Minimoog Model C prototypeElectronic Music Education and Preservation Project
Electronic music has a history as rich and varied as a sample library, and the Music, Makers, and Machines project has got it all! Scroll on here to throw a spotlight on some highlights...
Die Titelseite von Scientific American zum Telharmonium (1900)Original Source: Scientific American, Vol. 96, No. 10, March 9th 1907
1. Electronic origins, more than a century in the making
Iowa inventor Thaddeus Cahill came up with the Telharmonium, a 60-foot-long, 200-tonne electromechanical musical instrument all the way back in 1895, meaning electronic music is at least 120 years old. You can learn about this beat-making beast here...
Roger Luther Moog synthesizer (1973) by R.A. Moog Inc./Moog Music Inc. (division of Norlin Music Instruments, Ltd.) and customized by Roger LutherNational Music Centre
...then fast forward through years of synthesizers and samplers to discover the kit behind 10 of your favorite tracks. For a hands-on approach, get to grips with Moogs and more as 3D models...
AR Synth. Music, Makers & Machines on Google Arts & Culture
...before using Augmented Reality to create your own beats with an AR Synth.
2. Fly through the cultural history of electronic music
How many music flyers have you throw away in your lifetime? Perhaps you should have held on to them! These little missives are historical documents, and often works of art in their own right, combining design, attitude, and countercultural communication. Discover them all here...
The Ship (2014/2016) by Brian EnoKunsthal Charlottenborg
...then discover the other ways music and visual art can collide by zooming into this installation by Brian Eno...
INFERNO (2016) by Louis-Philippe Demers & Bill VornELEKTRA
...or learn about a participatory dance-art installation, tracking a descent into INFERNO.
The Roland TR-808 In ActionOriginal Source: YouTube
3. Watch the machines and their makers in action
The Roland TR-808 is maybe the most iconic drum sampling machine in the history of electronic music. Watch here to see it in action...
Then meet the makers who pioneered the tech, including Wendy Carlos (shown here on BBC2 explaining her innovations), Daphne Oram, the woman who could paint music, and many more.
Screen capture of Super Mario Bros. (1985) by NintendoThe Strong National Museum of Play
4. Find electronic music in Mario, movies, and more
...then make the leap from 8-bit to celluloid and discover the history of electronic music in film scores.
5. Discover how having a good time changed the world
Countercultural movements like the Gay night scene in 20th century London and the sub cultures which thrived in a newly united Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall shifted perspectives and changed modern history.
Having a good time could change the world!
ADE Festival (2016)Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)
OK, that's it, you're ready. Your ticket's stamped, you know what's up, and it's time to head through to the Music, Makers & Machines project to get this party started...
