular Synthesizer plus String synthesizer, Electro-comp 101 synthesizer and 200 expander unit, Oberheim DS-2 Sequencer, Effects, Pat Cowley; organ, Electric piano, Clavinet, Michael C. Finden; Percussion, David Frazier; Producer, Lead Vocals, Piano, Sylvester. EML was a Connecticut-based synth maker that was around from about 1970 to 1984. They were best-known for their Electro-comp modular synths. The 101 was a duophonic semi-modular 44-note synth and the model 200 was an expander unit that added ring modulation, spring reverb, and high and low filters to the setup. It was interesting to hear this Moroder-like pulsating synth sound coming from something other than a Moog. 06:34 01:07:40 10. Isao Tomita, “The Sea Named Solaris” (1978) from Kosmos. Used the Roland System 700, Roland Strings RS- 202, Roland Revo 30, in addition to Moog Modular III, Moog System 55, and Polymoog synthesizers. 12:28 01:14:11 11. Moebius, “Song For Lya” (1979) from Moebius. Serge, Oberheim, and Minimoog synthesizers, vocals, Bryce Robbley; Serge, Oberheim synthesizers, Doug Lynner; Violin, John Stubbs. Listen closely to tune-out the parts by the Odyssey and Minimoog and you will experience a lovely bed laid down by the Serge. Moebius had three members, one a violinist, heard in this tune blending with the Serge. Although the group used a Sennheiser vocoder on another track, the vocal distortion on this track may have actually been the voice processed with the Serge. 03:15 01:26:42 12. Pascal Languirand, “O Nos Omnes” (1980) from De Harmonia Universalia. Features the Farfisa Synthorchestra, the famous Italian's company entry into the string synthesizer fray. The Syntorchestra was split into two keyboard sections, strings (polyphonic), and mono synth voices. It was a hybrid organ and synthesizer and used much by Klaus Schulze and other German electronic musicians for the short time that it was available from 1975 to 1978. Nine slider controls were positioned next to a 3-octave keyboard and provided some “chaotic” control episodes for this much beloved and rare keyboard. 07:15 01:29:56 13. Henry Kucharzyk, “Play Dot Sam” (1981) from Walk The Line - Three New Works By Henry Kucharzyk. This work is performed at the Samson Box at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. This track is an escapee from the 1970s but nonetheless fills a void in that period when commercial synthesizers were moving to digital technology and were quite expensive. The Samson Box was a computer-based digital synthesizer created in 1977 by Peter Samson, who worked at the university. “Samson” was formally known as the “Systems Concepts Digital Synthesizer. It was a one-off special-purpose dedicated audio computer designed for use by student composers at Center for Computer Research in Musical and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University. 03:05 01:37:08 14. Terry Riley, “The Ethereal Time Shadow” (1981-82) from Music from Mills. Used two Prophet V synthesizers, tuned to just intonation and employing sequencing. 08:51 01:40:12 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 172 Chapter 31, ARP Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 31, ARP Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: MUSIC MADE WITH ARP ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Elias Tanenbaum, “Contrasts” (1971) from ARP Art. Used the ARP Odyssey. 05:03 01:40 2. ARP demonstration. Roger Powell and Harry Coon, The ARP 2500—How it Sounds, side 2 from The Electronic Sounds Of The Arp Synthesizer 2600 And 2500 (1972 ARP Instruments). Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM. Music by Harry Coon and an improvisation by Roger Powell. 06:19 06:46 3. ARP demonstration. Roger Powell and Harry Coon, The ARP 2600—How it Works, side 1 from The Electronic Sounds Of The Arp Synthesizer 2600 And 2500 (1972 ARP Instruments). Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM. Narrated and all music by Roger Powell. 07:38 13:02 4. Roger Powell, “Ictus: Primordial Pulse,” (4:57), “Lumia: Dance Of The Nebulae” (5:14), “Fourneau Cosmique: The Alchemical Furnace Of Cleopatra,” (7:42) (1973) from Cosmic Furnace. Featured the ARP 2500, ARP Soloist, ARP 2600, and ARP Odyssey. 17:50 20:40 5. Bobbi Humphrey, “My Little Girl” (1974) from Satin Doll. Featured Larry Mizell on ARP synthesizers. 06:38 38:32 6. Herbie Hancock, “Palm Grease” (1974) from Thrust. Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP 2600, and ARP String synthesizer. 10:35 45:16 7. John Keating, “Starcluster” (1975) from Space Experience 2. Featured the ARP 2600 and Pro- Soloist. 03:44 55:50 8. Joseph Byrd, “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1976) from Yankee Transcendoodle. Featured the ARP Odyssey. 03:22 59:34 9. Charles Earland, “Sons of the Gods” (1976) from Odyssey. Featured the ARP Pro- Soloist, ARP Axe, ARP String Ensemble, Clavinet and organ. 05:44 01:02:58 10. Jean Michel Jarre, “Oxygene, Parts I, II, and III” (1976) from Oxygene. Used ARP and other synthesizers. 18:40 01:08:39 11. Michel Magne, “Trip Psychiatrique” (1978) from Elements, La Terre(1978). Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Omni Polyphonique, and ARP 2600. 04:35 01:27:22 12. Mike Mandel, “Pyramids” from Sky Music (1978). Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Pro Soloist, and ARP Omni II. 05:59 01:36:51 13. Eliane Radigue, “Triptych Part 2” (1978) from Triptypch. Composed and performed on the ARP 2500 modular synthesizer. 11:56 01:37:52 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 171 Chapter 30, EMS Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 30, EMS Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: MUSIC MADE WITH EMS ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Delia Derbyshire, “Dance From ‘Noah' " (1970). Composed for a television program. Used the EMS VCS3. 00:55 01:44 2. Selections from the demonstration disc, EMS Synthi And The Composer (1971). Excerpts from Harrison Birtwistle, “Medusa,” Peter Zinovieff, “January Tensions,” and Tristram Cary, “Continuum.” 06:15 02:34 3. Peter Zinovieff and Harrison Birtwistle, “Chronometer” (1971–2). Featured both the EMS Synthi VCS3 and modified sound recordings of the ticking of Big Ben and the chimes of Wells Cathedral clock. 24:23 08:48 4. Mike Hankinson, “Toccata And Fugue In D Minor” (Bach) (1972) from The Classical Synthesizer. South African record realized using the Putney (EMS) VCS3. 07:04 33:06 5. Electrophon, “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” (1973) from In a Covent Garden (1973). Electrophon Music was described as the studio where the electronics were recorded and produced in the UK by Radiophonic musicians Brian Hodgson, Dudley Simpson. A variety of synthesizers were used including the obscure EMS Synthi Range, a multi-effect instrument. 03:04 40:10 6. The Eden Electronic Ensemble, “Elite Syncopations” (Joplin) (1974) from The Eden Electronic Ensemble Plays Joplin. Realized using the EMS VCS3 and Minimoog synthesizers. 04:53 43:12 7. Peter Zinovieff, “A Lollipop For Papa” (1974). Realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 06:26 48:04 8. Peter Zinovieff and Hans Werner Henze, “Tristan” (Long Section) (1975). Tape accompaniment realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 07:40 54:40 9. J.D. Robb, “Poem of Summer” (1976) from Rhythmania And Other Electronic Musical Compositions. Realized using the EMS Synthi AKS. 02:04 01:02:18 10. J.D. Robb, “Synthi Waltz” (1976) from Rhythmania And Other Electronic Musical Compositions. Realized using the EMS Synthi AKS and Synthi Sequencer 256 (digital sequencer). 01:52 01:04:24 11. Bruno Spoerri, “Hymn Of Taurus (Taurus Is Calling You!)” (1978) from Voice Of Taurus. Realized using a host of equipment, including a few EMS instruments: EMS Synthi 100, EMS VCS3, EMS AKS, EMS Vocoder 2000, Alto Saxophone with EMS Pitch-to-voltage Converter & Random Generator, plus the Lyricon, Prophet-5 Polyphonic Synthesizer, ARP Omni & Odyssey, Minimoog, Moog Taurus Bass Pedal, RMI Keyboard Computer, Ondes Martenot , Vako Polyphonic Orchestron, Bode Frequency Shifter, AMS Tape Phase Simulator, Echoplex, Roland Echo, Roland Rhythm Box, Bruno Spoerri. 02:48 01:06:16 12. Henry Sweitzer, “Open Windows” (1979) from Te Deum. Realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 11:11 01:09:02 13. Eduard Artemyev, Yuri Bogdanov, Vladimir Martynov, “Le Vent Dans La Plaine,” “Io Mi Son Giovinetta,” and “Why Ask You?” (1980) from Metamorphoses. Composed and realized using the EMS Synthi 100, a large synthesizer unit combining several EMS3 models and connecting circuitry. 08:38 01:20:14 14. Jean-Michel Jarre, “Les Chants Magnétiques,” (side 1) (1981) from Les Chants Magnétiques. Portions realized with the EMS Synthi AKS, EMS Synthi VCS3, and EMS Vocoder 1000. 17:58 01:28:52 15. Alessandro Cortini and Merzbow, “AAMC” (2017) from Alessandro Cortini And Merzbow. Recent recording with all sounds realized using a vintage EMS Synthi AKS. 04:49 01:46:40 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 170 Chapter 29, Buchla Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 29, Buchla Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: MUSIC MADE WITH BUCHLA ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:38 00:00 1. Morton Subotnick, “Prelude No. 4” (1966). Early work for piano and electronic tape using sounds created on the Buchla 100. Pianist, Richard Bunger, recorded in 1973 (Buchla tape from 1966). 05:15 01:40 2. Morton Subotnick, “Silver Apples of the Moon” (Part 1) (1966). First commissioned work of electronic music from Nonesuch Records. 04:23 08:32 3. Gerry Olds, “4/3 + 1” (1967). Jazz mixed with electronics created on the Buchla 100 at a San Francisco Tape Music Center Concert. 11:19 12:58 4. Buffy Sainte- Marie, “Better To Find Out For Yourself” and “The Vampire” (1969). Electronic “settings,” processing of Sainte-Marie's voice and guitar done on Buchla 100 modular systems (3 units) used by Michael Czajkowski at the electronic music studio of NYU. 04:39 24:16 5. Douglas Leedy, “Entropical Paradise” (1970). Sonic environments created by the Moog and Buchla modular synthesizers. 20:09 28:52 6. George Marsh, “Wind Borne” (1973). Prepared Buchla 200 Synthesizer with sequencing, George Marsh. 08:28 49:06 7. David Rosenboom and Donald Buchla, “How Much Better If Plymouth Rock Had Landed On The Pilgrims, Section V” (1978). Buchla modular synthesizers by composer Rosenboom and the inventor himself, Donald Buchla. 22:47 57:34 8. Morton Subotnick, “The Last Dream of the Beast” (1978, 1982, 1984). Featured the Buchla 400. 14:47 01:20:20 9. Mel Powell, “Three Synthesizer Settings” (1981). Moog and Buchla synthesizers. 08:47 01:35:06 10. Morton Subotnick, “A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur, Opening” (1980). Buchla 200 and Subotnick's “ghost shadow electronics.” 11:15 01:43:51 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 169 Chapter 28, Moog Analog Synthesizers, Part 2. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 28, Moog Analog Synthesizers, Part 2 from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: CLASSIC SYNTHESIZER ROCK— FROM TAPE COMPOSITION TO SYNTHESIZERS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966). Tape loops and Lennon's voice fed through the rotating Leslie speaker of a Hammond organ. 02:57 01:42 2. Spooky Tooth and Pierre Henry, “Have Mercy” (1969). Featured tape composition by the French composer of musique concrète as part of a collaborative rock opera. 07:55 04:40 3. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, “Lucky Man” (1971). Featured the Moog Modular played by Keith Emerson; one of the first rock hits in which a Moog was the featured solo instrument. 04:39 12:34 4. Yes, “Roundabout” (1971). Featured the Minimoog, Mellotron, Hammond Organ and other electronic keyboards played by Rick Wakeman. 08:33 17:10 5. Elton John, “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” (1973). Featured the ARP 2600 played by Dave Henschel. 11:10 25:42 6. David Bowie, “Speed of Light” (1977). Produced by Brian Eno. Used an EMS AKS synthesizer and Eventide H910 harmonizer for the electronic effects and sounds. 02:47 36:46 7. Gary Wright, “Touch and Gone” (1977). Used Polymoog, Clavinet, Oberheim, and Fender-Rhodes electronic keyboards. 03:58 39:32 8. Gary Numan, “Cars” (1979). Early synth-rock success using electronic keyboards without guitar. Multiple Polymoog synthesizers. 03:52 43:28 9. The Art of Noise, “(Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise” (1984). Art rock devised by Anne Dudley and Trevor Horn exploring the sampling capabilities of the Fairlight CMI. 04:23 47:20 10. Grace Jones, “Slave to the Rhythm” (1985). Featured the Synclavier programmed and played by Trevor Horn. 09:39 51:43 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 168 Chapter 28, Moog Analog Synthesizers, Part 1. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 28, Moog Analog Synthesizers, Part 1 from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: EARLY MOOG RECORDINGS (BEFORE 1970) Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1. Emil Richards and the New Sound Element, “Sapphire (September)” from Stones (1967). Paul Beaver played Moog and Clavinet on this album by jazz-pop mallet player Richards, who also contributed some synthesizer sounds. 02:21 01:44 2. Mort Garson, “Scorpio” (1967) from Zodiac Cosmic Sounds (1967). Mort Garson and Paul Beaver. Incorporated Moog sounds among it menagerie of instruments. Garson went on to produce many solo Moog projects. 02:53 04:04 3. Hal Blaine, “Kaleidoscope (March)” from Psychedelic Percussion(1967). Hal Blaine and Paul Beaver. Beaver provided Moog and other electronic treatments for this jazzy percussion album by drummer Blaine. 02:20 06:58 4. The Electric Flag, “Flash, Bam, Pow” from The Trip soundtrack (1967). Rock group The Electric Flag. Moog by Paul Beaver. 01:27 09:18 5. The Byrds, “Space Odyssey” (1968) from The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). Produced by Gary Usher who was acknowledged for having included the Moog on this rock album, with tracks such as, “Goin' Back” (played by Paul Beaver), “Natural Harmony,” and unreleased track “Moog Raga.” 03:47 10:48 6. The Monkees, “Daily Nightly” from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd. (1967). Moog effects provided by Micky Dolenz of the Monkees and Paul Beaver. 02:29 14:40 7. Jean Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley, “The Savers,” a single taken from Kaleidoscopic Vibrations (1967). The first Moog album by this duo known for their electro-pop songs. 01:48 17:08 8. Wendy Carlos, “Chorale Prelude "Wachet Auf" from Switched-On Bach (1968). The most celebrated Moog album of all time and still the gold standard for Moog Modular performances. 03:34 18:54 9. Mike Melvoin, “Born to be Wild” from The Plastic Cow Goes Moooooog (1969). Moog programming by Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause. 03:03 22:28 10. Sagittarius, “Lend Me a Smile” from The Blue Marble (1969). This was a studio group headed by Gary Usher, producer of The Byrds, who used the Moog extensively on this rock album. 03:09 25:30 11. The Zeet Band, “Moogie Woogie” from the album Moogie Woogie(1969). Electronic boogie and blues by an ensemble including Paul Beaver, Erwin Helfer, Mark Naftalin, “Fastfingers” Finkelstein, and Norman Dayron. 02:43 28:40 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 167 Chapter 27, Computer Music (1971–2014). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 27, Computer Music (1971–2014) from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: EARLY MUSIC FROM MICROPROCESSORS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:36 00:00 1. David Behrman, “Figure in a Clearing” (1977). KIM- 1 computer- controlled harmonic changes for 33 electronic generators and accompanying cello. 19:10 01:40 2. Dorothy Siegel, “Rondo from Sonata in B flat for Clarinet and Piano” (by Wanhal) (1979). Realized using an Altair S- 100 microcomputer. 03:53 20:52 3. Larry Fast, “Artificial Intelligence” (1980). Music generated by a microcomputer self- composing program. 10:46 24:44 4. Laurie Spiegel, “A Harmonic Algorithm” (1981). Created on an Apple II computer with Mountain Hardware oscillator boards. 03:05 35:30 5. Nicolas Collins, “Little Spiders” (1982). For two microcomputers equipped with gestural sensing programs, that generated sounds based on analysis of keystrokes. 04:46 38:30 6. Gordon Mumma, “Than Particle” (1985). For computer percussion and a percussionist. 10:16 43:30 7. Morton Subotnick, “And the Butterflies Begin to Sing” (1988). For string quartet, bass, MIDI keyboard, and microcomputer. 06:38 53:50 8. John Bischoff, Mark Trayle, Tim Perkis, “Dovetail” (1989). Three microcomputer programs interact and respond to each other in real time. 05:04 01:00:30 9. Tim Perkis, “Wax Lips” (1992). Performed by The Hub, an electronic music ensemble networked by a Microcomputer. 04:37 01:05:32 10. Jin Hi Kim, “Digital Buddha” (2014), recorded live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Electric komungo, Jin Hi Kim; percussion, Gerry Hemingway; MAX/MSP programming, Alex Noyes. The world's first electric komungo that his equipped with MIDI and controlled using MAX. The komungo is a traditional 6-string instrument from Korea. 12:33 01:10:08 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 166 Chapter 26, Early Computer Music (1950–70). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 26, Early Computer Music (1950–70). from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: EARLY COMPUTER MUSIC (1950–70) Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:40 00:00 1. Tones from Australia, 1951. All produced using the CSIR Mark 1 computer built at the CSIR's radio-physics division in Sydney. The computer had a speaker—or hooter—to signal when operations were completed. A clever programmer thought of manipulating the signal tones into a melody. 02:18 01:42 2. Alan Turing's computer music. 1951. Recording made of tones generated by the mainframe computer at the Computing Machine Laboratory in Manchester, England. Snippets of the tunes God Save the King, Baa, Baa Black Sheep, and Glenn Miller's swing classic In the Mood. Plus, the voices of computer lab members listening to the sound as it was recorded. Original acetate recording from 1951 restored by University of Canterbury composer Jason Long and Prof Jack Copeland. 