Following the recent passing of Robert Moog, aged 71 on the 21st August, I began to explore the history of electronic music, see 120 Years Of Electronic Music and Bob Moog - Wikipedia.As a boy in Adelaide, I had the opportunity to play and explore a Modular Moog Synthesizer, which resembled a telephone exchange, which the owner Philip Jolly had assembled in a restaurant in Melbourne St, North Adelaide then again at the Elder Conservatorium. It was these experiences which fired an enthusiam for electronic music which continues to this day.
On returning to England in 1971, I visited Peter Zinovieff at the EMS Studios in Putney and had the use of a VCS3, photo right: VCS3 - The Putney, and an AKS during the summer of 1973.
Since then I have played and programmed many different synthesizers in performance and recording sessions since then, e.g. the ARP Odyssey
on John Foxx's first solo album Metamatic, when we 're-recorded' the single Underpass for Top Of The Pops, we nearly had to book a string section because an MU representative saw 'strings' written on the track sheet of the tape box, but this was simply a name John & Gareth had given that sound.
On May 23rd 1982, the Central London Branch of the Musicians' Union proposed a motion to ban the use of synthesizers and drum machines, as they feared it would threaten their employment. There were many of us 'synthesists' who turned up to oppose the motion. I was booking orchestral musicians at the time for my arranging work with the 'synth band' Heaven 17's album The Luxury Gap. The proposers were orchestral session players. Many of us 'synthesists' opposed the motion with reasonable evidence and good argument, the motion failed... just. Extraordinary to think that now. This motion was not sustainable, of course, although it did lead to the founding of a 'splinter' Independant Association of British Synthesists, (I think that's what it was called). If you attended that meeting, or can add more information, perhaps you could e-mail me, as I would like to create a webpage about it. More on this soon... I hope.
> 120 Years Of Electronic Music
> Moog Music
> Musician's Union
> EMS Synthi Range 1969-1979 by Graham Hinton
> The Year In Music - 1982
> Daily Bleed: On this day | WorkingForChange contain reference to MU meeting
> Brooklyn Musicians Fight Virtual Orchestras 2005!
> NLRB Action RMS Takes Legal Action, March 2004
> Le Synthé V3 an emulation by Pierre Couprie for Apple OS X of the AKS, the suitcase version of EMS VCS3.
