The BBC Shipping Forecast Soundscape, No. 2, for 2026

Episode 183 The BBC Shipping Forecast Soundscape, No. 2, for 2026 Playlist This soundscape consists of selections of BBC Shipping Forecasts from the past two years, bits of other broadcasts from the BBC and others, plus electronic sounds and audio treatments that I’ve created. BBC Shipping Forecasts are ©copyright BBC and located at the BBC Radio 4 Website.  Here is a rundown of the various recordings I’ve included in this version of the soundscape: BBC Shipping Forecasts—Individual episodes featuring both men and women readers. The final section of the podcast includes an elaborate five-track remix of five female readers (and one male), stuttered and jogged in various patterns to create a soothing, if nonsensical conclusion to this edition. These forecasts are from 2024-25. BBC World Service Annual Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast: June 21, 2024 Jane Barbe voice clips from the archives of AT&T. Barbe was the “voice of the operator” during much of the 1960s and 1970s. Miscellaneous Shortwave Broadcasts—These were retrieved from the wonderful The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, which I highly recommend. Radio Canada Shortwave Club (1973). Radio+Gjirokaster (Albania) (1988). Shortwave Stations Eastern Europe (circa 1980s). Shortwave Stations Western Europe (circa 1980s). Voice of America (Skylab Re-entry Coverage)--July 11, 1979. Republic of Yemen Radio--February 15/April 9, 2025. Short clips from Seoul, South Korea, Japan, and the Voice of Armenia. Opening and closing sequences voiced 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. Links for The BBC Shipping Forecast: Website from BBC Radio 4 for clips of The Shipping Forecast. From the BBC: What does the Shipping Forecast Mean? Script Guidelines for the Shipping Forecast from the Met Office

Episode 182   Merry Moog 2025  A Soundscape of Vintage Holiday Synthesizer Music   Thanks for your patience while I’ve been producing podcast episodes for my book, the seventh edition of which will be released next year. I produced 62 of them and it diverted me from the regular episodes. However, a friend asked me if I was preparing the holiday episode and that’s exactly what I’ve done. This is my annual holiday podcast. The purpose of which is to play synthesizer-based holiday tunes from the ages—from 1967 to the present day. This edition will be a little different than previous holiday episodes. Rather than play a set of individual, synthesizer-based tunes on the holiday theme, I decided to put together a soundscape that integrates the holiday music, mostly in short excerpts and mixed in various ways, along with an audio environment made up of shortwave radio sounds and broadcasts. There is something about the global appeal of holiday music that fits with the theme of universal shortwave sounds, sounds that know no borders. If you listen carefully, you will hear many of the holiday tunes that I usually stack up in these editions. I try to garner the most representative themes from each yet provide a soundscape that you can sit back and relax to while doing other things this holiday season. There are literally dozens of tracks represented in this episode, each with its own distinctive sound imprint. Jean Jacques Perrey, Douglas Leedy, Hans Wurman, Joseph Byrd, The Moog Machine, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Greg Lake, Taeko Onuki, the Joy Electric, Bernie Krause, The Star Wars Christmas album, The Smurfs Christmas album, the Romantic Synthesizer, Armen Ra, Don Voegeli, The Roots, and Paul Tanner. Among others. I also threw in a decidedly not electronic track by Ron Sexsmith, one of my favorite songwriters. It is lurking the mix, too. So have a happy holiday and I wish you healthy and wondrous listening for the new year. 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 181 Artificial Intelligence and Electronic Music Playlist Time Track Time Start Introduction 05:42 00.00 1.     Cornelius Cardew, “Treatise: String Orchestra (2025). The first of three AI interpretations of a piece by Cardew composed between 1963 and 1967. The work was written as a graphic score. Produced by the team of Professor Shlomo Dubnov of the University of California at San Diego, they used as the basis for an improvisation Cardew’s graphical musical score comprising 193 pages of lines, symbols, and various geometric or abstract shapes that largely stray from conventional musical notation (pages 1 to 33 were used). The recordings from Dubnov’s team interpreted this graphic score with the help of Open AI’s ChatGPT 40 and a program they developed themselves called Music Latent Diffusion Model (MusicLDM), an AI-like algorithm. The recordings show how AI can transform visual stimuli into sound and expand on their interpretation in an experimental music composition. This version is arranged for digital string orchestra. 