01:55 02:36 3. Max Mathews, “Numerology” (1960). Introduced by a narrator. From the album Music From Mathematics, Bell Telephone Laboratories. While working at Bell Labs in telecommunications research, Max Mathews was one of the earliest computer engineers to use a general-purpose computer to program music and digitally synthesize musical sound. His programming language Music I allowed composers to design their own virtual instruments, a breakthrough during those pioneering days of computer music. “Numerology” was composed to demonstrate the various parameters, or building blocks, available to the composer using this programming language: vibrato (frequency modulation), attack and decay characteristics, glissando, tremolo (amplitude modulation), and the creation of new waveshapes. 02:49 04:38 4. John Robinson Pierce, “Beat Canon” (1960). Introduced by a narrator. From the album Music From Mathematics, Bell Telephone Laboratories. Played by IBM computer and direct to digital sound transducer. 00:52 07:28 5. James Tenney, “Noise Study” (1961). So named because “each of the ‘instruments' used in this piece includes a noise-generator.” 04:24 08:20 6. “Bicycle Built For Two (Accompanied)” (1963) From the demonstration record Computer Speech - Hee Saw Dhuh Kaet (He Saw The Cat), produced by Bell Laboratories. This recording contains samples of synthesized speech–speech artificially constructed from the basic building blocks of the English language. 01:17 12:42 7. Lejaren Hiller, “Computer Cantata, Prologue to Strophe III” (1963). From the University Of Illinois. This work employed direct computer synthesis using an IBM 7094 mainframe computer and the Musicomp programming language. 05:41 14:00 8. J. K. Randall, “Lyric Variations For Violin And Computer” (1965-1968). J. K. Randall's piece had a complex section that pushed the limits of computer processing power at the time. Although the section consisted of only 12 notes, each note was 20 seconds long. Each note overlapped with the next for 10 seconds, making the total length of the section only about 2 minutes. But this required 9 hours to process on one of the fastest computers of the day. 03:34 19:40 9. John Robinson Pierce, “Eight-Tone Canon” (1966). “Using the computer, one can produce tones with overtones at any frequencies.” Produced at Bell Telephone Laboratories. 03:53 23:14 10. Pietro Grossi, “Mixed Paganini” (1967). “Transcription for the central processor unit of a GE-115 computer of short excerpts of Paganini music scores. Realized at Studio di Fonologia musicale di Firenze (Italy). 01:46 27:08 11. Pietro Grossi, “Permutation of Five Sounds” (1967). Recording made on the Italian General Electric label. Realized at Studio di Fonologia musicale di Firenze (Italy). Distributed in 1967 as a New year gift by Olivetti company. 01:33 28:54 12. Wayne Slawson, “Wishful Thinking About Winter” (1970). Produced at Bell Telephone Laboratories. 03:53 30:26 13. John Cage and Lejaren Hiller, “HPSCHD” excerpt (1967-1969). The piece was written for Harpsichords and Computer-Generated Sound Tapes. Hiller and Cage staged a lively public performance in 1968 at the University of Illinois in Urbana. The first 10,000 individual recordings came with an insert in the form of a computer printout insert designed to allow the listener to program their own performance. And I quote from the jacket: "The computer-output sheet included in this album is one of 10,000 different numbered solutions of the program KNOBS. It enables the listener who follows its instructions to become a performer of this recording of HPSCHD. Preparation of this material was made possible through the Computing Center of the State University of New York at Buffalo." I happen to have three copies of this album, each with the printout. 07:20 34:16 14. Jean-Claude Risset, “Computer Suite From "Little Boy" (1968). Realized at Bell Laboratories. 04:28 41:46 15. Peter Zinovieff, “January Tensions” (1968). Zinovieff's notes, from the album: “Computer composed and performed. This piece is very much for computer both in its realization and composition. The rules are straightforward. The computer may begin by improvising slowly on whatever material is first chooses. However, once the initial choices are made then these must influence the whole of the rest of the composition. The original sounds must occasionally be remembered and illustrated but a more and more rigid structure is imposed on the randomness. The piece was electronically realized and composed in real time by an 8K PDP8/S and electronic music peripherals.” 09:48 46:12 16. Barry Vercoe, “Synthesism” (1969). Realized in the Computer Centers of Columbia and Princeton Universities using MUSIC 360 for the IBM 360 mainframe computer. Vercoe authored this musical programming language. 04:33 56:00 17. Charles Dodge, “The Earth's Magnetic Field” excerpt (1970). Composer Charles Dodge helped close the gap between computer music and other electronic music practices in 1969– 70 by working on computer code at Princeton University and then traveling to Bell Labs to have the code synthesized by a mainframe computer. The work, “Earth's Magnetic Field” (1970) was an outcome of this process. Dodge realized this piece by fusing computer composition with synthesis, one of the earliest examples of a practice that would become the norm many years later but that was quite difficult at the time. He used a “general- purpose sound synthesis program” written by Godfrey Winham at Princeton University. Every sound in the piece was computed into digital form using the IBM/ 360 model 91 at the Columbia University Computer Center and then converted into analog form at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. 07:45 01:00:32 18. Irv Teibel, "Tintinnabulation (Contemplative Sound)" from Environments (New Concepts In Stereo Sound) (Disc 2) (1970 Syntonic Research). One side of the record is a rare work of purely electronic computer music in a series that otherwise consisted of natural ambient sounds. It used computer-generated bell sounds, falling back on Teibel's experience processing sounds on an IBM 360 mainframe computer at Bell Labs. The record was promoted for meditation. A sticker on the cover read, "A Sensitizer for the Mind." From the liner notes: “As an illustration of the possibilities currently under examination, Syntonic Research decided to experiment with bell sounds as an environmental sound source. . . . Tintinnabulation can be played at any speed, from 78 to 16 rpm, in full stereo. At different speeds, the sounds change in tone and apparent size, although the harmonics remain unchanged. The effect, unlike real bells, is fully controllable by the use of your volume, bass, and treble controls.” 30:10 01:08:16 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 165 Chapter 25, Electronic Music from Japan, China, and The Asia-Pacific, Part 2. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 25, Electronic Music from Japan, China, and The Asia-Pacific, Part 2. from my book Electronic and Experimental music. In the playlist, the musical works are in chronological order by region (e.g., China, Taiwan). Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM CHINA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:39 00:00 China 1. Fengjiangzou, “败臼,” (2021). From a survey of contemporary Chinese electronic music produced by the Unexplained Sounds Group. 03:36 01:40 2. Yan Jun, “In A Sense That Yet To Be Made” (2022). From a cassette release. Yan Jun, musician and poet, born in Lanzhou and based in Beijing. 46:44 05:16 3. Zhu Wenbo, Zhao Cong, Li Song, "3 lines" (live recording 2023 in Wujing, Beijing). “Sounds from transducer feedback, elastic ropes and other objects (foil, paper…).” Trio of improvising electronic musicians. 08:59 52:00 Taiwan 4. Scattered Purgatory, “破城入山” (Ramming the Town, Roaming the Mountain) (2014). Experimental drone/folk/rock band from Taipei, Taiwan comprised of members Lu Li-Yang and Lu Jiachi. 07:48 01:00:58 5. Mong Tong, “介紹 (Jiè Shào)” and “地府 (Dì Fǔ)” (2021). Mong Tong is a Taiwanese psychedelic music band formed by brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi. From the album, Music From Taiwan Mystery. 06:27 01:08:44 6. Mong Tong, “天庭 (Tiān Tíng)” (2021). From the album, Music From Taiwan Mystery. 07:38 01:15:08 Thailand 7. Rik Wachirapilun, “สังวาส (Fuck)” (1999). Rik is a Thai musician whose music combines elements from Thai, Indian, Arabic and Western New Wave/Indie Rock cultures. 04:15 01:22:46 Indonesia 8. Otto Sidharta, “Gamelan” (1980). From the album, Otto Sidharta, Indonesian Electronic Music 1979-1992. 11:28 01:27:02 9. Melcyd, “Hellephant” (2015). From the cassette compilation, Pekak! Indonesian Noise 1995-2015: 20 Years of Experimental Music from Indonesia. “Melcyd is an experimental music group that was born in the indie-pop scene of Yogyakarta city and shifted to a more experimental form in their later period as a music group.” 06:12 01:38:24 10. Theonugraha, “Ngayau” (2015). From the cassette compilation, Pekak! Indonesian Noise 1995-2015: 20 Years of Experimental Music from Indonesia. 04:01 01:44:36 11. To Die, “Di Lautan Kegamangan” (2015). From the cassette compilation, Pekak! Indonesian Noise 1995-2015: 20 Years of Experimental Music from Indonesia. A list of recordings can be found here. 04:25 01:48:38 Philippines 12. Jose Maceda, “Ugnayan” excerpt (1973/2009). Ugnayan, music for 20 radio stations. This release is a stereo mix of the original twenty tracks recorded under the supervision of the composer in 1973 in the Philippines. 22:21 01:53:02 13. Jose Maceda, “Strata” (1987). 19:42 02:15:22 New Zealand 14. Douglas Lilburn, “The Return” (1965). Narrator, Tim Elliott; Technical Supervision, Willi Gailer; Maori Voice, Mahi Potiki. Tape work with voices. Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001) has been described as the "grandfather of New Zealand music," having worked in both conventional classical styles as well as pioneering electro-acoustic music in New Zealand. 17:00 02:34:58 15. Annea Lockwood, “Tiger Balm” (1970/1987). Revised Tape, Annea Lockwood; Engineering Assistance, Peter Grogono. “Tiger Balm was originally mixed in 1970 at Peter Zinovieff's Putney Studio in London. It was revised by the composer in her own studio a number of years later. This is the revised version.” Born in New Zealand, Annea Lockwood moved to England in 1961, studying composition at the Royal College of Music, London and followed courses in electronic music with Gottfried Michael Koenig. 10:26 02:51:56 16. Douglas Lilburn, “Soundscape with Lake and River” (1979). 11:01 03:02:22 17. Ros Bandt, “Stack (Red Rhythmic Pulses In Red Paint and Electrified Steel)” (2000). Concept, composed, performed, sound design, art direction, design, photography, Ros Bandt. Bandt is a musicologist, sound sculptor and instrument designer. 09:57 03:13:22 18. Rory Storm, “My Little Sun” (2005). Sound artist from New Zealand. Electric guitar, drum loop, bass guitar, keyboards, samples, acoustic guitar, field recording, vocals, tape, piano, ocarina, Metasynth, Rory Storm. 05:41 03:23:16 Opening and closing voicings, Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 164 Chapter 25, Electronic Music in Japan and The Asia-Pacific. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 25, Electronic Music in Japan and The Asia-Pacific from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN JAPAN AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1. Toshiro Mayuzumi, “Les Œuvres Pour La Musique Concrète X, Y, Z” (1953). Early work of tape music. 13:50 01:36 2. Toru Takemitsu, “Vocalism Ai (Love)” (1956). For magnetic tape (condensed from a 72-hour tape montage. 04:11 15:22 3. Makoto Moroi and Toshiro Mayuzumi, “Shichi No Variation (7 Variations)” (1956). Tape music for sine wave generators. 14:51 19:32 4. Toru Takemitsu, “Sky, Horse And Death (Concrete-Music)” (1958). For magnetic tape. 03:28 34:24 5. Group Ongaku, “Object” (1960). Recorded on May 8, 1960, at Mizuno's house. Performers were Chieko Shiomi, Mikio Tojima, Shukou Mizuno, Takehisa Kosugi, Yasunao Tone, and Yumiko Tanno. 07:34 37:50 6. Toru Takemitsu, “Water Music” (1960). For magnetic tape. 09:41 45:26 7. Michiko Toyama, “Aoi No Ue (Princess Hollyhock) (Music Drama for Tape and Narration).” For magnetic tape and reader. 07:05 55:06 8. Group Ongaku, “Metaplasm Part 2” (1961). Live performance, 1961, at Sogetsu Kaikan Hall, Tokyo. Tadashi Mori (conductor), 09:08 01:02:10 9. Akira Miyoshi (composer), opening excerpt to Ondine (1961). For orchestra, mixed chorus and electronic sounds. 04:32 01:11:18 10. Joji Yuasa – “Aoi No Ue” (1961). For voice and tape and based on The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu in 11th century. Tape parts realized at NHK Electronic music studio. 29:50 01:15:50 11. Kuniharu Akiyama, “Noh-Miso” (track 1) (1962). Tape music. Hitomi-Za is an experimental puppet theatre group. They had performed in February 13-17 in 1962 at Sogetsu Kaikan Hall. This program was consisted of three parts, and Joji Yuasa, Kuniharu Akiyama and Naozumi Yamamoto composed background sound for each part. 01:44 01:45:40 12. Toshi Ichiyanagi, “Parallel Music” (1962). Tape music recorded at NHK Electric Music Studio, Tokyo Japan. 09:12 01:47:22 13. Kuniharu Akiyam, “Demonstration of Nissei Theater” (excerpt) (1963). “Demonstration of Nissei Theater” composed in 1963 for a public demonstration of the stage machinery of the newly opened Nissei Theatre in Tokyo. 05:15 01:56:36 14. Toshi Ichiyanagi, “Sound Materials for Tinguely” (1963). “Music For Tinguely” was composed at the studio of Sogetsu Art Center. This rare track comprises sound materials used for that composition. 03:31 02:01:54 15. Joji Yusa, Tracks 1-4 (1963). Incidental music for NHK Radio, based on Andre Breton's "Nadja". "The actual chart of constellations was played by three players (violin, piano, vibraphone) which was supposed as the music score. And birds' voices, electronic sound, sound generated from inside piano, through music concrete technique and constructed at the NHK Electronic Music Studio." 04:24 02:05:26 16. Maki Ishii, “Hamon-Ripples (For Chamber Ensemble, Violin And Taped Music)” (1965). Tape piece for violin and chamber orchestra. 10:01 02:09:46 17. Joji Yuasa, “Icon on the Source Of White Noise” (1967). Tape work using white noise as material and designed for a multi-channel system. In the original version, several sound images of various widths (e.g. three loudspeakers playing simultaneously) moved at different speeds around the audience, who were positioned inside the pentagonal loudspeaker arrangement. 12:13 02:19:44 18. Makoto Moroi, “Shosanke” (1968). Tape work fusing electronic sounds with those of traditional Japanese instruments. 13:20 02:31:54 19. Minao Shibata, “Improvisation for Electronic Sounds” (1968). Tape piece for electronic sounds. 09:27 02:45:12 20. Toshi Ichiyanagi, “Love Blinded Ballad (Enka 1969)” from the Opera "From The Works Of Tadanori Yokoo" (1969). Tape collage. 06:57 02:54:40 21. Toshi Ichiyanagi, Music for Living Space (1969, Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha), composed for the Electric Faculty of Engineering of Kyoto University. Early Computer Music combined with Gregorian chant for Osaka Expo '70. 08:49 03:01:34 22. Toshiro Mayuzumi, “Mandara” (1969). Tape piece for electronic sound and voices. 10:22 03:10:24 23. Takehisa Kosugi, “Catch-Wave” (Mano Dharma '74)” (1974). “Mano-Dharma '74” is an excerpt from a meta-media solo improvisation performed by Takehisa Kosugi. From his notes: “Sounds speeding on lights, light speeding on sounds music between riddles & solutions. ‘the deaf listen to sounds touching, watching.” 26:32 03:20:42 24. Yoshi Wada – Earth Horns with Electronic Drone, excerpt, (1974). Electronics by Liz Phillips. Pipehorn players Barbara Stewart, Garrett List, Jim Burton, Yoshi Wada. Composed by, recorded by Yoshi Wada. Recorded at Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, Sunday 2-5pm, February 24, 1974. 10:51 03:47:10 25. Matsuo Ohno, Takehisa Kosugi, “B.G.M. Parts A-F” (1963). Music and effects later used for Astroboy. 06:59 03:57:48 26. Joji Yuasa, “My Blue Sky (No. 1)” (1975). Tape parts realized at NHK Electronic music studio. 15:43 04:05:00 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 163 Chapter 24, Electronic Music in Latin America. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 24, Electronic Music in Latin America from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN LATIN AMERICA Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Reginaldo Carvalho “Sibemol” (1956). Early electroacoustic work from Brazil. Composed in his home studio. 01:33 01:40 2. Mauricio Kagel “Transicion” (1958). Realized at the WDR studio, Cologne, Germany by this Argentinean composer.. 13:12 03:16 3. Hilda Dianda, “Dos Estudios en Oposición” (1959). An Argentinean composer and early experimenter with electronic music. The tape part for this early work likely composed in her home studio. 06:14 16:26 4. Mario Davidovsky, “Electronic Study No. 1” (1961). Realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center by this Argentinean composer. 05:44 22:40 5. Jorge Antunes, “Pequena Peça para mi Bequadro e Harmônicos” (1961). Realized by this Brazilian composer in his private studio. 03:47 28:24 6. César Bolaños, "Intensidad Y Altura" (1964). Electroacoustic work realized in CLAEM, Instituto T. di Tella, Buenos Aires by this Peruvian composer. 05:13 32:10 7. Hilda Dianda, “A7” (1964). Electroacoustic work for cello and tape from Argentina. Her electronic music work was associated with CICMAT, Buenos Aires. 15:04 37:24 8. Jacqueline Nova, “Oposición – Fusión” (1968). Realized by this Colombian composer in the Studio of fonologia de la Universidad nacionál de Buenos Aires. 10:28 52:28 9. Alcides Lanza, “Penetrations II” (1969). Realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center by this Argentinean composer. 09:58 01:02:56 10. Jorge Antunes, “Cinta Cita” (1969). Realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center by this Argentinean composer. 04:46 01:13:05 11. Jacqueline Nova, “Creación De La Tierra” (1969). Realized by this Colombian composer in the Studio of fonologia de la Universidad nacionál de Buenos Aires. 