The following is a short piece of audio that was edited out of the original podcast interview with Don Lewis back in November 2020, where he discusses his time programming the Yamaha DX7’s factory sounds. In the wake of Don’s passing we decided to publish this excerpt, along with a tribute on the website. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:29 - Yamaha DX7 and DX9 Demo 03:02 - The Beginnings Of FM Synthesis 09:26 - Working For The Competition 12:26 - Yamaha DX7 and DX9 Demo Don Lewis Biog Don Lewis...
Jan 23, 2023•15 min
Martyn Ware has been at the forefront of the British synth-pop scene since its inception, founding the hugely influential Human League with Phil Oakey and Ian Craig Marsh. Martyn and Ian went on to establish the British Electric Foundation from which Heaven 17 emerged, along with work as a producer for the likes of Tina Turner and Terence Trent D’Arby. Martyn has since ventured into the world of immersive audio through his collaborations with Vince Clarke as well as being a Principal at Tileyard...
Dec 13, 2022•43 min
Part electronic visual music artist and part software developer as co-founder of Ableton, Robert Henke delves into the overlap between artist and engineer and how software needs to be accessible in order to encourage and not hinder the creative process. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:12 - Current Projects 03:23 - Lumière - Working With Lasers 06:49 - Building The Performance Software 08:54 - The Beginnings Of Ableton 11:37 - The Overlap Between Artist And Engineer 17:12 - Working With Audio Lo...
Nov 24, 2022•45 min
Susanne Kirchmayr, also known as Electric Indigo, is an Austrian music producer, Techno DJ and founder of the female:pressure, an international network of women in the electronic music industry. Here she chats to Caro C about her career beginnings through to her current projects. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - Ferrum 7 music track 02:09 - Starting Out As A DJ 08:55 - Becoming A Music Producer 13:18 - Founding female:pressure 20:38 - An International Support Network 23:50 - Musical Styles ...
Oct 25, 2022•41 min
Michael Whalen is a two-time Emmy Award winning, Grammy-nominated composer with over 30 years experience composing for film and television, as well as being a recording artist in his own right, with over 800 million streams since 2015. Here he talks to Rob Puricelli about performing his latest instrumental album ‘Imaginary Trains’ to a live audience at the EMEAPP museum, using their extensive collection of rare vintage synthesizers. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:47 - What was the inspiration ...
Sep 20, 2022•45 min
A tribute to the life and works of composer and synth pioneer Peter Zinovieff by James Gardner, featuring interviews with co-workers and collaborators. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - Collaborations 04:13 - Replacing Tape With Digital 06:29 - The Move Into Computers 08:03 - The Launch of EMS 14:31 - Running A Studio From Home 16:16 - Working In Raasay 18:19 - The VCS3 And Synthi 20:05 - Copies And Virtual Versions 22:50 - Creativity Post EMS 26:49 - Lucy Railton Peter Zinovieff Biog Peter ...
Aug 23, 2022•35 min
Richard Norris tells Caro C about his early break into the music industry, success with The Grid in the 90s, plus his many collaborations, remixes and unexpected career turns. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:34 - Defining Career Moments 08:31 - The Gear Used By The Grid 10:27 - Musical Trajectory 20:35 - Favourite Equipment 25:58 - Interesting Collaborations 32:04 - Immersive Audio 35:51 - Future Projects Richard Norris Biog Richard Norris has been recording, producing and releasing music for m...
Jul 19, 2022•42 min
Chiara Luzzana is a Sound Designer and Composer, known for her use of Zoom field recorders. A personal project sampling Swatch watches eventually became the official Swatch theme which then led on to similar commissions from several global brands. Caro C talks to her about her journey into corporate sound design. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:31 - Sound Artist And Soundtrack Composer 02:58 - Working With Brands 04:28 - Creating A Sensory Journey 07:30 - Recording Skin 08:40 - Getting Started ...
Jun 28, 2022•41 min
As part of Trevor Horn’s team of technological wizards in the 1980s, JJ Jeczalik emerged as the pre-eminent Fairlight programmer of the day, primarily as one fifth of the art-pop collective, Art of Noise, but also in projects ranging from ABC & Dollar to Yes and Malcolm McLaren. Describing himself as a not a keyboard player, JJ brought his programming skills and talent to bear on a wide range of successful and ground-breaking recordings that were at the vanguard of how cutting edge technolog...
May 24, 2022•56 min
Hannah Peel, composer, producer and broadcaster, talks to Caro C about her solo record career including the shortlisted 2021 Mercury Music Prize electronic album, scoring music for Game Of Thrones and her many other diverse projects. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - Musical Path 06:48 - Using Electronic Instruments 07:55 - Favourite Synths 09:14 - Software and Hardware 10:08 - Projects and Nominations 14:10 - The Mercury Nomination 15:31 - Performing Live 17:23 - Combining Electronica And O...