11:23 05:54 2.     Cornelius Cardew, “Treatise” Sinewave” (2025). This version from Dubrov’s lab was arranged for sinewave generator. 11:15 17:10 3.     Cornelius Cardew, “Treatise: Experimental” (2025). This version from Dubrov’s lab was arranged for a mix of instruments defined as “experimental” by the team. 11:32 28:24 4.     Valérie Philippin, “Extraits de recherche” (2024). Vocal interaction experiment conducted with vocalist Valérie Philippin while she was in artistic residence at European Research Council REACH project (ERC) at IRCAM. AI interaction in real-time using the Somax2 program. Voice: Valérie Philippin, Somax2 & electronics: Mikhail Malt. 03:52 39:48 5.     Horse Lords and The Who/Men, “Zero Degree Machine” (2023). Horse Lords Concert at ERC REACH. Music using Somax2 to interact with the performers and add new parts and instruments in real time. If you hear something other than a guitar, drums, bass, and sax, then it was created by Somax2. You might detect loops of instruments (e.g., saxophone) as well because Somax2 adds to the mix. Horse Lords (Max Eilbacher bass/electronics, Sam Haberman percussion, Owen Gardner guitar, Andrew Bernstein percussion/saxophone). The Who/Men: Gérard Assayag, Mikhail Malt, Reach interactive AI: Somax2; Marco Fiorini, Reach interactive AI: Somax2 and electric guitar; Manuel Poletti, computer music production at IRCAM). The Who/Men are providing guidance for Somax2 in real-time, operating different instances of the program on their laptops. 18:45 43:42 6.     PintoCreation “AI-generated Sci-Fi Sci-Fi and Visual Storytelling” (2025). This is just an example of how task-specific AI is being used to generate videos with electronic music soundtracks. This is an excerpt from one of the soundtracks for the many videos they have generated for their YouTube channel. 07:54 01:02:26 7.     Artificial Intelligence Music, “Melodic Techno” (2025). Excerpt of AI-generated techno music found on this YouTube site. They explain that the music found here “was composed by an AI, meticulously trained on the nuances of this captivating genre.’ I have no idea what AI engine was used, but this is just one example of how many music producers are getting onto the AI train. 06:51 01:10:17 8.     Atmoscapia, “Calm Ambient” (2025). This is a purpose-built generative ambient music creator for “Films, Games, YouTube, and Creative Projects.” Billed as an “Instant Ambient Music Generator For Content Creators,” you use it by selecting styles and lengths up to an hour long. In this case, I chose the style “Calm, Meditative, Dreamy.” Two other categories are also provided for “Cinematic, Dramatic, Emotional” and “Dark, Horror, Suspense.” Those are the extent of the current choices in the free version. It delivers a soundtrack that you can download. 10:00 01:17:08 9.     Thom Holmes, “Thom DeepAI Noise Music” (2025). In an attempt to generate something more experimental using an AI system, I turned to DeepAI and gave it the following instructions: “Experimental, noise sounds. No melody, no harmony, no rhythm. Randomized intervals of silence. Randomized mood swings.” It was short as I was not using the premium version, but it came closer than some other AI programs to creating a work that was more closely aligned with experimental.   1:45 01:41:49                                                                                                                                                                                                             Opening background music: Ambient music generated by the Atmoscapia AI system using the “Dark, Horror, Suspense” setting (excerpt). 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 180 The 2025 US Open Sound Experiment Playlist The sounds for this episode are a collage many things including recorded sounds from the US Open, spectators, tennis players, chair umpires, and the general ambience of the grounds. Mixed in are modifications of various pop tunes plus my own sequnces of electronic sound. All intended to capture the rhythms, beats, and atmosphere of being at the US Open. 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. Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz.  