18:21 01:17:50 12. Eduardo Kusnir, "La Panadería Versión Electrónica" (1970). Electroacoustic work realized in CLAEM, Instituto T. di Tella, Buenos Aires by this Argentinean composer. 09:20 01:36:04 13. José Maria Neves, "Un-X-2” (1971). Electroacoustic work realized in the "Centre Americain," Paris by this Brazilian composer. 08:54 01:45:22 14. Oscar Bazán, "Parca" (1974). Electroacoustic work realized in CICMAT, Buenos Aires by this Argentinean composer. 08:49 01:54:12 15. Jacqueline Nova, “Montaje Electroacústico A Partir De Materiales” De La Música Original De La Película Camilo El Cura Guerrillero (1974). Realized by this Colombian composer in the Studio of fonologia de la Universidad nacionálde Buenos Aires. 08:14 02:03:00 16. Juan Blanco, “Tañidos” (1983). Realized by this Cuban composer at the Estudio Electroacústico Del Instituto Cubano De Amistad Con Los Pueblos (ICAP). 12:53 02:11:14 17. Syntoma, “No Me Puedo Controlar” (1983). Produced by this Mexican synth-pop band at Estudios Rack. 04:06 02:24:06 18. Juan Blanco, “Espacios II” (1984). Realized by this Cuban composer at the Estudio Electroacústico Del Instituto Cubano De Amistad Con Los Pueblos (ICAP). 08:45 02:28:12 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 161 Chapter 22, Electronic Music in Canada. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 22, Electronic Music in Canada from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN CANADA Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Hugh LeCaine, “Dripsody: An Etude For Variable Speed Recorder” (1955). One of the earliest pieces of tape music by the inventor and composer Hugh Le Caine. Also, one of the most available works from the early years when it was used to demonstrate simple techniques of tape composition. It is probably the most-played work of electronic music other than “Poeme Electronique” by Varese. Every sound in this work is based on a recording of a single drop of water falling into a bucket, which then underwent various speed adjustments and edits to create this composition. 2:12 01:38 2. Hugh LeCaine, “Ninety-Nine Generators” (1956). The title refers to the 99 tones of the touch sensitive organ. Each note had a separate generator and they could all sounds at the same time. 1:42 03:40 3. Hugh LeCaine, “This Thing Called Key” (1956). Le Caine composed on his Special Purpose Tape Recorder using individual tape playback heads for six tapes, activated by keys. 1:53 05:22 4. Anhalt, “Electronic Composition No. 2” (1959). 8:47 07:16 5. Norma Beecroft, “From Dreams of Brass” (1964). Norma Beecroft is a Canadian composer, producer, broadcaster, and arts administrator. Among the pioneering academic electronic music composers, she worked independently in the Electronic Music Studio of the University of Toronto. 15:59 16:04 6. Paul Pedersen, “For Margaret, Motherhood And Mendelssohn” (1971). Composed at McGill University where Pedersen was director of the electronic music studio. The electroacoustic work uses fragments of speeches such as prime minister Pierre Trudeau's and the electronic sounds were composed using Le Caine's Polyphonic Synthesizer. 4:21 32:02 7. Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, “Zones” (1972). Musique électroacoustique réalisée au Sonic Research Studio, Université Simon Fraser, Vancouver. An exploration of different instrumental timbres using electroacoustic music. 9:02 36:22 8. Alcides Lanza, “Eidesis IV For Wind Ensemble And Electronic Sounds” (1977). Lanza studied music in Buena Aires, moved to Canada in 1971, and became Director of the Electronic Music Studio of McGill University in 1976. 11:20 45:24 9. John Mills-Cockell, “Collision” from Gateway (1977). Produced, engineered, organ and synthesizer by independent Canadian musician John Mills Cockell. 03:32 56:54 10. Dennis Patrick, “Phantasy III (Excerpt)” (1977-78). Completed in the Electronic Music Studio of the University of Toronto, where he was Director of the studio beginning around 1976. 04:53 01:00:26 11. Hildegard Westerkamp, “Cricket Voice” (1987). This work is a “musical exploration of the cricket,” with a cricket sound recorded in Mexico. If you know crickets, you will note that this one is not Canadian. But the composer is and this work was produced at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver where Westerkamp was teaching at the time. 11:09 01:05:20 12. Ann Southam, “Fluke Sound” (1989). Southam is another female Canadian composer of note. She is from the Toronto area. This work is from a period when she was immersed in electroacoustic music. 10:22 01:16:16 13. Norma Beecroft, “Evocations: Images Of Canada (1992). In contrast to the earlier tape works of Beecroft, this is a purely digital composition. She used an Apple Macintosh, the program/sequencer Performer and a Roland D-70 synthesizer. 16:01 01:26:30 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 162 Chapter 23, Radiophonic Music in the United Kingdom. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music This episode of the podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 23, Radiophonic Music in the United Kingdom from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: RADIOPHONIC MUSIC IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:36 00:00 1. Daphne Oram, “Introduction to Oramics” (1960). Introduction to her Oramics studio and processes for making electronic music. Voice and musical examples by Daphne Oram, recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent. 04:37 01:38 2. Daphne Oram, “Four Aspects” (1960). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent. 08:07 06:14 3. Delia Derbyshire, “Doctor Who Theme” (Closing Credits) (1962). The most famous version of this theme for the popular television program, composed by Ron Grainer and realized by Derbyshire at the BBC studios. 02:23 14:20 4. Ray Cathode (George Martin), “Time Beat” (1962). Produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Written and produced by George Martin, around the time when he was starting his production work with The Beatles. 02:11 16:40 5. Ray Cathode (George Martin), “Waltz in Orbit” (1962). Produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Written and produced by George Martin, around the time when he was starting his production work with The Beatles. 01:52 18:52 6. Daphne Oram, “Costain Suite” (1964). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent. 13:17 20:44 7. Delia Derbyshire, “Running” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964. 08:08 34:02 8. Delia Derbyshire, “Falling” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964. 08:45 42:08 9. Delia Derbyshire, “Land” (1964). One of the seven parts from the “radio inventions” called "The Dreams," first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, Sunday 5th January 1964. 07:02 50:54 10. Daphne Oram, “Pulse Persephone” (1965). Tape composition by Daphne Oram recorded in her home studio Tower Folly, Kent. 04:03 58:06 11. Tristram Cary, “Sputnik Code” (1968). Cary was a British composer and pioneer of electronic music. He composed this work for a movie soundtrack. 01:50 01:02:08 12. Lily Greenham, “ABC in Sound” (1968). Early tape work by this pioneer of electronic music in the UK. Greenham was an Austrian-born Danish visual artist, performer, composer and leading proponent of sound poetry and concrete poetry. She settled in London. 02:39 01:04:02 13. White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “The Black Mass: An Electric Storm In Hell (The White Noise)” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw. 07:20 01:06:40 14. White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “Your Hidden Dreams” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw. 04:55 01:13:58 15. White Noise (Delia Derbyshire, David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson), “Love Without Sound” (1969). Experimental electronic music project established in London in 1968, originally as a group project between David Vorhaus and BBC Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Vocals by Annie Bird, John Whitman, Val Shaw. 03:07 01:18:52 16. Electrophon (Brian Hodgson, Dudley Simpson), “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” (Händel) (1973). Electronic interpretations of classical music for various synthesizers. 03:04 01:22:00 17. Paddy Kingsland, “Fourth Dimension” (1973). Produced by Kingsland for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. “The synthesisers used on this disc are both British, and both made by E.M.S. of London. They are the VCS3, an amazingly versatile miniature synthesiser, and its big brother, the Synthi '100', known within the Radiophonic Workshop as 'The Delaware', after the address of the Workshop.” 02:19 01:25:02 18. Lily Greenham, “Traffic” (1975). Realized at the Electronic Music Studio, Goldsmiths' College, University of London. Technical Assistance, Hugh Davies. 10:33 01:27:18 19. White Noise (David Vorhaus), “Concerto Movement 1” (1975). Used what Vorhaus called the Kaleidophon Synthesizer that included two EMS VCS 3's connected via a console of electronic modules he designed. 11:33 01:37:50 20. Delia Derbyshire, “Dreaming” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a work to accompany a television program. 01:13 01:49:18 21. Glynis Jones, “Crystal City” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a work to accompany a television program. 01:01 01:50:30 22. Glynis Jones, “Magic Carpet” (1976). Includes three shorts works, Magic Carpet Take-Off, Magic Carpet Flight and Magic Carpet Land. Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as sound effects. 00:50 01:51:30 23. Brian Hodgson, “Tardis Land” (1976). Produced for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop as a sound effect. 00:23 01:52:22 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 160 Chapter 21, The San Francisco Tape Music Center. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 21, The San Francisco Tape Music Center from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: THE SAN FRANCISCO TAPE MUSIC CENTER Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:30 00:00 1. Terry Riley, “Mescalin-Mix” (1960-62). Early tape collage and one of Riley's first works for tape. 14:23 01:38 2. Terry Riley, “Concerto For Two Pianos and Five Tape Recorders” )1961). Piano, LaMonte Young; piano and tape assemblage, Terry Riley. Recorded live. 1961 Riley-Terry_ConcertoForTwoPianos-b.wav 04:36 15:56 3. Pauline Oliveros, “Apple Box Double” (performance 2008). This piece was composed for various configurations of apple crates that were touched and scraped with various objects while being amplified. The original dates from about 2006. This performance by Seth Cluett and Oliveros took place in 2008. 12:45 20:30 4. Steve Reich, “Melodica” (1966). Tape piece and the last of Reich's works before moving onto instrumental composition in his minimalist style. 10:42 33:16 5. Morton Subotnick, “Laminations” (1966). For orchestra and electronic sounds, on tape. By this point, Subotnick was working with an early model of a synthesizer built for the San Francisco Tape Music Center by Donald Buchla. This synthesizer material was also used for the opening of Silver Apples of the Moon the following year. 10:29 44:08 6. Morton Subotnick, “Prelude No.4 for piano and electronic tape (1966). Another Subotnick work for instruments and tape with synthesized electronic sounds. 06:58 54:36 7. Pauline Oliveros, “Alien Bog” (1967). Utilizing the original Buchla Box 100 series created for the Tape Music Center by Don Buchla and a tape delay system. 33:17 01:01:30 8. Morton Subotnick, “Silver Apples of the Moon” (1967). Subotnick, recently departed from San Francisco and taking up shop at New York University, brought synthesizers constructed for him by Don Buchla when he was at the San Francisco Tape Music Center. This electronic composition represented a high point for the use of synthesizers at that time and was recorded on commission from Nonesuch Records. 32:01 01:35:00 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 159 Chapter 20, The Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: THE EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC STUDIO, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1. Lejaren Hiller, “Nightmare Music” (1961). Tape composition produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 09:41 01:34 2. Charles Hamm, “Canto, For Soprano, Speaker & Chamber Ensemble” (1963). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 06:25 11:16 3. Lejaren Hiller, “Computer Cantata, For Soprano, Chamber Ensemble and Tape” (1963). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 23:09 17:38 4. Herbert Brün, “Futility, For Speaker And Tape” (1964). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 07:50 40:34 5. Lejaren Hiller, “Machine Music, For Piano, Percussion And Tape” (1964). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 13:15 48:22 6. Kenneth Gaburo, “Lemon Drops” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 02:55 01:01:40 7. Salvatore Martirano, “Underworld” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 16:55 01:04:36 8. Kenneth Gaburo, “For Harry” (1966). Tape composition produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 03:41 01:21:32 9. Lejaren Hiller, “Suite For Two Pianos And Tape” (1966). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 18:30 01:25:16 10. Lejaren Hiller, “Computer Music for Tape & Percussion” (1968). Produced at the Experimental Music Studio, University of Illinois. 06:52 01:43:42 11. Salvatore Martirano, “The SalMar: Part One” (1983). Performance by Martirano in Paris in 1983 using the one-of-a-kind Sal-Mar Construction designed for real-time performance of electronic music. It was created from 1969 to 1972 at the University of Illinois. 18:59 01:50:26 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 158 Chapter 19, The Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music, Ann Arbor. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: THE COOPERATIVE STUDIO FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC, ANN ARBOR Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Gordon Mumma, “Music from the Venezia Space Theater” (1963-64). Tape composition produced with Robert Ashley at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor, for Milton Cohen's Space Theater. 12:01 01:38 2. Robert Ashley and Bob James Trio, “Wolfman” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 06:08 13:25 3. Robert Ashley, Gordon Mumma and Bob James Trio, “Untitled Mixes” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 05:19 19:34 4. Gordon Mumma and Bob James Trio, “And On” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 08:54 24:50 5. Gordon Mumma, “The Dresden Interleaf 13 February 1945” (1965). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 12:20 33:54 6. Robert Ashley, “She was a Visitor” (1967). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 05:56 46:00 7. Gordon Mumma, “Horn” (1967). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 06:22 51:54 8. Robert Ashley, Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon (1968). Tape composition produced at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music in Ann Arbor. 10:15 58:18 9. Alvin Lucier, “Vespers” (1969). Performance piece for echolocating devices, first produced in Ann Arbor at the Once Festival. 10:03 01:08:27 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 157 Chapter 18, The Columbia– Princeton Electronic Music Center, New York. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: THE COLUMBIA–PRINCETON ELECTRONIC MUSIC CENTER, NEW YORK Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:31 00:00 1. Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Sonic Contours” (1952). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 07:24 01:36 2. Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Incantation For Tape” (1953). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 02:36 08:56 3. Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Linear Contrasts” (1958). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 03:46 11:28 4. Halim El Dabh, “Electronics And The Word” (1959). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 02:47 15:14 5. Mario Davidovsky, “Electronic Study No. 1” (1960). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 05:44 17:56 6. Otto Luening, “Gargoyles” (1960). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 09:27 23:42 7. Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Wireless Fantasy” (1960). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 04:37 33:08 8. Ihan Mimaroglu, “Prelude No. 8 (To the memory of Edgard Varèse)” (1966). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 04:00 37:44 9. Pril Smiley, “Eclipse” (1967). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 07:56 41:38 10. Milton Babbitt, “Occasional Variations” (1968-71). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 09:56 49:46 11. Bülent Arel, “Stereo Electronic Music No. 2 (1970). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 14:24 59:41 12. Charles Dodge, “Changes” (1970). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 14:44 01:14:00 13. Alice Shields, “The Transformation Of Ani” (1970). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 09:05 01:28:44 14. Daria Semegen, “Electronic Composition No.1” (1971). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 05:53 01:37:48 15. Bülent Arel and Daria Semegen, “Out Of Into” (1972). Tape composition produced at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 16:39 01:43:34 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 156 Chapter 17, John Cage in the United States. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: EARLY ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:25 00:00 1. Louis and Bebe Barron, “The Bells of Atlantis” (1952), soundtrack for a film by Ian Hugo based on the writings of his wife Anaïs Nin (who's voice you will hear). Tape composition produced at the Barron's studio (New York). 09:01 01:38 2. Williams Mix (1952) by John Cage. Tape composition produced at the Barrons' studio (New York). 05:42 10:40 3. Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Moonflight” (1952) Tape composition produced at the composer's Tape Music Center at Columbia University, the precursor of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 02:54 16:20 4. Henry Jacobs, “Sonata for Loudspeakers” (1953-54). Tape composition produced at radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley. 09:29 19:12 5. Jim Fassett, track “B2” (Untitled) (1955). From the album, Strange To Your Ears. Tape composition produced at CBS radio. 