Chapter 33, Digital Synthesizers and Samplers

Episode 174

Chapter 33, Digital Synthesizers and Samplers. 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 33, Digital Synthesizers and Samplers from my book Electronic and Experimental music.

 

Playlist: DIGITAL SYNTHESIZERS AND SAMPLERS

 

Time

Track Time

Start

Introduction –Thom Holmes

01:38

00:00

1.     Jon Appleton, “Syntrophia”(1978) from Music For Synclavier And Other Digital Systems. Composed and performed on the Synclavier, Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer, Jon Appleton.

08:55

01:40

2.     Claude Larsen, “Nitrogen” (1980) from Synthesis. Sounds a bit like “Oxygen” by Jarre from 1976. Programmed, performed, Fairlight CMI Music, Roland System 700, Oberheim TVS-1 Four Voice, Polymoog, Roland MC 8 Micro-Composer, Syntovox vocoder, Claude Larson.

02:31

10:36

3.     Eberhard Schoener, “Fairlight 80” (1980) from Events. Featured the Fairlight CMI played by Schoener and vocals by Clare Torry.

04:20

13:04

4.     Eberhard Schoener, “Events - A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu” (1980) from Events. Mellotron, Violin, Piano, Moog, Oberheim, Fairlight CMIsynthesizers, Eberhard Schoener;  Fairlight CMI, Morris Pert; Gong, Percussion (Gede, Kempli, Rejong), Furst Agong Raka; Gong, Percussion (Gender, Lanang, Rejong), Ketut Tama; Gong, Percussion (Wadong, Rejong), Rai Raka; Percussion, Morris Pert; Fender electric piano, Roger Munnis; tenor saxophone, Olaf Kübler; Drums,  Evert Fraterman, Pete York; Electric Bass, Steve Richardson; Electric Guitar, Ian Bairnson.

11:07

17:26

5.     Klaus Schulze, “Death Of An Analogue” (1980) from Dig It. All music played on the Crumar GDS digital synthesizer/computer. All percussion by F.S. Drum Inc. and GDS.

12:20

28:31

6.     Klaus Schulze, “The Looper Isn't A Hooker” (1980) from Dig It. All music played on the Crumar GDS digital synthesizer/computer. All percussion by F.S. Drum Inc. and GDS.

07:05

40:52

7.     Joel Chadabe and Jan Williams, “Song Without Words” (1981) from Rhythms For Computer And Percussion. "The equipment used in RHYTHMS is a portable minicomputer/digital synthesizer system designed and manufactured by New England Digital Corporation in Norwich, Vermont, expressly for making music.” This was an early Synclavier without a keyboard controller. Synclavier digital synthesizer, Joel Chadabe; Percussion, Vibraphone, Marimba, Slit Drum, Log, Wood Block, Temple Block, Cowbell, Singing Bowls, Jan Williams.

07:24

47:54