Episode 179 Chapter 38, Eurorack. 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 38, Eurorack from my book Electronic and Experimental music.   Playlist: EURORACK SYNTHESIS   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:26 00:00 1.     Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “Abstractions” (2018) from Electronic Series: Vol. 1 – Abstractions. Written, recorded and mixed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Inspired by Harry Everett Smith's "Early Abstractions" films. 21:49 01:36 2.     Alessandro Cortini & Lawrence English, “Immediate Horizon, Part 1 (2018) from Immediate Horizon. Recorded live at Berlin Atonal, Kraftwerk 2015. 04:59 23:24 3.     Lukas Hermann, “Amphibious” (2022). Improvisation for a Eurorack modular synthesizer. From Tone Science Module No. 6 (Protons And Neutrons). 05:51 28:24 4.     James Bernard, “Prisms” (2022) from Tone Science Module No. 6 (Protons And Neutrons). Composed by James Bernard. Live performance recorded in one take using a small Eurorack modular system. 08:10 34:12 5.     Elin Piel, “Vänta” (2022) Tone Science Module No. 6 (Protons And Neutrons).  Composed by Elin Piel. Recorded live with Lyra 8, a small Eurorack system and Analog Heat. 06:59 42:18 6.     Field Lines Cartographer, “Eddy Currents” (2022). Tone Science Module No. 6 (Protons And Neutrons). Composed by Field Lines Cartographer. Realised on ARP 2600 and Eurorack modular synths. 08:54 49:12 7.     Elinch, “Upward” (2022). Tone Science Module No. 6 (Protons And Neutrons). Composed by Elinch. A live composition with a small modular system (Strega, TTMC, Disting Ex for Loops) and Buchla Easel Command. 07:28 57:58 8.     Steve Roach, “Random Possibilities” (2022). Composed by Steve Roach. Performed and recorded in real time on Large Format Analog and Eurorack Modulars. 06:29 01:05:22 9.     Ewa Justka, “for the gatekeepers” (2023) from don't you want followers? For “handmade synthesisers and contingent rabbit holes.” 07:22 01:11:44 10.   Tunegirl, “Push the Button” (2023) from Eurorack Ruhr: Compilation # 2. Trance music with a Eurorack system. 06:19 01:19:04   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 178 Chapter 37, Contemporary Software and Synthesis. 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 37, Contemporary Software and Synthesis from my book Electronic and Experimental music. Playlist: CONTEMPORARY SOFTWARE AND SYNTHESIS   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:32 00:00 1.     Barry Truax, “Sonic Landscapes No. 3” (1977 revision). From the album Sonic Landscapes: Electronic and Computer Music (Melbourne Records, Canada). “A spatial environment for four computer synthesized soundtracks.” 15:16 01:36 2.     Robert Hood. “Spirit Levels” (1994) from Internal Empire. Written, performed, and produced by Robert Hood. 05:06 16:50 3.     Ikue Mori, “Abacus—Blue Parrot” (1996) from Garden. Composed, performed, produced, drum Machines, effects, Ikue Mori. 10:57 10:57 21:56 4.     Ghost, “Aramaic Barbarous Dawn” (2004) from Hypnotic Underworld. 03:15 32:52 5.     Outputmessage (Bernard Farley), “REM State” (2004) from Oneiros. Written, performed, and produced by Bernard Farley. 04:33 36:08 6.     TOKiMONSTA, “Let Me Trick You” (2010) from Cosmic Intoxication EP. Jennifer Lee is a producer from Los Angeles, California, USA. 03:27 40:40 7.     TOKiMONSTA, “Line to Dot” (2010) from Cosmic Intoxication EP. Jennifer Lee is a producer from Los Angeles, California, USA. 02:50 44:06 8.     Harold Budd, “Jane 1” (2014) from Jane 1-11. Composed, performed, produced by, Harold 07:42 47:00 9.     Sophie, “Elle” (2013) from Bipp/Elle. Electronics, vocals, composed and performed by Sophie Xeon. Sophie was primarily known for electronica dance music. 03:39 54:42 10.   William Basinski & Richard Chartier, “Divertissement” excerpt (2015). Composition and computer synthesis, Richard Chartier and William Basinski. 08:36 58:20 11.   