08:15 28:38 6. Harry F. Olsen, “The Well-Tempered Clavier: Fugue No. 2” (Bach), “Nola” (Arndt) and “Home, Sweet Home” (1955). Disc composition created on RCA Mark I Music Synthesizer at Princeton University. 05:26 36:54 7. John Cage, “Fontana Mix” (1958). Tape composition produced by Cage at Studio di Fonologia of the Italian Radio (Milan). 11:33 42:33 8. Tod Dockstader, “Drone” (1962). Tape composition produced privately by the composer (Los Angeles). 13:24 54:06 9. Kenneth Gaburo, “Lemon Drops (Tape Alone)” (1965). Tape composition produced at the studio for Experimental Music of the University of Illinois. 02:52 01:07:30 10. Jean Eichelberger Ivey, “Pinball” (1965) from Electronic Music (1967 Folkways). Tape composition produced at the Electronic Music Studio of Brandeis University. 06:12 01:10:20 11. Pauline Oliveros, “Bye Bye Butterfly” (1965). Tape composition produced at the San Francisco Tape Music Center. 08:05 01:16:32 12. Olly W. Wilson, “Cetus” (1967). Tape composition produced at the studio for Experimental Music of the University of Illinois. 09:18 01:24:36 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 155 Chapter 16, Other European Electronic Music Studios. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: OTHER EUROPEAN ELECTRONIC MUSIC STUDIOS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1. Luciano Berio, “Mutazioni” (1955). Tape composition produced at the RAI studio (Milan). 03:36 01:38 2. Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna, “Ritatto di Città (poema radiofonico)” (1955). Tape composition produced at the RAI studio (Milan). 06:05 05:14 3. Bruno Maderna, “Notturno” (1956). Magnetic tape composition, RAI studio (Milan). 03:24 11:16 4. Dick Raajimakers, “Song of the Second Moon” (1957). Tape composition produced at the Philips Research Laboratories (Eindhoven). 03:08 14:40 5. Luciano Berio, “Thema–Omaggio a Joyce” (1958). Early text-sound composition using magnetic tape. RAI studio (Milan). 06:24 17:48 6. Tom Dissevelt, “Whirling” (1958). Tape composition produced at the Philips Research Laboratories (Eindhoven). 02:37 23:56 7. Luigi Nono, “Omaggio A Vedova” (1960). Tape composition produced at the R.A.I. (Rome). 04:52 26:32 8. Pietro Grossi, Marino Zuccheri, “Progetto II e III” (1961). Tape composition produced at the Studio Di Fonologia Musicale Di Firenze (S 2F M) (Florence). 02:56 31:24 9. Ake Karlung, “Antihappening” (1962). Tape composition produced at the studio of ABF, Stockholm (Norway). 03:51 34:20 10. Alfred Janson, “Canon” (1964). Tape composition produced in his private studio (Norway). 12:27 38:08 11. Lars-Gunnar Bodin, “Den heter ingenting, den heter nog ‘Seans 2'” (1965. Tape composition produced in the studios of Swedish Radio (Stockholm). 16:00 50:46 12. Gruppo NPS (Rampazzi, Marega, Chiggio, Meiners, Alfonsi), “Ricerca 4” (1965). Gruppo Nuove Proposte Sonore (NPS) (Padua). 05:46 01:06:46 13. Arne Nordheim, “Response I” (1966) for 2 percussion groups and magnetic tape. Tape composition produced at NRK radio (Oslo). 18:09 01:12:32 14. Enore Zaffiri, “Musica Per Un Anno” (1968, excerpt). Tape composition produced at the Studio di Musica Elettronica di Torino (SMET) (Torino). 13:41 01:30:41 15. Teresa Rampazzi, “Duodeno normale” (1972). Tape composition produced at the Gruppo Nuove Proposte Sonore (NPS) (Padua). 01:27 01:44:24 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 154 Chapter 15, Elektronische Musik in Germany. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK IN GERMANY Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1. Heinz Schutz, “Morgenröte” (1952). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 03:42 01:36 2. Karel Goeyvaerts, “Compositie Nr 5 met zuivere tonen” (1953). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 02:44 05:12 3. Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Studie I” (1953). Elektronische musik using only processed sine waves (Cologne). 09:25 07:50 4. Giselher Klebe, “Interferenzen” (1955). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 04:52 17:16 5. Gottfried Michael Koenig, “Klangfiguren I” (1955). Elektronische musikusing magnetic tape (Cologne). 04:18 22:00 6. Franco Evangelisti, “Incontri di fasce sonore” (1957). Elektronische musikusing magnetic tape (Cologne). 03:30 26:08 7. Mauricio Kagel, “Transición” (1958). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 13:22 29:30 8. Györgi Ligeti, “Artikulation” (1958). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 03:58 42:44 9. Herbert Eimert, “Epitaph für Aikichi Kuboyama” (1960). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 22:26 46:44 10. Michael von Biel, “Fassung” (1964). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 13:47 01:09:06 11. Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Hymnen Region III (opening)” (1953). Elektronische musik using only processed sine waves (Cologne). 02:30 01:22:40 12. Peter Eötvös, “Mese” (1968). Elektronische musik using magnetic tape (Cologne). 12:42 01:25:10 13. Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Studie II” (1953). Elektronische musik using only processed sine waves (Cologne). 03:10 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 153 Chapter 14, Musique Concrète in France. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: MUSIQUE CONCRÈTE IN FRANCE Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:30 00:00 1. Pierre Schaeffer, “Étude Aux Chemins De Fer ” (1948). Early musique concrète using turntables not magnetic tape. GRM studio (Paris). 02:53 01:36 2. Pierre Schaeffer, “Étude Violette” (1948). Early musique concrète using turntables not magnetic tape. GRM studio (Paris). 03:25 04:28 3. Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, “Prosopopée I” from Symphonie pour un homme seul (1949– 50). Early use of magnetic tape for musique concrète GRM studio (Paris). 02:57 07:48 4. Iannis Xenakis, “Diamorphoses” (1957). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 06:57 10:42 5. Luc Ferrari, “Visage V” (1958-59). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 10:37 17:38 6. Mireille Kyrou, “Etude I” (1960). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 05:09 28:12 7. Philippe Carson, “Turmac” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 09:43 33:20 8. Bernard Parmegiani, “Danse” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 04:08 43:04 9. Henri Pousseur, “Trois Visages De Liège” (1961). Magnetic tape composition. Composed at the Centre de recherches et de formation musicales de Wallonie (CRFMW) (Belgium). 20:40 47:22 10. Luc Ferrari, “Hétérozygote” (1963-64). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 26:20 01:08:00 11. François Bayle, “Vapeur” (1964). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 04:44 01:34:16 12. Beatriz Ferreyra, “Demeures aquatiques” (1967). Magnetic tape composition. GRM studio (Paris). 07:20 01:39:00 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 152 Chapter 13, Edgard Varèse and The Listener's Experiment. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH ELECTRONICS Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:28 00:00 1. Edgard Varèse, “Déserts” (1954). Early combination of live orchestra with magnetic tape. 24:49 01:36 2. Maurice Blackburn and Norman McClaren, “Blinkity Blank” (1955). Film score for five instrumentalists and sounds created by etching directly onto the soundtrack. 05:07 26:28 3. Morton Subotnick, “Laminations” (1966). Live orchestra with electronic sounds on tape. 10:29 31:24 4. Mario Davidovsky, “Synchronisms No. 5” (1969). For percussion quintet and electronic sounds on tape. 08:39 41:50 5. Wendy Carlos, “A Clockwork Orange” (1971). Early analog synthesis of orchestral and choir sounds. 07:03 50:36 6. Jacob Druckman, “Animus III” (1971). For clarinet and tape. 15:44 57:34 7. Isao Tomita, opening four tracks from The Bermuda Triangle (1979) including themes by Prokofiev and Sibelius. Analog electronic orchestration. 12:52 01:13:18 8. Wendy Carlos, “Genesis” from Digital Moonscapes (1984). Completely digital orchestration. 07:10 01:25:58 9. Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” (1988). Live instruments with MIDI instrument accompaniment. 30:15 01:33:10 10. William Orbit, “Adagio for Strings” (2000). Electronic realization of Samuel Barber orchestral work. 09:34 02:03:26 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 151 Chapter 12, The History of Audio Recording Technology. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: THE HISTORY OF AUDIO RECORDING TECHNOLOGY Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:30 00:00 1. Leon Scott “Au Clair de la Lune” (1860). Phonautograph. One of about 50 recordings made around 1860 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville's on his invention, the Phonautograph that were digitally restored in 2008 by the First Sounds collaborative. These were created using the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's virtual stylus technology, which sought to track the wavy lines scratched on soot-covered paper as though they were standard record grooves. 00:20 01:38 2. Alice J. Shaw, an improvised whistling performance (1888) from an Edison Records cylinder recording. 02:13 01:58 3. George J. Gaskin, “Drill Ye Terriers Drill” (1896) from an E. Berliner's Gramophone shellac disc. 01:24 04:10 4. Sousa's Band, “Happy Days In Dixie” (1897) from an E. Berliner's Gramophone shellac disc. 01:43 05:36 5. Emperor Franz Joseph, short message recorded on Valdemar Poulsen's Telegraphone (1900). Early magnetic wire recording. Recording made without microphone. 00:09 07:18 6. Sousa's Band, “The Mosquito Parade” (1904) from Columbia Records shellac disc. Note the higher fidelity of the instruments compared to earlier recordings on disc, recorded without electrical microphones but optimizing the use of acoustic horns for sound intake. 02:54 07:28 7. Noble Sissle (vocals) and Eubie Blake (piano), medley of popular songs (1923). Recording using onto an early sound film using the Phonofilm process invented by Lee de Forest. 06:51 10:22 8. Paul Whiteman And His Concert Orchestra, “Rhapsody In Blue” (1924) from an RCA Victor shellac disc. This is an acoustically recorded version of this piece, without the benefit of vacuum tube amplification or electrical microphones. Compare to the 1927 version (next), also by Whiteman, produced using electrical recording. 09:06 17:12 9. Paul Whiteman And His Concert Orchestra, “Rhapsody In Blue” (1927) from RCA Victor, His Master's Voice shellac disc. An electrical recording using vacuum tube amplification and electrical microphones. 08:59 26:30 10. Paul Hindemith, “Trickaufnahme” (excerpt) (1930), an experiment in turntablism using turntable discs to both record, mix, and playback the result. 00:58 35:28 11. BBC, “Pieces of Tape” excerpt of a program (1933) produced by editing together segments recorded previously using the Blattnerphonesteel tape recorded that used a magnetic process. This was the first audio recording assembled using tape editing. A dozen years prior to the available of magnetic tape, edits made to steel tape had to be made by spot welding. 05:29 36:28 12. Sidney Bechet, “Blues of Bechet” (1941) from an RCA Victor shellac disc. An early example of overdubbing/multitracking. Bechet played every instrument on this track, including the piano, clarinet and soprano saxophone. Each instrument was recorded onto a new master disc and mixed on another disc to create the final recording. 01:57 41:56 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 150 Chapter 11 Electronic Music Performance Instruments (1920– 40). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: ELECTRONIC MUSIC PERFORMANCE INSTRUMENTS (1920– 1950) Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:35 00:00 1. Luigi Russolo, “Serenata” (1924). Mechanical noise-intoners and orchestra. 02:01 01:38 2. Leon Theremin, “Deep Night” (1930). The inventor playing his own instrument. 01:48 04:16 3. Orchestra Raymonde, “Romantique” (1934). Song featuring the Electronde, an instrument based on the Theremin made by Martin Taubman. 02:55 06:06 4. Edgard Varèse, “Ecuatorial” (1934). Scored for chorus, small orchestra, organ, and two Ondes Martenots. Performance under the direction of Pierre Boulez in 1983. 12:11 09:00 5. Paul Hindemith, “Langsames Stück und Rondo für Trautonium” (1935). Oskar Sala played the Trautonium. 05:29 21:02 6. Olivier Messaien, “Oraison” (1937) for Ondes Martenot and orchestra. 07:43 26:34 7. John Cage, “Imaginary Landscape No. 1” (1939). Radios and turntables playing test signals. 08:37 34:14 8. Slim Galliard Quartet, “Novachord Boogie” (1946). Featured the Hammond Novachord organ/synthesizer. 02:57 42:50 9. Lucie Bigelow Rosen, “That Old Refrain” (1948) for Theremin and piano. 03:25 45:48 10. Miklós Rózsa. “Subconscious” from Spellbound (1948). Musical score for the Alfred Hitchcock film featuring Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman on Theremin. 02:07 49:14 11. Clara Rockmore, “Valse Sentimentale” (Tchaikovsky) (1977) for Theremin. Later performance of the famous Thereminist from the 1930s-1940s. 02:07 51:22 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 148 Chapter 10, Earliest Experiments in Electronic Music (Pre- 1920). Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 10, Earliest Experiments in Electronic Music (Pre- 1920) from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: Futurist Music Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 Antonio Russolo, “Serenata” (1924). A 78 RPM recording made using original intonarumori (noise intoners). 02:38 01:36 Antonio Russolo, “Corale” (1924). A 78 RPM recording made using original intonarumori (noise intoners). 02:01 04:12 Luigi Russolo, “Risveglio Di Una Citta” (1913). This recording was made in 1977 by Mario Abate, Pietro Verardo with reproduction intonarumori (noise intoners). 03:52 06:12 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 147 Chapter 09, MIDI, Noise Reduction, and Audio Compression Technologies. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 09, MIDI, Noise Reduction, and Audio Compression Technologies from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: MIDI Controllers in Electronic Music Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:40 00:00 Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” (1986). Used an early MIDI controller suite of instrumental sounds accompanying a live flutist. 30:15 01:42 Michel Waisvisz demonstrates The Hands and Crackle MIDI controller-synthesizers. The No Backup Concert (2004) at STEIM. 09:40 32:08 Thomas Wydler & Toby Dammit, “Ramwong” (2021). Features a treated Buchla Marimba Lumina synthesizer, a MIDI instrument and controller. 02:15 41:48 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 146 Chapter 08, Tape Composition and Sound Editing. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 08, Tape Composition and Sound Editing from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: Classic Tape Composition Techniques Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:30 00:00 1 Pierre Schaeffer, “Cinq études de bruits: Étude violette (1948). Early application of backwards sounds using a turntable 03:19 01:34 2 Pierre Henry, “Le Microphone bien tempéré” (1950– 52). Used reverberation. 24:48 04:50 3 Otto Luening, “Invention in Twelve Tones” (1952). Used tape echo. 03:47 29:37 4 Morton Feldman, “Intersection” (1953). Used leader tape as a composition tool to add patches of silence. 03:30 33:18 5 György Ligeti, “Glissandi” (1957). Extensive use of tape speed variation and backwards sounds. 07:45 33:44 6 Henri Pousseur, “Scambi” (1957– 58). Explored white noise, filtering, and reverberation. 06:34 44:20 7 Herbert Brün, “Anepigraphe” (1958). Tape music with voices edited into the mix, produced in the WDR studio in Cologne. 07:46 50:56 8 Terry Riley, “Music for the Gift” part 1 (1963). One of the first uses of tape delay with multiple tape recorders. 05:45 58:42 9 Pauline Oliveros, “Beautiful Soop” (1967). Used multiple tape echo signals. 27:46 01:04:24 10 Violet Archer, “Episodes” (1973). Using two Putney synthesizers, a bank of 10 oscillators, mixer, reverb, ring modulation, and filtering. 08:46 01:32:10 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 146 Chapter 07, Computer Music Basics. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 07, Computer Music Basics from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: Early Computer Synthesis Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:30 00:00 1 Max Mathews, “Numerology” (1960). Direct computer synthesis using an IBM 7090 mainframe computer and the Music III programming language 02:45 01:32 2 James Tenney, “Analog #1: Noise Study” (1961). Direct synthesis and filtering of noise bands at Bell Labs' facilities. 04:24 04:04 3 Lejaren Hiller, “Computer Cantata” (third movement) (1963). Direct computer synthesis using an IBM 7094 mainframe computer and the Musicomp programming language. 05:41 08:28 4 Jean-Claude Risset, “Mutations I” (1969). Used frequency modulation. 10:23 14:06 5 Charles Dodge, “The Earth's Magnetic Field” (Untitled, part 1) (1970). Used an IBM mainframe computer and the Music 4BF programming language to convert geophysical data regarding the Earth's magnetic field into music. 14:00 24:28 6 Laurie Spiegel, “Appalachian Grove I” (1974). Used the Groove program at Bell Labs. 05:23 38:22 7 Curtis Roads, “Prototype” (1975). Used granular synthesis. 06:11 43:48 8 John Chowning, “Stria” (1977). Used the composer's patented FM synthesis algorithms. 05:14 50:00 9 Jean-Baptiste Barriere, “Chreode” (1983). Granular synthesis using the Chant program at IRCAM; computer-controlled organization of material—a grammar of musical processes prepared with IRCAM's Formes software. 09:24 55:10 10 Barry Truax, “Riverrun” (1986). Composed using only granulated sampled sound, using Truax's real-time PODX system. 19:42 01:04:30 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 145 Chapter 06, Analog and Digital Synthesis Basics, Part 2. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 06, Analog and Digital Synthesis Basics, Part 2 from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: Analog Synthesis and Sound Modification Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1 Richard Maxfield, “Prelude, Pastoral Symphony” (1960). Tape piece combining electronic sounds with the modulated sounds of nature. 