Apr 27, 2022•49 min
Matt Johnson has emerged as one of the most talented and prolific keyboard players of the last 20 years, mostly as part of the legendary Jamiroquai, in which he both writes and performs, and more recently as a YouTube channel host where he demonstrates this love of modern and vintage synths. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:37 - How did you get your first big break? 02:34 - Was joining Jamiroquai daunting? 03:20 - What was your keyboard rig in those early days? 04:11 - Are workstations an import...
Mar 22, 2022•40 min
Describing herself as a composer, musician and robotic artist, Ivor Novello award winning artist Sarah Angliss talks to Caro C about her route into Electronic Music and how she utilises sub-frequencies, robotics and her own effects in her compositions and live performances. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Classical And Folk Beginnings 00:00 - Discovering Electronic Music 07:52 - Studying Infrasound 12:26 - The Brown Note 14:40 - Augmenting Acoustic Sounds 17:46 - Using The Theremin As A Co...
Feb 22, 2022•39 min
Zoë Blade and Nina Richards talk about their individual music careers and how they came together to create the Stepper Acid Eurorack Sequencer. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:18 - Composing For Patreon and YouTube 03:04 - Chiptunes 05:47 - Patreon Supporters 06:59 - Developing A Sound 11:00 - Working With Older Machines 13:39 - Expanding The Synth Collection 17:02 - Demosceners / Trackers 22:26 - Working With Nina 24:14 - Creating The Stepper Acid Sequencer 30:55 - The Drum Machine 32:23 - Cus...
Jan 18, 2022•46 min
J. Willgoose Esquire, founding member of alternative band Public Service Broadcasting, talks to Caro C about the origins of the band and the surprise success they've enjoyed. He details his recording methods, choice of equipment and the technical challenges of performing live. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:35 - How Public Service Broadcasting Began 03:48 - Sharing Voices From The Past 05:19 - Musical Equipment Used 06:50 - Inspired By Analogue Instruments 08:39 - Composition Methods 10:12 - D...
Dec 14, 2021•37 min
Synth Gems 1 is the first Bjooks publication to be authored by their Editor-in-Chief, Dr Mike Metlay, and sets out to document, both visually and in words, some of the most incredible keyboard synthesizers ever made. Using strict selection criteria, Mike, Kim Bjørn and the team have curated a collection of instruments that are pioneering and rare, influential and impactful and, above all, gorgeous to look at. In this podcast, I wanted to dig into that selection process, find out what it took to ...
Nov 24, 2021•51 min
In this podcast Rob Puricelli talks to Ian Boddy, who has been a fixture on the electronic music scene for over 40 years, as an artist, a sound designer and a label owner. His label, DiN, celebrates its 100th release this month with one of Ian’s own creations, ‘Nevermore’. Rob finds out more about this niche label, why and how it started and how it still remains a relevant and popular imprint to this day. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:36 - Where did it all begin? 05:58 - How did you get into ...
Oct 26, 2021•42 min
Sam Battle, also known as Look Mum No Computer, chats to Caro C about his love of electronics, '80s music and re-using discarded technology in new ways to create a unique musical identity. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Developing A Unique Sound 07:35 - Early Projects 08:29 - Analogue Noise 12:29 - Modular Synthesis 13:59 - Kosmo Modules 15:44 - This Museum Is Not Obsolete 17:53 - Interactive Installations 20:57 - The 1000 Oscillator Megadrone 22:52 - The Crystal Palace Electro Magnetic S...
Sep 20, 2021•36 min
For decades, synth manufacturers and sound designers have strived to recreate the sounds of acoustic instruments, such as brass, woodwind and strings. Digital sampling was launched in 1979 but was unable to express the subtleties and nuances of acoustic instruments, until Physical Modelling came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s. David Bessell talks to Rob Puricelli about how he was inspired by this and sought to explore it further using modular synths and software. Chapters 00:00 - Introduct...
Aug 24, 2021•41 min
Marshall Jefferson talks about his early years in the Chicago house music scene, his seminal 'Move Your Body’ track, the classic equipment he's worked with and how modern music technology allows anyone to create with ease. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:10 - The Early Years 05:42 - Rock Music Influence 08:52 - Ron Hardy, Trax Records & DJ Pierre 10:29 - Replacing Stolen Equipment 11:44 - Logic and Roland Cloud 13:19 - The Ten City Album 13:47 - Incorporating Binaural 15:36 - Composing Alon...
Jul 19, 2021•32 min
Michelle Moog Koussa is the Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, an organisation set up in her father’s memory to carry out educational work in the community and curate and display his extensive archive, and the many instruments he developed in his long career. In recent years, the BMF has increasingly touched the lives and minds of young people interested in electronic sounds, as well as preserving her father’s legacy for current and future generations to enjoy and draw inspiration fr...