Thom Holmes, “Numbers” (2017) from Intervals. A composition using recordings of numbers stations as the primary source, combined with audio processing and software synthesis. 05:57 01:06:54 12.   Ami Dang, “Conch and Crow” (2019) from Parted Plains. Sitar, electronics, audio processing, voice, Ami Dang. 06:00 01:12:50 13.   Jeff Mills, “Canis Major Overdensity” (2020) from The Universe: Galaxy 1. Written, performed, and produced by Jeff Mills. 07:42 01:18:48 14.   Pamela Z, “Ink” (2021). Commissioned and presented by VOLTI, artistic director Robert Geary; executive producer Barbara Heroux; performed by VOLTI. Music by Pamela Z. 18:08 01:26:32 15.   Ryuichi Sakamoto, “20220214” (2022) from 12. Composed, produced, performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto. In answer to a question about how these recordings were done, Sakamoto replied: “They were all recorded in the small studio that was in my temporary abode in Tokyo. Depending on the piece, two or four mics were used to record the piano.” 09:10 01:44:38 16.   QOA (Nina Corti), “Sauco” (2022) (04:22), “Liquen” (2022) (02:50), “Yatei” (2022) (03:04), “Muitu” (2022) (03:16) from SAUCO. Side 1 of this release from this Argentinian composer-performer. “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 01:53:50   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 177 Chapter 36, Modern Turntablism. 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 36, Modern Turntablism from my book Electronic and Experimental music.   Playlist: TURNTABLISM   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:28 00:00 1.     Ottorino Respighi, “The Pines of Rome” (1924) recorded by The Milan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Cav. Lorenzo Molajoli in November 1928. Recorded bird sounds is heard at about 36 seconds into this section. This is a 78 RPM recording from 1928 that used a turntable to play the sounds during the performance. 01:44 01:36 2.     Paul Hindemith, “Trickaufnahmen” (1930). Recording made available by Mark Katz, author of Capturing Sound: How Technology has Changed Music (2004). 00:58 03:16 3.     John Cage, “Imaginary Landscape No. 1” (1939) from The 25-Year Retrospective Concert Of The Music Of John Cage (private, 1959). 08:37 04:12 4.     Milan Knížák, “Composition No. 1’ (1979) from Broken Music. Selection and assemblage of materials made by Walter Marchetti at Harpo's Bazaar, Via San Felice 22, Bologna. 03:26 12:46 5.     Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, “The Wheels Of Steel” (1981) from The Wheels of Steel. Medley Compiled by Sylvia Robinson; Produced by, Joey Robinson, Jr., Sylvia Robinson. 07:04 16:10 6.     Christian Marclay, “Smoker,” (1981) from the album Records. Christian Marclay, turntables and processing. Recorded on a cassette deck at home. 03:40 23:12 7.     DJ Shadow ... And The Groove Robbers, “Hindsight,” (1993) from In/Flux/ Hindsight. 06:55 26:56 8.     Afrika Bambaataa, “Looking For The Perfect Beat” (1985) from Looking For The Perfect Beat 1980-1985. 03:51 33:56 9.     Gen Ken Montgomery, “Droneskipclickloop” (excerpt, 1998) from Pondfloorsample. Using four CD players and curated sounds in the categories Drone, Skip, Click, and Loop. Mixed in real time at a performance at Experimental Intermedia Foundation (NY) on March 17, 1998. 07:19 37:48 10.   Crawling with Tarts, “Trecher Track”(1999) from Turntable Solos. By Michael Gendreau and Suzanne Dycus-Gendreau. 04:11 45:08 11.   Christian Marclay, from Record Without a Cover (excerpt, 1999). Marked with instructions, "Do not store in a protective package," my copy is a reissue of the disc first released in 1985, done by Japanese label Locus Solus. The naked record will naturally become increasingly damaged from shipping, storing, and playing the record, all becoming part of the work. In essence, the owner is implored to progressively destroy the release, allowing it to become scratched and bruised from accumulating damage that make each copy unique. My copy actually skips a lot. In the passage I am playing I often had to press the needle down a little bit to get through a skip. There is faintly recorded jazz music found on some of the disc, while other parts are pretty much composed only of surface noise. 