04:02 01:36 2 Mireille Kyrou, “Étude I” (1960) from Musique Concrète (1964 Philips). Tape piece of processed acoustic sounds. Realized by the "Groupe de recherches musicales du Service de la recherche de la radiodiffusion-télévision française.” Kyrou is the rare example of a woman composer using the French studio. 5:09 05:09 05:36 3 Hugh Le Caine, “Safari: Eine kleine Klangfarbenmelodie” (1964). Used extensive additive synthesis and texturing by means of the Sonde, an instrument equipped with 200 closely tuned sine tones. 03:09 10:44 4 David Behrman, “Wave Train” (1966). Used analog circuits, internal feedback, audio processing in real time. Recording is from a flexi-disc released by Source: Music of the Avant Garde in 1968. 15:34 13:52 5 Steve Reich, “Come Out” (1966). Tape piece experiment with tape loops and phasing of vocal passages. 12:53 29:22 6 Gordon Mumma, “Horn” (1967). Performance released on flexi-disc for Aspen Magazine No. 1 (1967). Performed at the Once Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Mumma, Robert Ashley, and George Cacioppo. Acoustic sounds modified electronically in real time. 06:22 42:14 7 Pril Smiley, “Eclipse” (1967). “Eclipse” was realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Smiley had this to say about the work, “Eighty-five percent of the sounds are electronic in origin; the non-electronic sounds are mainly pre-recorded percussion sounds–but subsequently electronically modified so that they are not always recognizable.” 7:56 07:56 48:46 8 Charlemagne Palestine, “Seven Organism Study” (1968). Used feedback and analog synthesis for this drone work. 07:53 56:36 9 Hugh Davies, “Salad” (1977). From the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The file was produced in Davies' home studio and dates from February 19, 1977. Davies performs on four different egg slicers, two tomato slicers and one cheese slicer. 13:55 13:55 01:04:24 10 David Lee Myers, “Periodicity, track A1” (1988). Analog feedback circuits controlled in real time. 02:36 01:18:16 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 144 Chapter 06, Analog and Digital Synthesis Basics, Part 1. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 06, Analog and Digital Synthesis Basics, Part 1 from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: Early Experiments and Synthesizers Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:40 00:00 1 Halim El-Dabh, “The Expression of Zaar” (alt. title Wire Recorder Piece) (1944). Middle East Radio, Cairo. Composed using a magnetic wire recorder. 01:53 01:40 2 Hugh Le Caine, “Dripsody” (1955). Canada. Using Le Caine's special purpose tape recorder. 02:00 03:30 3 Josef Anton Riedl, “Folge von 4 Studien” (1959). Siemens Studio für Elektronische Musik. 02:35 05:30 4 Milton Babbitt, “Ensembles for Synthesizer” (1961– 63). Using RCA Mark II Electronic Music Synthesizer 10:41 08:06 5 Mauricio Kagel “Antithese” (1962). Siemens Studio für Elektronische Musik. 09:22 18:46 6 Konrad Boehmer, “Aspekt” (1966). State University Electronic-Music Studio, Utrecht. 15:15 28:08 7 Pauline Oliveros, “I of IV” (1966). University of Toronto Electronic Music Studio. Using Hugh Le Caine's tape loop system. 25:29 43:34 8 Alice Shields, “Study for Voice and Tape” (1969). Columbia– Princeton Electronic Music Center. 05:14 01:08:52 9 Charles Wuorinen, Time's Encomium (1968– 69). Using RCA Mark II Electronic Music Synthesizer. 30:47 01:14:06 10 Douglas Leedy, “Entropical Paradise I” (1970). Side 1 of three-LP set. Six “sonic environments” using the Buchla Modular Electronic Music System and Moog Modular Synthesizer at UCLA. 20:09 01:44:55 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 143 Chapter 05, The Physics of Musical Sound. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. Playlist Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:28 00:00 John Cage, “Cartridge Music” (1960). Uses phono cartridges to amplify small sounds. 19:57 01:30 Robert Ashley, “The Wolfman” (1964). Uses a mike inside of the vocal cavity as a feedback and distortion chamber for audio that is highly amplified. 15:27 21:26 Beaver and Krause, “Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music” (1968). Two complete albums of examples from this landmark album. Includes examples of synthesis and principles using the Moog Modular synthesizer. The first track is a composition called “Peace Three” that is repeated as the final track of the album; in this case I only play it once at the end of the album. See the image below for a scan of the album's title sequence. 45:16 37:00 Steve Reich, “Pendulum Music” (1968). Manipulates the feedback properties of a microphone swinging over a loudspeaker. 05:54 01:22:16 David Tudor, “Toneburst” (1975). Incorporates an internal feedback loop where Tudor fed the output of his handbuilt instruments into other. Partly analog, partly digital. 29:19 01:28:06 Jason Kahn, Toshimaru Nakamura, “Track 1” from Repeat (1999). No-input feedback, which is basically a feedback loop produced without external (acoustic) input. All digital. 08:02 01:57:26 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 142 Chapter 04, Electronic Music Composition by Process. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. Playlist Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:31 00:00 Yves Klein, “Monotone-Silence Symphony” (1947). I could not find any recorded versions of this piece, so I produced this realization of my own to capture the feel and nature of this process work. Klein conceived this as performance art in which an orchestra would only play a single note, continuously, for 20 minutes followed by another 20 minutes of silence. I've examined the score and can see that Klein also intended that the same note could be played in different octaves. The playing would have been staged so that one group of musicians could overlap another, both for reasons of fatigue but also to allow smooth transitions for the wind instruments because players would need to take a breath. My version includes electronic instruments for multiple parts, each part playing the same note, often in different octaves. The introduction of instrumental groups was planned in stages, each overlapping the previous grouping, gradually shortening in duration as the piece goes on. 40:03 01:34 Steve Reich, “It's Gonna Rain” (1965). Process piece using tape loops and phasing. 08:03 41:38 La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, “31 VII 69 10:26 - 10:49 PM” (1969). Early work employing electronic drones. Eponymous untitled album popularly known as "The Black Record" or "The Black Album" Mine is an original copy. The cover is black gloss print on matt black and very hard to read. Numbered edition limited to 2800 copies of which numbers 1-98 are dated and signed by the artists. This work “was recorded at the date and time indicated in the title, at Galerie Heiner Friedrich, München. The work “31 VII 69 10:26-10:49 PM” is a section of the longer work: Map Of 49's Dream The Two Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals Ornamental Lightyears Tracery. Play this side at 33 1/3 rpm only.” Early work employing electronic drones. By the mid-sixties, Young and his partner Marian Zazeela were creating music for electronic drones as an extension of their group, The Theatre of Eternal Music. Using a Heathkit sine wave oscillator and later Moog modules as sources, they created drone pieces that employed “extended duration time signatures” and “long sustained tones, intervals, triads and chords to create the musical texture.” A reissue has now occurred on the label Super Viaduct. 22:49 49:24 Terry Riley, “A Rainbow in Curved Air” (1969). Minimalist process work for electronic organ. 18:46 01:12:08 Steve Reich, “Four Organs” (1970). Process piece for four electronic organs. 24:11 01:31:04 Brian Eno, “Discreet Music” (1975). Process piece for synthesizers. 31:35 01:55:12 David Behrman, “Figure in a Clearing” (1977). Process piece using the KIM- 1 microcomputer 19:13 02:25:30 Laurie Spiegel, “A Harmonic Algorithm” (1980). Self-generating program running on an Apple II computer. 03:08 02:44:48 Alvin Lucier, “Music for Piano with One or More Snare Drums” (1990). Process piece for amplified piano and snare drum. 09:20 02:47:48 Marina Rosenfeld, “Two (Joy of Fear)” (2005). Process piece for a timed improvisational live performance. 10:22 02:56:50 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 141 Chapter 03, How Electronic Music is Composed. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. Playlist Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:26 00:00 Pierre Henry, “Antiphonie” (1953). Early serial tape composition. 03:00 01:30 Edgard Varese, “Poème électronique ” (1958). Classic tape composition using montage. 08:08 04:30 Iannis Xenakis, “Concret PH” (1958). Modified and amplified small sounds. 02:41 12:32 Pauline Oliveros, “Sound Patterns” (1961. Electronically modified voices and electronics on tape. 04:00 15:12 İlhan Mimaroğlu, “White Cockatoo” (1966). Tape composition using abstract sounds applied to sonata form. 04:23 19:10 Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Telemusik” (1966). Tape composition using world music recordings; also a component for included for live performance. 17:38 23:30 Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Hymnen” (1966– 67). Classic tape composition. 29:53 41:08 David Tudor, “Rainforest IV” (1973). Sounding objects, transducers, and contact microphones. 25:12 01:11:12 Ruth Anderson, “Points” (1973– 74). Synthesis using sine tones. 05:33 01:36:22 Eliane Radigue, “Adnos I– III” (excerpt) (1973– 80). Minimalist drone music for synthesizer; the full length is over an hour. 33:52 01:41:46 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 140 Chapter 02, Listening to Electronic Music. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:27 00:00 David Tudor, “Anima Pepsi,” from the Pepsi Pavilion (1970) 23:03 01:32 Pauline Oliveros, “Big Mother is Watching You” (1966) 33:45 24:34 John Cage, “Fontana Mix” (1958) 11:34 58:18 Tetsu Inoue, “Kaze” (2007) 07:26 01:09:50 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 139 Chapter 01, What is Electronic Music? Recommended Works from Electronic and Experimental Music This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. Playlist Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:16 00:00 Pierre Schaeffer, Cinq Études De Bruits Étude Violette (1948). Example of musique concrète. 03:25 01:16 Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, Bidule en Ut (1950). Example of musique concrète. 02:11 04:36 Herbert Eimert, Klangstudie I (1952). Example of elektronische music. 03:57 06:46 Herbert Eimert and Robert Beyer, Klang Im Unbegrenzten Raum (1952). Example of elektronische music. 10:33 10:40 Karlheinz Stockhausen, Studie I (1953-54). Example of elektronische music. 10:00 20:59 Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gesang Der Jünglinge (1955-56). Example of electroacoustic music. 13:40 30:28 Else Marie Pade, Symphonic Magnetophonique (1958). Example of electroacoustic music. 19:28 43:38 Edgard Varèse, Poème Électronique (1958). Example of organized sound. 08:08 01:02:54 Max Mathews, Numerology (1960) 02:45 01:11:05 Daphne Oram, Four Aspects (1960). Example of Oramics or electroacoustic music. 08:15 01:13:36 Henri Pousseur, Trois Visage de Liège (1961). Example of electroacoustic music. 17:54 01:21:44 James Tenney, Collage No.1 (Blue Suede) (1961). Example of electroacoustic music. 03:27 01:39:32 Delia Derbyshire, Falling (1964). Example of radiophonic music. 08:45 01:42:58 Ann Hamilton, Mantle (1998). Example of sound art. 32:09 01:51:39 Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 138 Electronic Music of Conrad Schnitzler—A Retrospective, Part 1. Playlist Time Track Time* Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 06:06 00:00 Conrad Schnitzler, “Meditation” from Rot (Red) (1973 Conrad Schnitzler Self-released. Composed, performed, recorded, and produced by Conrad Schnitzler. 19:44 08:28 Conrad Schnitzler, “Die Rebellen Haben Sich In Den Bergen Versteckt” from Blau (Blue) (1974 Conrad Schnitzler Self-released. Composed, performed, recorded, and produced by Conrad Schnitzler. 18:44 28:06 Conrad Schnitzler, “05/1975 B (6:11),” “05/1975 A (4:29),” “12/1975 A (1:53),” “14/1975 A (2:21),” “03/1975 A” from Filmmusik 2 (2017 Bureau B). Composed, performed, recorded, and produced by Conrad Schnitzler.These works were for composed for films that did not yet (most never) existed. They date from 1975 and fill an interesting niche in his work from the time. These shorter works contrast nicely to the extended works that he was producing up until this time. 18:47 45:40 Conrad Schnitzler + Wolf Sequenza, “Nächte In Kreuzberg” (3:48), “Humpf” (2:51), “M5-477” (4:39), “Pendel” (4:16), “Wer Geht Da?” (3:46), and “Copacabana” (5:17) from Consequenz (1980 Conrad Schnitzler Self-released). Composed, performed, recorded, and produced by Conrad Schnitzler and Wolf Sequenza (Wolfgang Seidel). 24:36 01:05:22 Note: These are all complete album sides. For Filmmusic 2 and Consequenz, the album sides include several individual tracks and the timings for each are shown in parentheses in the descriptions above. Opening background music: Conrad Schnitzler, “Untitled” (excerpt, side A) of the Red Cassette (1974 Conrad Schnitzler Self-released) (09:08). Introduction to the podcast voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 137 Merry Moog 2024 Electronic Music for the Holidays Performed on the Moog and other Synthesizers Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 04:34 00:00 1. Hans Wurman, “Overture Miniature” from Electric Nutcracker (1976 Ovation). This Austrian composer made several remarkable, classically influenced Moog Modular albums from 1969 to 1976. This was one of his last big Moog projects and is difficult to find. 2:54 02:54 04:32 2. Hans Wurman, “Danse De La Fee-Dragee ( Sugar Plum Fairy)” from Electric Nutcracker (1976 Ovation). Moog Modular synthesizer, Hans Wurman. 1:33 01:33 07:24 3. Hans Wurman, “Danse Des Mirlitons (Flutes)” from Electric Nutcracker (1976 Ovation). Moog Modular synthesizer, Hans Wurman. 2:14 02:14 08:56 4. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, “Nutrocker” from Nutrocker / The Great Gates Of Kiev (1972 Cotillion). Arranged by, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Written by Kim Fowley. 03:48 11:08 5. Sounds Of Broadcasting 2, “Night Of The Kings” from Sounds Of Broadcasting #6088 (1975? William B. Tanner Company, Inc.). Broadcast library track produced for the holidays. Produced using a Moog Modular Synthesizer. 01:01 14:56 6. Jean Jacques Perrey and Sy Mann, “Jingle Bells” from Switched on Santa (1970 Pickwick). USA. Moog Modular Synthesizer. 01:44 15:56 7. Jean Jacques Perrey and Sy Mann, “Christmas Bells” from Switched on Santa (1970 Pickwick). USA. Moog Modular Synthesizer. 01:52 17:40 8. Douglas Leedy, “The Coventry Carol” from A Very Merry Electric Christmas to You (1970 Capitol). USA. Moog Modular Synthesizer and Buchla Synthesizer. 04:46 19:30 9. Joseph Byrd, “Christmas in the Morning” from A Christmas Yet to Come (1975 Takoma). USA. ARP 2600 Synthesizer with an Oberheim Expander Module. 01:34 24:16 10. Armen Ra, “O Come All Ye Faithful” from Theremin Christmas (2018 Sungod). USA. Moog Etherwave Pro Theremin. 04:43 25:50 11. Beck, “The Little Drum Machine Boy” from Just Say Noël (1996 Geffen). USA. Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer. 07:02 30:32 12. Alan Horsey, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” from Switched-On Christmas (1985 Snowflake Records). Italian album with electric organ by Alan Horsey. This is reminiscent of Hooked on Classics as the entire album seems to be woven together by a drum machine beat. This is played on organ. Seems a little late for disco. 03:10 37:30 13. Denny Hinman, “Christmas in July” from Plays The Yamaha Electone E-70 (1980 Yamaha). Denny Hinman plays the Yamaha Electone E-70. A release by Yamaha. 01:45 40:36 14. Miharu Koshi, “Belle Tristesse” (妙なる悲しみ)from We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1984 Yen). Japan. A compilation of specially recorded Christmas-themed songs from various artists on the Yen Records label. Written by, synth-pop with vocals by Miharu Koshi. Miharu Koshi is a keyboardist and singer with a long-standing collaborative association with YMO-founder Haruomi Hosono. 03:43 42:20 15. Taeko Onuki, Inori (Prayer) from We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1984 Yen). Japan. A compilation of specially recorded Christmas-themed songs from various artists on the Yen Records label. Japanese synth-pop with vocals by Onuki. Maybe Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboards. 03:44 46:02 16. Frank Collett, “Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (1970 Privately Made Release). USA. This is a special addition to the Merry Moog podcast. I found what is likely a one-of-a-disc private pressing by Frank Collett using the Moog Modular Synthesizer. This 45 RPM disc was recorded at Finetone Recording Studio in New York City and is inscribed with the hand-written message, “To John & Loretta: Merry XMAS. Composed and arranged by Frank Collett” This appears to be disc made of metal with a vinyl coating. One side includes his rendition of Bach's “Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring” plus a short tune called “Little Joey” (see below). The flip side contains the same recording of “Little Joey.” Dated December 22, 1970. Clearly made using a Moog Modular Synthesizer. Collett (1941-2016) was a noted session pianist and sometimes led and recorded with his own trio. He was raised in New York. In 1968 he was accompanist to Sarah Vaughan. The following year he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He became the house pianist, with the orchestra in the main showroom of the International Hotel (which became the Las Vegas Hilton). It was during this period that he made this recording in NY. 01:57 49:44 17. Frank Collett, “Little Joey” (1970 Privately Made Release). Frank Collett using the Moog Modular Synthesizer. From a 45 RPM disc recorded at Finetone Recording Studio in New York City (see above). Dated December 22, 1970. Clearly made using a Moog Modular Synthesizer. Collett (1941-2016) was a noted session pianist and sometimes led and recorded with his own trio. Moog Modular Synthesiser, Frank Collett. Whose Moog Synthesizer did he use to make this recording? I can only speculate and guess that he made the recording at the studio of Gerson Kingsley in New York. 01:56 51:40 18. Romantic Synthesizer, “Oh Tannenbaum” from Christmas Memories (1983 Dureco Benelux). French-Dutch album. Arranged, produced, synthesizers by Gerto Heupink, Robert Pot. 02:53 53:34 19. Keiko Ohta (Ota), “Here Comes Santa Claus” from Electone X'Mas Present (1975 Canyon). Yamaha Electone GX-707 (GX-1), arranged by Keiko Ohta. Ohta was a female Electone star from Japan. The GX-1 was an early polyphonic synthesizer and a new branch of the Yamaha Electone family tree. 02:43 56:24 20. Keiko Ohta (Ota), “Blue Christmas” from Electone X'Mas Present (1975 Canyon). Yamaha Electone GX-707 (GX-1), arranged by Keiko Ohta. Japan. Yes, the song originally made famous by Elvis Presley. Ohta was a female Electone star from Japan. The GX-1 was an early polyphonic synthesizer and a new branch of the Yamaha Electone family tree. 04:11 59:06 21. Paul Haig, “Scottish Christmas” from Chantons Noël - Ghosts Of Christmas Past (1981 Les Disques Du Crépuscule). From a compilation album of Christmas-related tunes. Scottish songwriter, musician and singer. 