Jun 23, 2021•40 min
Director Lisa Rovner and Sound Designer Marta Salogni chat to Caro C about their feature length documentary, Sisters With Transistors, exploring the role of women as pioneers of electronic music from the 1920s through to the 1980s. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:33 - Summary Of The Film 02:18 - Why Make The Documentary? 03:42 - Not Seeking Popularity 05:35 - Gathering Archive Footage 06:49 - Narration by Laurie Anderson 08:00 - The Women Tell Their Own Stories 08:58 - Sound Design Instead Of A...
May 25, 2021•38 min
Musician and Technologist Tim Exile chats to Caro C about the creation of the Endlesss project and the benefits of immersive, collaborative music creation in real time. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - Musical Background And The Endlesss Project 05:27 - Creating An Intuitive Software 08:23 - The Technical Challenges Of Endlesss 11:09 - Turning Music Creation Into A Social Event 13:39 - The Team Behind Endlesss 17:41 - Enthusiasts and Established Artists 19:29 - Future Connectivity 21:11 - M...
Apr 19, 2021•33 min
As one third of the second incarnation of Scritti Politti, David Gamson was the man behind the polished, groove-laden sound of the band’s second album Cupid & Psyche ’85 and their third album, Provision. Gamson went on to write and produce for the likes of Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello, George Benson and Luther Vandross, and more recently with the likes of Kesha, Charli XCX, Jessie J and Kelly Clarkson. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:19 - Where did your electronic music journey start? 03...
Mar 23, 2021•31 min
Imogen Heap chats to Caro C about her music tech projects, including MiMU Gloves, Glover Software, interacting through VR plus The Creative Passport Project for tracking music usage and royalties. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:24 - The Round House 04:25 - Software 05:33 - Izotope, Antares & The Box Of Tricks 07:05 - The MiMU Gloves and Glover 15:05 - Tech For Live Performance 19:39 - VR & Immersive Audio 21:44 - The Listening Chair 26:24 - The Creative Passport Project Imogen Heap Bio...
Feb 23, 2021•34 min
Olivier Alary & Johannes Malfatti have been collaborating on music projects for the past twenty years. Here, Olivier and Johannes go behind the scenes on the techniques that they used to create their latest collaborative album 'u,i', featuring the use of VoIP technology to process sound. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:34 - Greetings 01:22 - An Introduction To The Project 02:29 - The First Skype Recording 05:09 - Inspired by an Accordion 10:28 - Replicating the Sonic Accidents 15:14 - The S...
Jan 19, 2021•24 min
A special podcast in honour of the 100th birthday of the unique "invisible" electronic musical instrument invented, by accident, by physicist Leon Theremin. Starring Cyril Lance (Chief Engineer, Moog), Dorit Chrysler (composer/New York Theremin Society), Bruce Woolley (songwriter/Radio Science Orchestra) and Katia Isakoff (singer/songwriter and producer) and the music of Clara Rockmore (theremin virtuosa/friend of Leon Theremin), talking about the magic of the instrument, its legacy, technology ...
Dec 16, 2020•47 min
Don Lewis began his musical career as a church organist and ended up touring with the Beach Boys, as well as playing studio sessions for Quincy Jones & Michael Jackson. Frustrated by the limitations of music technology of the time, Don used his engineering skills to create LEO, the Live Electronic Orchestra, where he managed to get disparate instruments to “talk” to each other and be completely under his control. His work soon came to the attention of Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of the Roland...
Nov 12, 2020•51 min
Nainita Desai chats to Caro C about her distinguished career, from her beginnings as a foley artist right through to becoming a busy and successful award-winning composer. Recent projects include the feature film "American Murder" for Netflix and a 360 degree score for "The Reason I Jump", which won World Cinema Documentary Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival 2020. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:54 - Current projects 03:40 - Mixing up the creative process 06:09 - Electronic and mathematic...
Oct 14, 2020•47 min
Dr Manny Fernandez has been heavily involved in development & programming for Yamaha and is best known for his FM and Physical Modelling work through their glory years of new synthesis technologies in the DX7II, SY77/99, VL1, VP1, EX5, AN1x and FS1R. More recently he has been working with the Reface DX, Montage and MODX. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:50 - Manny’s history 01:29 - Before the DX7 11:22 - The unpredictability of FM 14:58 - How do YOU do FM? 17:44 - How did you get to work wit...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Life beyond the computer screen. Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner, takes us on an autobiographical sonic journey as he talks about his early fascination with tape recorders, to life beyond the computer screen and his studio filled with modular and table-top synths. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:32 - Personal History and storing memories 01:28 - Tape recorders capturing birthdays and school trips 02:59 - Ambient football on cassette 03:46 - Discovering John Cage 04:31 - Scores of Stockhausen 05:18 -...
Aug 11, 2020•29 min