02:46 01:03:16 22. Les Cousins Dangereux, “What Child Is This” from Gotta Groove Records 2012 (2012 Gotta Groove Records). Holiday album with various artists. Les Cousins Dangereux is Mr. Tim Thornton. 01:59 01:06:00 23. Joy Electric, “Angels We Have Heard on High” from The Magic Of Christmas (2003 Tooth & Nail Records). Joy Electric is Ronnie Martin from Ohio. American synthesizer-pop musician. Among his many releases is this crafty Christmas album. 01:48 01:07:58 24. Koichi Oki, “Jingle Bells” from The Man From Yukiguni (1975 TIM/RS). Japan. Koichi Oki's Christmas album performed solely by his Yamaha Electone E-3. “Yukiguni” means snowland. Oki was a hugely popular Electone artist in Japan. 01:50 01:09:46 25. Koichi Oki, “Winter Wonderland” from The Man From Yukiguni (1975 TIM/RS). Japan. Koichi Oki's Christmas album performed solely by his Yamaha Electone E-3. “Yukiguni” means snowland. Oki was a hugely popular Electone artist in Japan. 02:18 01:11:34 26. Edhels, “Oriental Christmas” from Oriental Christmas (1985 Cabana Music). Recorded in France. Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Jacky Rosati; Guitar, Jean Louis Suzzoni; Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Composed by, Marc Ceccotti; Keyboards, Noël Damon. I was sent this as a promotional album back in 1985 with a kind little note from the artists. Sorry it took me so long to put the Christmas-related track in my podcast. This is great example of synth-pop from France in the 1980s. 04:22 01:13:52 27. Bob Wehrman, John Bezjian and Dusty Wakeman, “Joy to the World” from Christmas Becomes Electric (1984 Tropical Records). Produced in L.A., a collection of pre-fab synthesizer classics. Not the same record of the same title as Douglas Leedy. 02:40 01:18:12 28. Bob Wehrman, John Bezjian and Dusty Wakeman, “Ring Christmas Bells” from Christmas Becomes Electric (1984 Tropical Records). Produced in L.A., a collection of pre-fab synthesizer classics. Not the same record of the same title as Douglas Leedy. 01:46 01:20:50 29. Romantic Synthesizer, “So This is Christmas” from Christmas Memories (1983 Dureco Benelux). French-Dutch album. Arranged, produced, synthesizers by Gerto Heupink, Robert Pot. We don't often hear an instrumental rendition of this Lennon and Ono X-mas tune. 03:22 01:22:34 30. Swinging Buildings, “Praying For A Cheaper Christmas” from Chantons Noël - Ghosts Of Christmas Past (1981 Les Disques Du Crépuscule). From a compilation album of Christmas-related tunes. This group was once rumored to be New Order in disguise. But no, they were in fact The Bowling Balls in disguise. 03:07 01:25:54 31. Bernie Krause, Philip Aaberg, “Feliz Navidad” from A Wild Christmas (1994 Etherean Music ). This delightful cassette is from Bernie Krause, known for his Moog explorations with Paul Beaver back in the day. All animal and ambient sounds recorded on location worldwide by Bernie Krause with the exception of the fish (courtesy of U.S. Navy). Animal samples, Bernie Krause and Phil Aaberg. Arrangements, new materials, all keyboards (Kurzweil 2000/Emulator III) Phil Aaberg. Percussion on Feliz Navidad performed by Ben Leinbach. 5:37 05:37 01:28:58 32. The Original Cast: R2-D2, Anthony Daniels As C-3PO, “R2D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas” from Christmas In The Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album (1980 RSO). Vocals, Arthur Boller, Donald Oriolo, Jr., Dori Greenberg, Ivy Alexenburg, Jake Yeston, Jessica Taylor, Marney Alexenburg, Ricky Haayen, Roddy McBrien, Russell Poses, Scot Randell, Stacy Greenberg; Keyboards, Derek Smith, Harold Wheeler, Pat Rebillot; Sound Effects (R2D2), Ben Burtt. The whole Star Wars crew seems to have a part in this holiday album. I wanted to highlight a track featuring the melodious electronic beeping of R2D2. 03:33 01:34:34 Opening background music: Sounds Of Broadcasting 1, “Christmas Logos” from Sounds Of Broadcasting #6088 (1975? William B. Tanner Company, Inc.). Broadcast library track produced for the holidays. Produced using a Moog Modular Synthesizer. Notice how the melody imitates a familiar tune without ever hitting the same notes. A copyright thing. Another name of this track might as well be, “It's Beginning to Sound A Lot Like Christmas.” Jean Jacques Perrey and Sy Mann, “Tijuana Christmas” from Switched on Santa (1970 Pickwick). USA. Moog Modular Synthesizer. Don Voegeli, “Chanukah” from Holiday & Seasonal Music (1977 EMI). USA. Produced at the Electrosonic Studio of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Visual design by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For additional notes, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 136 Sun Ra and Stockhausen—An Imaginary Encounter in Electronic Music Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 14:28 00:00 Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Es (It)” (1969) from Aus Den Sieben Tagen (from the Seven Days) (1973 Deutsche Grammophon). Composed by, electronics (Filters, Potentiometers), spoken voice, technician (Sound Direction), liner notes, Karlheinz Stockhausen; Elektronium, Harald Bojé; Piano, Aloys Kontarsky; Drums, Percussion (Tam-tam, Flexatone, Guero, Bamboo Flute, Jew's Harp, Rolf Gehlhaar; Drums, Percussion (Tam-tam, Flexatone, Guero, Jew's Harp, Alfred Alings; Viola, Johannes G. Fritsch. The Elektronium was an electronic instrument in the form of an accordion, invented by Hohner in 1952. From the cycle of compositions entitled Aus den Sieben Tagen. Es (10th May 1968). This is the complete cycle for the work consisting of 7 albums recorded at the Georg-Moller-Haus (Loge) in Darmstadt, from the 26th to 31st August 1969. This is different than the earlier recordings from Cologne that were released separately. Comes in a sturdy box together with a tri-lingual 20-page booklet. Each record is packed in its own cover. 23:04 14:30 Sun-Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra, “Space Probe” (1969) from My Brother The Wind Vol. 1 (2017 Cosmic Myth Records). Moog Modular Synthesizer solo, two keyboards, Sun Ra; Moog programming and mixing, Gershon Kingsley.” Recorded at Gershon Kingsley's New York studio before Sun Ra had acquired a prototype Minimoog from Bob Moog the following year. 17:45 37:30 Sun-Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra, “The Code Of Interdependence” (1969) from My Brother The Wind Vol. 1 (2017 Cosmic Myth Records). Moog Modular Synthesizer solo, two keyboards, Sun Ra; Moog programming and mixing, Gershon Kingsley; Drums, Danny Davis, John Gilmore; Oboe, Marshall Allen; Tenor Saxophone, John Gilmore. Recorded at Gershon Kingsley's New York studio before Sun Ra had acquired a prototype Minimoog from Bob Moog the following year. 16:50 55:16 Opening background music: Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra, “Seen Three Took Four” from The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. 1 (1970 Actuel). Piano, Minimoog, Electric Organ, Clavinet, Sun Ra; Tenor Saxophone, Percussion, John Gilmore; among a huge host of others. Introduction to the podcast voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 135 An Electronic Music Mixed-Bag Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 06:28 00:00 John Bischoff, “The League Of Automatic Music Composers: Recording, December 17, 1978” from Lovely Little Records (1980 Lovely Music Ltd.). Tracks from this six-EP collection of new music from a variety of Lovely Music artists. Computer, David Behrman, Jim Horton, John Bischoff, Rich Gold; Mixing, "Blue" Gene Tyranny. “The League Of Automatic Music Composers makes music collaboratively by forming microcomputer networks. … For this performance, “each composer independently created a music program for his own microcomputer; we then mutually designed ways to internconnect our computers, and modified our programs to enable them to send data back and forth.” 08:40 06:58 Frankie Mann, “I Was a Hero” from “The Mayan Debutante Revue” (1979) from Lovely Little Records (1980 Lovely Music Ltd.). Tracks from this six-EP collection of new music from a variety of Lovely Music artists. Organ, bass guitar, voice, composed by Frankie Mann. “The Mayan Debutante Revue” is a reinterpretation of religious history. The work is a performance piece involving tape, slides, and one female performer.” 09:22 15:38 Frankie Mann, “How to be Very Very Popular” (1978) (excerpt) from Lovely Little Records (1980 Lovely Music Ltd.). Tracks from this six-EP collection of new music from a variety of Lovely Music artists. Tape editing, organ, synthesizer, voice, composed by Frankie Mann; voices, Julie Lifton, Ellen Welser, and unknown others. “How to be Very Very Popular” began as a letter-tape to my best friend. … Later I began composing electronic music, initially using homemade circuits and later using expensive synthesizers in college electronic music studios. My friend and I continued to send each other letters cross-country in tape form.” 08:49 24:58 Maggi Payne, “Lunar Dusk” from Lovely Little Records (1980 Lovely Music Ltd.). Recorded at the Center for Contemporary Music, Mills College, February 4, 1979. Composed, electronic music by Maggi Payne. This piece was “composed using the Moog and Aries synthesizers and the twelve-track recording studio at” Mills College. “Major concerns … are spatial location of sounds and complex timbral changes.” 07:59 33:46 The Commodores, “Machine Gun” from Machine Gun/There's a Song in My Heart (1974 Motown). Single release featuring the early Commodores on this instrumental with Lionel Richie wailing along on the ARP Odyssey. 02:42 41:42 Billy Preston, “Space Race” from Space Race/We're Gonna Make It (1973 A&M). Single release. Preston was best known for his piano, Hammond, and Fender Rhodes work on Beatles' records and his early solo work. By this time, he had picked-up on the unique sounds that synthesizers could conjure. He was inspired to create this song while experimenting with the ARP Pro-Soloist synthesizer. 03:26 44:24 George Duke, “Part 1 - The Alien Challenges The Stick / Part 2 - The Alien Succumbs To The Macho Intergalactic Funkativity Of The Funkblasters” from Master Of The Game (1979 Epic). Written by Byron Miller, David Myles, Ricky Lawson; Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Arranged By, Bells, Clavinet, Composed By, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Organ, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog, Oberheim, Prophet-5 and Crumar synthesizers, written by and vocals, George Duke; Bass, Byron Miller; Drums, Ricky Lawson; Guitar, David Myles. 09:21 47:46 Steve Roach, Side 2, “T.B.C.” (5:06); Canyon Sound (2:58); Time For Time (3:33); Reflector (6:50) from Traveler (1983 Domino). All music composed and performed on synthesizers by Steve Roach. American Roach has such a great legacy of electronic music that is clearly distinguishable from the German wave of the 1970s. This is from his first, official album released in 1983. 17:56 57:02 Reynold Weidenaar, “Twilight Flight” (6:56) (1977), “Close Harmony” (4:44) (1977), and “Imprint: Footfalls to Return” (5:04) (1981) from Reynold Weidenaar / Richard Brooks Music Visions (1986 Capstone Records). Weidenaar was formerly the editor of Bob Moog's Electronic Music Review journal (1968-70) and an early user of the Moog Modular synthesizer. He was director of the electronic music studio at the Cleveland Institute of Music and at the time of this recording was on the faculty of the NYU films and television department. Twilight Flight” for electronic sounds was composed in 1977. “Close Harmony” for electronic sounds was composed in 1977. “Imprint: Footfalls to Return” for soprano voice and electronically modified sounds of the bare feet of Bharata-natyam Indian dancer was composed in 1981. 16:50 01:14:58 Eric Siday, three short works, “Night Tide” (2:56), “Communications No. 2” (0:24); and “Threat Attack” (2:05) from Musique Electronique (1960 Impress). Hard to find original disc by Siday, before he ventured into commercial recording using the Moog Modular synthesizer. His intereste in electronic music was deep, and he was one of the first customers of Robert Moog when his synth became available. 05:28 01:31:58 Hans Wurman, “Etude In C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12” (1:54) and “Waltz In D-Flat OP, 64, No. 1 (1:24) from Hans Wurman – Etude In C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12 (1970 RCA). Arranged and performed on the Moog Modular synthesizer by Hans Wurman. Brilliant interpretations of two classical pieces. 03:22 01:37:14 Opening background music: Einstürzende Neubauten [ein-sturt-zen-deh noy-bau-ten], “Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy” from Halber Mensch (1985 Some Bizarre). Noise metal from this dependable source of industrial music. (06:39) Introduction to the podcast voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 134 From Organ to Synthesizer: The Evolution of the Yamaha Electone Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 06:56 00:00 Electone E-1, home style cabinet, transistorized oscillators, analog, two manuals, pedalboard, two built-in speakers. 1.Hidemi Saito, Tadashi Yoshida, “Kiriko No Tango” from Enchanting Mood (Electone Sound) (1963 Nivico). Composed by Tadashi Yoshida; Electone organ, Hidemi Saito. Used the Electone E-1 The highest-end Electone model at that time, with a starting price of ¥647.000 in 1962. 03:32 07:14 2.Hidemi Saito, Tadashi Yoshida, “Furare Jyozu Ni Hore Jyozu” from Enchanting Mood (Electone Sound) (1963 Nivico). Composed by, Tadashi Yoshida; Electone organ, Hidemi Saito. Used the Electone E-1 The highest-end Electone model at that time, with a starting price of ¥647.000 in 1962. 02:54 10:42 Electone B-6, home style cabinet, transistorized oscillators, analog, two manuals (44 notes each), pedalboard, two built-in speakers. 3.Koichi Oki, “September In The Rain” from Swingin' Electone! (1967 Takt). Arranged by, Electone organ, Koichi Oki; Bass, Masanaga Harada; Drums, George Otsuka, Akira Ishikawa; Guitar, Masaaki Fujita; Tenor Saxophone, Yasushi Ashida. The Electone model is not specified but it had two manuals and is likely a model A-3. 03:22 13:38 Electone EX-42, space age cabinet, like the GX-1, integrated circuits, Pulse Analog Synth (PASS) technology, three manuals, portamento strip, pedalboard. 4.Shiro Michi, “Hey Jude” from Let's Learn Electone/Shiro Michi Electone Course Vol. 5/ "All About The Rhythm" (1970 CBS/Sony). Drums, Takeshi Inomata; Electone, Yuri Tashiro; Percussion – Tokyo Cuban Boys Percussion Group. Used the EX-42, Yamaha's first commercially available stage model Electone, and the commercial successor to the EX-21. It is likely that less than 200 of these were built. 03:29 16:56 5.Shiro Michi, “Summertime” from Let's Learn Electone/Shiro Michi Electone Course Vol. 6 Jazz Standards and New Hits (1971 CBS/Sony).1970 — EX-42. Yamaha's first commercially available stage model Electone, and the commercial successor to the EX-21. It was the first Electone to use integrated circuits, although it was still based on analogue technology. Famous Electone players such as Shigeo Sekito used this instrument to make the "Special Sound Series.” Used the EX-42, Yamaha's first commercially available stage model Electone, and the commercial successor to the EX-21. It is likely that less than 200 of these were built. 02:17 20:20 6.Koichi Oki, “Light My Fire” from Yamaha Superstar! (1972 Universal Summit). Oki was known as the “world's leading Yamaha Electone player” in the liner notes. Uses the Yamaha Electone EX-42. 02:59 22:32 7.Koichi Oki, “Spring” and “Summer” (side 1) from Exciting Keyboards - Four Seasons (1973 CBS/Sony). Arranged by, ARP Synthesizer, Electone [Electone Koichi Oki;Drums, Akira Ishikawa; Guitar, Ken Yajima. Music by Vivaldi, Koichi Oki. This release was dated 1978 but the recordings were made in 1973. Oki was a musician working for Yamaha in the early seventies, providing demonstrations of their Electone organ. The model used here was an EX-42, Yamaha's first commercially available stage model Electone, and the commercial successor to the EX-21. It was the first Electone to use integrated circuits, although it was still based on analogue technology. 21:34 25:30 8.Yuri Tashiro, “Summertime” from Beautiful Electone (1973 Polydor). Japanese jazz organist, pianist, and Electone artist from the 1970s. She also made some albums with the Hammond and its influence on her jazz playing is illustrated here in these Electone tracks. The side musicians are uncredited. 04:00 47:16 9.Yuri Tashiro, “Jazz Samba” from Beautiful Electone (1973 Polydor). Japanese jazz organist, pianist, and Electone artist from the 1970s. She also made some albums with the Hammond and its influence on her jazz playing is illustrated here in these Electone tracks. The side musicians are uncredited. 04:35 52:28 10. Archie Ulm, “Popcorn” from At The Yamaha EX-42 (1976 Private release). Ulm was another American lounge player equipped with the “electronic marvel” of the Yamaha EX-42. The classic Gershon Kingsley Moog tune played on the Electone EX-42. Percussion by Paul Hergert. 03:55 55:48 11. Archie Ulm, “Harlem Nocturne” from At The Yamaha EX-42 (1976 Private release). Ulm was another American lounge player equipped with the “electronic marvel” of the Yamaha EX-42. Percussion by Paul Hergert. 05:20 59:42 Electone E-70, home style cabinet, integrated circuits, Pulse Analog Synth (PASS) technology, two manuals, pedalboard, built-in speakers. Same circuit board as used in the Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer. 12. Denny Hinman, “How Deep is Your Love?” from Denny Plays The Yamaha Electone E-70 (1980 Yamaha). Ued the E-70 One of the first home-based organs to feature Yamaha's PASS (Pulse Analog Synthesis System) in a console cabinet. The E-70's architecture resembled the famous CS-80 synthesizer, though it lacked analog VCOs. Its original price tag was ¥1,800,000. 02:46 01:04:58 Electone D-80, home style cabinet, integrated circuits, Pulse Analog Synth (PASS) technology, three manuals, pedalboard, built-in speakers. 13. Bob Hacker, “Rocky Top” "One Man Opry" Bob Hacker Plays The Yamaha Electone D-80 (1980 Yamaha). Used the three-manual Yamaha Electone D-80. 04:01 01:07:46 Electone FX-1, space age cabinet, like the GX-1, integrated circuits, program cartridges, three manuals, pedalboard. 14. Claude Dupras, “Pulstar” from Interface Yamaha FX-1 (1983 Yamaha). Arranged for the Yamaha Electone FX-1 by Claude Dupras. An interesting rendition of a Vangelis song. 03:22 01:11:44 15. Claude Dupras, “The Spring” from Interface Yamaha FX-1 (1983 Yamaha). Arranged for the Yamaha Electone FX-1 by Claude Dupras. A little bit of Vivaldi. 03:32 01:15:06 Electone 7000, home style cabinet, integrated circuits, Pulse Analog Synth (PASS) technology, two manuals, pedalboard, two speakers. 16. Jim Levesque, “Moonlight Sonata/Night and Day” from Record Breaking Performances Featuring The Yamaha Electone 7000. (1981 Yamaha). The Electone 7000 (aka E-75 in Europe/Japan) was a synthesizer-based electric organ produced by Yamaha in 1981. It featured two keyboards and a foot pedal board with a total of 28 voices of polyphony. 03:49 01:18:36 17. Tracy Hammer, “Top Banana” from Record Breaking Performances Featuring The Yamaha Electone 7000. (1981 Yamaha). Used the Electone 7000 (aka E-75 in Europe/Japan), a synthesizer-based electric organ produced by Yamaha in 1981. It featured two keyboards and a foot pedal board with a total of 28 voices of polyphony. 01:43 01:22:22 18. Debbie Culbertson, “Ice Castles” from Record Breaking Performances Featuring The Yamaha Electone 7000. (1981 Yamaha). The Electone 7000 (aka E-75 in Europe/Japan) is a synthesizer-based electric organ produced by Yamaha in 1981. It featured two keyboards and a foot pedal board with a total of 28 voices of polyphony. 04:09 01:23:58 Electone EL-90, home style cabinet, integrated circuits, disc recording of programming, two manuals, pedalboard, two built-in speakers. Introduced new synthesizers, filtering, and expression technologies that made instrument voices on the Electone closer to digital samples. 19. Unknown Artist, “Prime Time,” Yamaha Electone EL-90 the Demonstrations (1991 Yamaha). A cassette demonstration tape showcasing the Electone EL-90 in various musical settings. 03:50 01:28:04 Opening background music: Hidemi Saito, Tadashi Yoshida, side 1 from Enchanting Mood (Electone Sound) (1963 Nivico). Composed by Tadashi Yoshida; Electone organ, Hidemi Saito. Used the Electone E-1. Introduction to the podcast voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp. Electone Museum online. Electone Technology The Organ Forum
Episode 133 Sonic Adventures in Electronic Composition—The Ashley, Smith, and Hamilton Mix Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 05:35 00:00 1. Tom Hamilton, “London Fix 2” from London Fix (2003 Muse Eek). Composed and produced by Tom Hamilton; Programmed by Michael J. Schumacher. Tom Hamilton first made his living in audio production then gradually shifted all of that work to new music. Tom worked on almost all of the late Robert Ashley CDs and tours since 1990. This disc is subtitled "Music Changing with the price of Gold. An environment of continuous electronic music created through a programming residency at Engine 27, New York City. Please play softly.” 08:13 05:42 2. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is an American composer raised on Orcas Island in northwest Washington state. She attended the Berklee College of Music in order to study composition and sound engineering. Smith is a vocalist, classical guitarist, and electronic musician using a variety of modular setups. 05:20 13:56 3. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “I Am Curious, I Care” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. 03:44 19:22 4. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “I Will Make Room For You” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. 04:58 23:08 5. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “To Feel Your Best” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. 06:20 28:07 6. Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” from Superior Seven / Tract (1995 New World Records). Flute and computer programming, Barbara Held; Computer Programming, processing, and mixed by Tom Hamilton; synthesizer voices designed by Robert Ashley and Tom Hamilton; composed by Robert Ashely. Ashley was mostly known for his modern operas composed of dialog and new music. As a result, this instrumental work may not be what you expect from him. Superior Seven dates from 1988, just after the introduction of MIDI. Ashley fully explored MIDI for this work, writing a solo flute part with piano and a MIDI orchestra. Music was written for a flute player and pianist and audible cues triggered the engagement of MIDI instrumental parts controlled by a participating electronic musician (Hamilton). I saw this performed live and the results were startling. 30:15 34:16 Opening background music: Tom Hamilton, “Region 6” (excerpt) from Sebastian's Shadow (1997 Monroe Street Music). Electronics and composed by Tom Hamilton. Sebastian's Shadow follow the harmonic order found in J. S. Bach's Fantasia And Fugue No. 4 (BWV 542) (15:23). Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 132 The 2024 US Open Sound Experiment Playlist Note: The starting times indicate at which time during the podcast a sound begins. The tracks often overlap based on the given length of each track. Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 03:36 00:00 1. Chair Umpires 01:19 05:24 2. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Granular effect, Classic. 03:46 05:40 3. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Quick Sampler, Bent Guitar. 06:16 07:20 4. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Spectral effect, Blur 01:50 09:08 5. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Spectral effect, Low/High Cut. 02:58 10:56 6. Arthur Ashe Stadium, Meta-Synth, Inertia setting 25:16 11:26 7. Grandstand Stadium, Meta-Synth, Inertia setting, 08:36 12:16 8. Grandstand Stadium, Auto-Filter, Constant Rise Four Bars. 08:33 29:48 9. Grandstand Stadium, Arturia MiniFilter V, Beatchopper. 08:33 31:02 10. Arthur Ashe Stadium, Delay Designer, Buzz Pattern. 26:05 34:40 11. Louis Armstrong Stadium, Delay Designer, Pulse Groove. 24:42 54:36 12. Grandstand Stadium, AutoFilter, Volume Gate Filter. 22:31 01:16:38 13. Arthur Ashe Stadium, Pedlboard, Blue Echo, Squash Compressor. 30:28 01:36:28 14. East Village Neighborhood, AutoFilter, Resonant High Pass; Delay Designer, Ring and Roll. 27:28 01:37:56 15. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Granular effect, Classic. 07:56 02:02:48 16. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Quick Sampler, Bent Guitar. 08:02 02:03:56 17. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Spectral effect, Blur 03:46 02:06:59 18. USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center—outer courts. Sample Alchemy, Spectral effect, Low/High Cut. 02:54 02:09:44 Recording equipment used: Zoom Hn4 Pro digital recorder; Shure CVB-B/O Boundary Condenser Microphone; Boya Omnidirectional Cardioid XLR Lavalier Microphone. Opening background music: Opening background music: A mix of tennis recordings set to a track called “Make It Good” by DJ Tennis (2012 Life and Death). The tennis recordings include excerpts from Arthur Ashe, Learn Tennis (For Beginners & Advanced Players) (1974 Manhattan Recording Company), John Newcombe, Tennis With John Newcombe (1974 K-Tel), and Evonne Goolagong, Tennis Tips By Evonne Goolagong (1975 Fleetwood Records), narrated with questions by Bud Collins. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 131 Shortwave Particulates—A Soundscape Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 03:36 00:00 Thom Holmes, Shortwave Particulates (2024 Private Release). A sequence composed of a variety of vintage sounds collected from shortwave radios. Interval signals, Identification signals, programs in many languages from the around the globe. Interlaced with electronic sounds and drones. 01:38:18 03:36 Thom Holmes, Shortwave Particulates Loops (2024 Private Release). A sequence of drones and synthesized sounds that repeats as a long loop, to which I added improvised electronic sounds. This plays simultaneously with the last third of the Shortwave Particulates soundscape. 30:40 01:19:21 Opening background music: Thom Holmes, extracts from shortwave mixes. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 130 Recent Finds for the Electronic Music Archives Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 04:18 00:00 Esplendor Geometrico, “Estación Katowice” and “Signos De Energía” from Kosmos Kino (1987 Discos Esplendor Geometrico). Percussion, Drum Machine, Vocals, Gabriel Riaza; Synthesizer, Drum Machine, Vocals, Noises, Arturo Lanz. Industrial music from Spain. 10:08 04:42 KG, “My Magic Guitar,””Harry Escaped!,” “Die Sauberen Flöten,” “À L'enterrement De Kraftwerk,” “Fish And Chips Sugar Free,” “The Shotgun Gallery Drum School,” “The End Of The World” from Baraka (1997 Antimatière). French industrial band. Limited to 300 copies. Comes in a plain white cardboard cover with die-cut hole on center front. Back cover has two stamps: "ANTIMATIERE" and "MARRAKECH WVIII". 11:55 14:46 Mystic Moods Orchestra, “The Look of Love” from The Mystic Moods Of Love (1968 Philips). Lushly weird arrangements with a silky vocal chorus and environmental sounds recorded by Brad Miller. This record came before the Mystic Moods Orchestra used a Moog synthesizer. Originally included a fragrance card affixed to the cover with the writing "A Romantic Fragrance has been added to this album to enhance your Mystic Moods of Love" (actual capitalization). 03:30 26:37 Chris and Cosey, “Re-education Thru Labour” from Trance (1982 Rough Trade). Composed and Acoustic And Electronic Instrumentation by Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti. 07:07 30:06 Chris and Cosey, “Put Yourself In Los Angeles” from Heartbeat (1981 Rough Trade). Produced, composed and Acoustic And Electronic Instrumentation by Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti. Synth, Cornet, Casio MT30, Tapes, Vocals, Cosey F. Tutti; Synth, Electronic Drums, Guitar, Casio MT30, Taped Voices, Vocals, Chris Carter. 03:37 37:09 Skyliner Flight 35, side A, from Skyliner Flight 35 (Authentic Plane Sounds) (1952 Columbia). Directed by Hecky Krasno, Text by Leo Paris. 78 RPM. "Ride with the pilot as he flies a 4-engine Constellation from New York to California." Part of a series of children's records from Columbia. 03:25 40:56 Reynold Weidenaar, side A, tracks 1-5, “Neptune Two-Step #1,” “Neptune Two-Step #2,” “Neptune Two-Step #3,” “Computer Clip-Clop,” “Cosmic Capers” from Electronic Effects (1968 A Sam Fox Production). Composed by Reynold Weidenaar. Historically significant recording of the early Moog Modular Synthesizer by this collaborator of Moog, student Reynold Weidenaar. Around this time (1967-68), Weidenaar edited the journal that originated with Bob Moog, the short-lived Electronic Music Review. This recording was made in the electronic music studio of R.A. Moog Co. studio in Trumansburg, New York. Not many recordings were made there. It was distributed by a company specializing in broadcast library music, Sam Fox Productions. You can hear the raw power and versatility of the Moog Modular components in these short compositions. 03:19 44:22 Reynold Weidenaar, side B, tracks 1-5, “Milky Wail #5,” “Milky Wail #6,” “Milky Wail #7,” “Venus Exposed,” “Cosmic Crackle #1” from Electronic Effects (1968 A Sam Fox Production). Composed by Reynold Weidenaar. 04:13 47:40 Ralph Lundsten, The Paradise of Heroes” from Paradissymfonin (1980 Harvest). Produced, composed, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Arranged By, Voice, Effects, Ralph Lundsten; Choir, Annelie Sköld, Annica Risberg, Kai Kjäll-Andersson, Kerstin Bagge, Liza Öhman-Kling; Conductor, Lars Bagge; Drums, Peter Sundell; Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Georg Wadenius; Flute, Keyboards, Björn J:Son Lindh; Harp, Gloria Lundell, Marie Eriksson; Keyboards, Wlodek Gulgowski; Pipe Organ, Birgit Lindkvist; Percussion, Björn Liljequist, Pétur Östlund; Percussion, Arranged By, Gunnar Lundqvist. Mr. Lundsten was a little like the Rick Wakeman of Sweden. He worked in his private studio and produced many thematic compostions and over 40 albums in his long career in music. 05:46 51:52 Hiroshi Yoshimura, “Time Forest” from Soundscape 1: Surround (1986 Misawa Home). Composed, arranged, and performed by, Hiroshi Yoshimura. Hiroshi Yoshimura was a Japanese musician and composer, a pioneer of Japanese ongaku or environnemental music. Interestingly, this music was originally commissioned by a home builder to provide music to complement their newly built homes. Yoshimura described his music as being transparent, adding “Not all interiors are visual by nature; music as interior is none other than the interior of the heart.” 10:38 57:36 Mamman Sani, “Dangay Kotyo” from Taaritt (2022 Sahel Sounds). Recorded 1985 to 1988 at Studio Samira in Niamey, Niger and Studio Kham Mai in Paris, France. This wonderful music was not released until recently. Composed, recorded by, Crumar Bit 99 v, Yamaha RX5 synthesizer, Roland TR-505 Drum Machine, Mammane Sani Abdoulaye. Sani is an early pioneer of synth music in Niger. Sani found unlikely fame in Denmark, regularly appearing in the playlist of Copenhagen bars. "In Niger we have sweet melodies. When the music is good, it's a positive vibration. When someone can cry because of a melody, there is something humane in them. If you are stressed, you can take this music like a tablet. It's music to cool down. It's not music for dancing, but maybe it can make you dream." 04:11 01:08:11 Opening background music: Unknown Artist, side A, Ambient Battle Samples: Phase One: Enter The Stargate Manifold...(2003 The Crypticon Media Cartel). Produced, Controlled & Bankrolled by AL9000 Motherbrain (Alexandre Delmaere). From A side label : "These sounds are of intergalactic sonic property and available for any manipulations and outputs you so desire. Welcome to the Crypticon Media Cartel 2003. Original transmissions from sector 9.41 of Sirius-V during the last sonic cruise of the outer rings." Essentially, this is a list of electronic sound effects to be sampled and played by DJs. (15:05) Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 129 Women Synthesists Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 04:36 00:00 Eliane Radigue, “Transamorem – Transmortem” (excerpt) from Transamorem – Transmortem (2011 Important Records). Composed in 1973 for ARP 2500 modular synthesizer. Music of slowly changing drones using the marvelous ARP synthesizer, which was Radigue's key instrument for years after having experimented with Moog and Buchla modulars. 39:29 04:40 Caroline K, “The Happening World” from Now Wait For Last Year (1987 Earthly Delights). Caroline was a co-founder of Nocturnal Emissions, together with Nigel Ayers, in 1980. Arranged By, Recorded By, Producer, Composed By, Performer, Caroline K. Executive-Producer, Nigel Ayers. Drones of a different ilk. Noisy sounds, steady articulation, interesting timbres popping in and out. Sonically articulate. 20:49 44:03 Pauline Anna Strom, “Organized Confusion” from Plot Zero (1987 Trans-Millenia Consort Recordings). Pauline Anna Strom was a decades-long composer, musician and healer who lived and worked in San Francisco, CA. Pioneering blind synthesist. Music composed, synthesized, electronic treatments by Pauline Anna Strom. Strom taught herself to compose intuitively, practicing sounds with her various synthesizers, which included a Yamaha DX7, Prophet 10, two Yamaha CS1X portable keyboards and an E-mu Emulator. When she was ready to record, she laid it down using a Tascam four-track recorder and assembled her albums using a computer workstation. Early days for both the sampler and workstation. 06:04 1:04:48 Pauline Anna Strom, “Spacial Spectre” from Spectre (1984 Trans-Millenia Consort Recordings). Composed, synthesized, and electronic treatments by Pauline Anna Strom. From her vampire-inspired album. 06:58 1:10:51 Pauline Anna Strom, “Blood Thirst” from Spectre (1984 Trans-Millenia Consort Recordings). Composed, synthesized, and electronic treatments by Pauline Anna Strom. From her vampire-inspired album. 07:23 1:17:40 Maryanne Amacher, “"Head Rhythm 1" And "Plaything 2" from Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear) (1999 Tzadik). Electroacoustic composer of sound installations, best known for her incorporation of otoacoustic emissions -- sounds that seem to be emanating from inside one's own head. This track plays with that concept and sets your brain up to experience itself, so to speak. 10:04 1:25:04 Caterina Barbieri. “This Causes Consciousness To Fracture” from Patterns Of Consciousness (2017 Important Records). Italian composer and musician from Bologna. This album was created using analog synthesis. Barbieri has said, “In Patterns of Consciousness I was interested in exploring the power of sound on our consciousness. I wanted to explore how a pattern creates a certain state of consciousness and how the gradual transformation of that pattern can affect that state of consciousness. I believe that sound is a tool for the exploration, reconfiguration and expansion of human perceptions.” I find this to be in a similar psychological vein as the Amacher work also heard in this episode. 22:44 1:34:56 QOA (Nina Corti), “Sauco” (04:22), “Liquen” (02:50), “Yatei” (03:04), “Muitu” (03:16) from SAUCO (2024 Leaving Records). Side 1 of the newest release from this composer-performer from Argentina. “Sonic journey crafted to cultivate poetic gestures amidst Fauna, Flora, Fungi, Mineral Waters, Wind, and Earth. Each track is an exploration of sound's constant transformation, akin to dragonfly particles swimming in the air. Like waves occupying a space in the spectrum, the compositions work with the movement, condensation, and lightness of the air.” 13:33 1:57:38 Opening background music: Pauline Anna Strom, “The Unveiling” from Trans-Millenia Consort (1982 Ether Ship Records). Her first cassette release from 1982. Composed and performed on synthesizer by Pauline Anna Strom. (06:04) Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Episode 128 Terry Riley—Part 2, Solo Organ and Synthesizer Works Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 05:28 00:00 Terry Riley, “The Last Camel in Paris” from The Last Camel In Paris (2008 Elision Fields). Composed and performed on a Yamaha YC-45D combo organ custom-tuned to just intonation and outfitted with a digital delay system, Terry Riley. Concert recorded by Radio France for a France Culture program by Daniel Caux broadcast May 13, 1979, in the Atelier de Création Radiophonique series. The delay circuit was created by Chester Wood, Riley road technician. It fed stereo signals to the digital delay. The YC-45D was modified so that it had separate mono outputs for each of its two keyboards, resulting in 4-channel live performances comprising two live channels and two delayed. Riley improvised these concerts around given themes and patterns. Wood created the delay, which they called “the shadow,” out of “an ancient computer he had procured from Don Buchla and this tour was the maiden voyage to try it out,” (Riley). Previously, the analog delay Riley used on works such as the Dervishes (see previous episode) created a fixed-length delay based on the physical head gap of the tape recorders used, which consisted only of two delays of 7.5 inches per secod and 3.75 inches per second, the speeds available on his Revox tape machine. The digital delay allowed Riley to fine tune the pause before a sound would repeat, finding tape delays that worked well with the tempos he was using in his compositions. This concert came after the release of Shri Camel album on CBS, a widely known release. I thought hearing these live variations on that work would be of interest. 50:58 05:34 Terry Riley, “Eastern Man” from Songs For The Ten Voices Of The Two Prophets (1983 Kuckuck). Composed, Voice, two Prophet 5 synthesizers by Terry Riley. Recorded in concert on May 10, 1982, at Amerika-Haus in Munich. Recorded digitally on Sony PCM-100 and PCM-1610 equipment. 11:19 56:39 Terry Riley, “Aleph Part 1” from Aleph (2012 Tzadik). Composed, Korg Triton Studio 88 synthesizer, Recorded, Liner Notes, and Produced by Terry Riley. Recorded in 2008, Aleph was originally created for the Aleph-Bet sound project organized by John Zorn for the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. 45:46 01:07:56 Opening background music: Terry Riley, “Anthem of the Trinity” from Shri Camel (1980 CBS). Produced, Composed, Performed in real-time on a modified dual-manual, Yamaha YC-45-D Electronic Organ with just intonation and digital delay, by Terry Riley. Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found in iTunes and on Bandcamp.
Episode 127 Terry Riley—Analog Organ Works Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 08:08 00:00 1. Terry Riley, “Journey From The Death Of A Friend” and “Happy Ending” from Happy Ending (1972 Warner Brothers Records). Music composed for the film "Les Yeux Fermes," a film by Joel Santoni. made at the "Strawberry Studio" Château d'Hérouville-France. This is a studio recording. “Journey From The Death Of A Friend” was recorded in real time with the tape delay system timed for a shorter delay, expressly for the Yamaha YC-45D combo organ. The track called “Happy Ending” features Terry on saxophone and uses a longer delay sequence than the organ piece, plus electric piano and organ. Recorded March-April 72. 36:53 08:10 2. Terry Riley, “Performance Two,” sides 3 and 4, from Persian Surgery Dervishes (1972 Shanti). Composer, performer, Yamaha YC-45D combo organ, Tape Feedback, Terry Riley. Riley plays a modified Yamaha electric organ tuned in just intonation and using a tape delay system. Performance Two performed May 24, 1972, Théâtre de la Musique, Paris. 47:46 45:01 3. Terry Riley, “Parts 1 and 2,” sides 1 and 2, from Descending Moonshine Dervishes (1982 Kuckuck). Composer, performer, Yamaha YC-45D combo organ, Tape Feedback, Terry Riley. Riley plays a modified Yamaha electric organ tuned in just intonation and using a tape delay system. Recorded in concert November 29, 1975, at Metamusik Festival in Berlin. 52:00 01:32:54 Opening background music: Terry Riley, “A Rainbow In Curved Air” from A Rainbow In Curved Air (1968 Columbia). Electric Organ, Electric Harpsichord, Rocksichord, Dumbec, Tambourine, Terry Riley. Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found in iTunes and on Bandcamp.
Episode 126 The Japanese Shigin Vocal Tradition—and Electronics Playlist Track Time Start Time Introduction –Thom Holmes 04:46 00:00 1. Mix of Susumu Yokota, “Saku” from Sakura (1999 Skintone) plus Abe Shũfu II, “Mount Fuji” from Music Of The Shigin: Chanting To Chinese Poetry (1975 Folkways). Album of electronic music from the late composer Susumu Yokota and a track from Folkways of Japanese shingin folk music. 05:42 04:54 2. Mix of Shiro Michi,“マドンナの宝石 (Intermezzo From "The Jewels Of The Madonna)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム (Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor). Plus a female shigin performer accompanied by koto from a Japanese collection of shigin singers (1973 Toshiba TY-40077), side 2, track 6. Shiro Michi, Shiro Michi, was a popular Japanese Hammond organist in the 1950s, and Electone artist from the 1950s-2000s since 1958. This track was performed on the Yamaha Electone. 03:02 10:34 3. Mix of Shiro Michi, “ドナウ川の漣 (Danube Waves Waltz)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム (Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor). Plus a male shigin performer accompanied by bamboo flute and koto from a Japanese collection of shigin singers (1973 Toshiba TY-40077), side 1, track 2. 04:46 13:34 4. Mix of a fragment of Shiro Michi and shigin, which I have called “Shigin Skip Organ” because of the prominence of the LP skip throughout. “ドナウ川の漣 (Danube Waves Waltz)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム(Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor) plus a skipping record of a male shigin performer with koto. 04:08 18:17 5. Omoide Hatoba, “Alternative Funkaholic” from Kinsei (1995 Earthnoise). 02:30 22:24 6. Omoide Hatoba, “Satellite Groove” from Kinsei (1995 Earthnoise). 03:53 24:52 7. Neohachi, “Dog More Than Cat” from Lovecadio Hearn (2013 White Paddy Mountain). Neohachi is a Japanese female duo, formed in 2005 and featuring Lily (Shigin Vocals) and Elly (Synthesizers). 06:09 28:40 8. Neohachi, “Eternal, Eternal, Eternal” from Lovecadio Hearn (2013 White Paddy Mountain). 02:31 34:36 9. 和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band), “Akatsuki no Ito”from 八奏絵巻(Wildflowers Scroll). Bass, 亜沙 (Asa); Drums, 山葵 (Wasabi); Guitar, 町屋 (Machiya); Koto, [箏], いぶくろ聖志(Ibukuro Masashi); Shakuhachi, [尺八], 神永大輔 (Kaminaga Daisuke); Shamisen, [津軽三味線], 蜷川べに(Ninagawa Beni); Taiko, [和太鼓], 黒流 (Kurona); Shigin Vocals, 鈴華ゆう子 (Suzuhana Yuko). Suzuhana Yuko provides the shigin vocals in this convergence of hard rock and traditional Japanese music. The whole outfit is outstanding but I like the pre-eminence of female musicians. For example, check out this Japanese video of Ninagawa Beni shredding the Shamisen. Here's a 2023 performance by Wagakki Band featuring a vocal by Yuko. 03:28 37:22 10. 和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band), “Nadeshiko Zakura” from 八奏絵巻(Wildflowers Scroll). Bass, 亜沙 (Asa); Drums, 山葵 (Wasabi); Guitar, 町屋 (Machiya); Koto, [箏], いぶくろ聖志(Ibukuro Masashi); Shakuhachi, [尺八], 神永大輔 (Kaminaga Daisuke); Shamisen, [津軽三味線], 蜷川べに(Ninagawa Beni); Taiko, [和太鼓], 黒流 (Kurona); Shigin Vocals, 鈴華ゆう子 (Suzuhana Yuko). 04:44 40:48 11. Shigenori Kamiya(神谷重徳), “ファラオの墓 (Farao (Pharaoh) No Haka)” from Digital Trip ファラオの墓 シンセサイザ ファンタジ (Digital Trip Pharaoh's Tomb Synthesizer Fantasy). Composed By, Synthesizer, Shigenori Kamiya (神谷重徳). 03:12 45:28 12. Gagaku Shigenkai, Ryōō from Unesco Collection, A Musical Anthology of the Orient: Japan II (1962 Musicaphon). "Ryōō" was recorded in Tokyo in 1962. Shigenkai, was a traditional Japanese music ensemble attached to the Imperial Household Agency, playing flutes, drums, and string instruments. I did a remix of this, adding delay and some droning tones and then double-tracking the whole piece as a way to transforms these lovely, acoustic tonalities into an electronic mélange. 07:18 48:38 13. Otomo Yoshihide (大友良英), “Film Maker From Kreuzberg,” from We Insist? (1992 Sound Factory). Turntables, Sampler, Tapes, Guitar, Otomo Yoshihide. 02:55 55:50 14. After Dinner, “An Accelerating Etude” from After Dinner (1984 Recommended Records). Engineer, Producer, Voice, Synthesizer, Tape, Koto (Miniature 13 String, Taisho-goto), Plastic Flute, Percussion, Haco. Vocalist/lyricist-composer/multi-instrumentalist/sound-artist. Album compiled for the UK release from the original Japan records known as the Glass Tube LP and an After Dinner 7.” 04:11 58:42 15. After Dinner, “Sepia-Ture II” from After Dinner (1984 Recommended Records). Alto Saxophone, Kaname Nakagawa; Arranged by, Y. Utsunomia; Bass, Drum, Miyuki Komori; Bass, Violin, Tadahiko Yokokawa; Koto (Taisho-goto), Yasushi Utsunomia; Snare, Masaaki Kawaguchi; Soprano Saxophone, Masaharu Ito; Tenor Saxophone, Seiichi Kuroda; Voice, Haco. 02:25 01:02:50 16. Wha Ha Ha, “Keiro No Hibi” and “On The Floor” from 死ぬ時は別 (It's Different When You Die) (1981 Better Days). The second part of this combination track is a different of “On the Floor” that is sung by Mishio Ogawa. The version I am most familiar with was sung by a man so this is a refreshing variation. Computer, Takafumi Fuse; Effects [Sound Effects], Fujio Akatsuka; Engineer, Kazuhiro Tokieda, Takafumi Fuse; Guitar, Shigenori Kamiya; Keyboards, Shuichi Chino; Percussion, Kiyohiko Senba; Saxophone, Voice, Akira Sakata; Voice, Mishio Ogawa. 11:57 01:05:09 Opening background music: Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Nuages” from Heartbeat (1991 Virgin Japan). Written by Sakamoto, the vocal is delivered by the remarkable Algerian singer Houria Aichi (2:15). Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Episode 125 Trippy Trance Music Origins, Part 2 Playlist Track Time Start Time Introduction –Thom Holmes 05:01 00:00 1. Pete Namlook, “Power Supply II” from Namlook IV (1994 Fax +49-69/450464). “The music originated instinctively whilst being played live. There was no concept for the composition before, only a kaleidoscope of sounds stemming from the given instruments. The music of this CD is “dedicated” to the missing 220V power supply, the broken EMS Synthi which I dropped during the setting-up of my equipment, the SE-1 which instantly created its own sounds during the live recording and the Studio 440 with 2 faulty pads and a disk drive which had to be convinced to cooperate.” 5:00 05:16 2. Pete Namlook, “Power Supply III” from Namlook IV (1994 Fax +49-69/450464). See explanation for part II above. 5:00 10:15 3. Pete Namlook, “Power Supply IV” from Namlook IV (1994 Fax +49-69/450464). See explanation for part II above. 5:00 15:16 4. Bill Laswell and Pete Namlook, “Psychic And UFO Revelations In The Last Days” from Psychonavigation (1994 Subharmonic). Written, arranged, and played by Bill Laswell, Pete Namlook; Axiom ambient, Bill Murphy, Peter Wetherbee; Material, Inc., Tracy McKnight; Subharmonic, Robert Soares. 38:46 20:13 5. Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze and Bill Laswell, “Obscured by Klaus, Part III” from The Dark Side Of The Moog 7 (1998 Fax +49-69/450464). Performers, Bill Laswell, Klaus Schulze, Pete Namlook; Written-by Bill Laswell . 19:01 58:54 6. Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze and Bill Laswell, “Obscured by Klaus, Part IV” from The Dark Side Of The Moog 7 (1998 Fax +49-69/450464). Written and performed by Bill Laswell, Klaus Schulze, Pete Namlook. 06:37 01:17:54 7. Tetsu Inoue and Pete Namlook (2350 Broadway), “Ethereal Being” from 2350 Broadway 4 (2007 Fax +49-69/450464). Produced by Peter Kuhlmann (Pete Namlook); written and performed by Tetsu Inoue and Pete Nambook. Recorded at Bretton Hall, New York and Klanglobor Hödeshof, Germany. Linited to 500 discs. 7:00 01:24:28 8. Tetsu Inoue and Pete Namlook (2350 Broadway), “Sustained Energy” from 2350 Broadway 4 (2007 Fax +49-69/450464). Produced by Peter Kuhlmann (Pete Namlook); written and performed by Tetsu Inoue and Pete Nambook. Recorded at Bretton Hall, New York and Klanglobor Hödeshof, Germany. Linited to 500 discs. 9:35 01:31:21 Opening background music: Bill Laswell and Pete Namlook, “Black Dawn” from Psychonavigation (1994 Subharmonic). Written, arranged, and played by Bill Laswell, Pete Namlook; Axiom ambient, Bill Murphy, Peter Wetherbee; Material, Inc., Tracy McKnight; Subharmonic, Robert Soares. (21:22) Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Episode 124 Trippy Trance Music Origins Playlist Track Time Start Time Introduction –Thom Holmes 07:14 00:00 The KLF, “What Time Is Love?” from What Time Is Love? (Pure Trance 1) (1988 KLF Communications). Kopyright Liberation Front (KLF), a duo comprised of Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond. Cauty was born in Devon, England; Drummond was born in South Africa but grew up in the Dumfries & Galloway area of Scotland. 07:06 07:14 Sven Väth, “Ritual of Life” from Accident In Paradise (1992 Eye Q Records). Music by Sven Väth. Internationally known DJ / producer from Germany. 13:13 14:17 Sven Väth, “Caravan of Emotions” from Accident In Paradise (1992 Eye Q Records). Music by Sven Väth. Internationally known DJ / producer from Germany. 12:22 27:24 Oliver Lieb, “Dimension X” from Constellation (1993 Recycle or Die). Frankfurt based DJ & producer Oliver Lieb is involved in the production of electronic music since 1988. 16:35 39:36 Pete Namlook & Dr. Atmo, “Trip“ from Silence (1993 Rising High Records). 20:09 56:14 Pete Namlook and Tetsu Inoue, “Liquid Shade” from Shades Of Orion (1993 Fax +49-69/450464). 20:43 01:16:17 Pete Namlook and Tetsu Inoue, “Biotrip” from Shades Of Orion (1993 Fax +49-69/450464). 24:09 01:36:56 Opening background music: Pete Namlook and Tetsu Inoue, “Ethereal Being” from 2350 Broadway 4 (2007 Fax +49-69/450464). Composed, programmed, and played by Pete Namlook and Tetsu Inoue. (07:00) Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.
Episode 123 Love Spells in Electronic Sound Playlist Track Time Start Time Introduction –Thom Holmes 06:48 00:00 1. Mystic Moods Orchestra, “Love Token” from Love Token (1969 Philips). Sound Effects, producer, sound director, Brad Miller; Vocals and vocal effects, The Mystic Moods. 04:33 06:48 2. Four Tet, “Love Cry” from There Is Love In You (2010 Domino). Written, produced, and performed by Kieran Hebden. 09:06 11:14 3. Deborah de Luca, “Love is a Losing Game (Mix Raw)” from Nina (2015 Sola_mente Records). Written, produced, and performed by Deborah de Luca. 07:14 20:16 4. Steven Halpern, “Hot Chakra” from Enhancing Sensual Pleasure (1993 Sound Rx). Bass, Marc Vanwaginengen; Silver Flutes, Emerald Web; Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Producer, Trumpet, Steven Halpern; Harp, Susan Mazer; Lyricon, Dallas Smith; Percussion, Kenneth Nash. 06:48 27:26 5. Steven Halpern, “Thigh Chi” from Enhancing Sensual Pleasure (1993 Sound Rx). Bass, Marc Vanwaginengen; Flute, Paul Horn; Silver Flutes, Emerald Web; Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Producer, Trumpet, Steven Halpern; Harp, Susan Mazer; Lyricon, Dallas Smith; Percussion, Kenneth Nash. 05:31 34:08 6. Klaus Schulze, “Moogetique” from Body Love, Vol. 2 (1977 Island). Producer, Composer, instruments, Klaus Schulze; Drums, Harald Grosskopf. Original electronic music for a film by Lasse Braun. 13:12 39:34 7. Klaus Schulze, “Stardancer II” from Body Love, Vol. 2 (1977 Island). Producer, Composer, instruments, Klaus Schulze; Drums, Harald Grosskopf. Original electronic music for a film by Lasse Braun. 14:13 52:44 8. Eberhard Schoener, “Events - A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu” from Events (1980 Harvest). Mellotron, Violin, Piano, Moog, Oberheim, Fairlight CMI, Liner Notes, Eberhard Schoener; Fairlight CMI, Morris Pert; Fender Rhodes, Roger Munnis; Tenor Saxophone, Olaf Kübler; Vocals, Clare Torry. 10:56 01:06:50 9. Nora En Pure, “Norma Jean” from Come With Me (2013 Enormous Tunes). Written, produced, and performed by Nora En Pure. 05:48 01:17:45 10. Art Linkletter, “Narrates The Story Of Where Did You Come From?” (side 1) from Narrates The Story Of Where Did You Come From? (1963 20th Century Fox). This was an early 60s sex-education LP. Linkletter was a Canadian-American radio and television personality. I've intermixed this disc with tracks of rolling white sound (by me) and a track by Kazumoto Endo, “Falling In and Out of Love” from Never Gonna Make You Cry (1999 Kling Film-Records). Written, produced, and performed by Kazumoto Endo. All to present a slightly odd view of love. 19:12 01:23:32 11. Donna Summer, “Summer Fever” from Four Seasons Of Love (1976 Casablanca). Written-By Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte; accompanied by The Munich Machine; recorded in MusicLand Studios, Munich; mixed and produced by Giorgio Moroder. 08:12 01:42:44 Opening background music: The Love Symphony Orchestra, “Let's Make Love in Public Spaces” from Penthouse Presents The Love Symphony Orchestra (1978 Talpro). Keyboards, Synthesizer, Clifford Carter. (03:12) Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.