04:31 49:18 12.   Yasunao Tone, “Part 1” (excerpt 1999) from Solo for Wounded CD. All sounds used were from scratched CD's. 03:54 53:50 13.   Philip Jeck, “Untitled 2,” (2002) from Soaked. Turntables, Philip Jeck, electronics, Jacob Kirkegaard. Recorded live at the Electronic Lounge, Moers Festival, Germany. 04:30 57:42 14.   Maria Chavez, “Jebus” (2004) from Tour Sampler, recorded in Houston, Texas. Turntables and electronics by Maria Chavez. 04:59 01:02:12 15.   Marina Rosenfeld, “Three” (2005) from Joy of Fear. Piano, turntables, dubplates, electronics, sound processing], vocals, Marina Rosenfeld. She said, “This record couldn’t exist without the small collection of one-off ‘acetate records’ (dub plates) that I’ve been making since 1997, when I first encountered Richard Simpson and his disc-cutting lathe in Los Angeles.” 05:47 01:07:12 16.   Luc Ferrari and Otomo Yoshihide, Slow Landing” (2008) from ‎Les Archives Sauvées Des Eaux. Composed by Luc Ferrari and Turntables, Electronics, prepared phono cartridges by Otomo Yoshihide. 10:40 01:12:58   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 176 Chapter 35, Live Electronic Music— Historical Practices. 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 35, Live Electronic Music— Historical Practices from my book Electronic and Experimental music.   Playlist: LIVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC—HISTORICAL PRACTICES   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1.     Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Mikrophonie I” (1964) from Mikrophonie I · Mikrophonie II.   Mikrophonist 1, Johannes Fritsch; Mikrophonist 2, Harald Bojé; Electronic Filters and Potentiometers 1, Karlheinz Stockhausen; Electronic Filters and Potentiometers 2, Hugh Davies, Jaap Spek; Tam-tam, Aloys Kontarsky; Tam-tam, Fred Alings.  Brüsseler Version 1965 recorded at WDR, Cologne. 07:24 01:42 2.     AMM, “In The Realm Of Nothing Whatever” (1966) from AMMMusic 1966. Cello, Accordion, Clarinet, Transistor Radio, Lawrence Sheaff; Electric Guitar, Transistor Radio, Keith Rowe; Music by, Cardew, Prévost, Rowe, Sheaff, Gare; Percussion, Eddie Prévost; Piano, Cello, Transistor Radio, Cornelius Cardew; Tenor Saxophone, Violin, Lou Gare. Recorded on the 8th and 27th June 1966 at Sound Techniques. 13:22 09:06 3.     Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV), “SpaceCraft” (1967) from MEV 40. Mbira Thumb Piano Mounted On A Ten-litre Agip Motor Oil Can, Contact Microphones, Amplified Trumpet, Voice, Alvin Curran; Amplified Glass Plate With Attached Springs, Contact Microphones, Frederic Rzewski; Homemade Synthesizer from Electronic Organ Parts, Allan Bryant; Moog Modular Synthesizer, Contact Microphones, Voice, Richard Teitelbaum; Tenor Saxophone, Ivan Vandor; Voice, Carol Plantamura. 30:45 22:26 4.     David Tudor, “Rainforest Version One” (1968) from Rainforest. Live electronics, David Tudor, Takehisa Kosugi. Used transducers to amplify objects. Recorded by Rob Miller. 21:50 53:10 5.     Karlheinz Stockhausen, “Kurzwellen” (1968), excerpt from Festival of Hits. Composed By, Mixed By, Electronics, Filters, Potentiometers, Karlheinz Stockhausen; Electronium, Harald Bojé; Tamtam, Alfred Alings, Rolf Gehlhaar; Piano, Aloys Kontarsky; Electric Viola, Johannes G. Fritsch. This is the opening of this long work, excerpted for this strange collection of greatest “hits” by Stockhausen (you had to be in 1970 to understand this). Kurzwellen is a piece where the musicians need to improvise and react to signals they receive on randomly tuned shortwave radios. This is from the Cologne recording made in the Rhenus studio in Godorf for the Cologne Radio (WDR, Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln) on the 8th and 9th of April 1969 (53'30), which was record 2 of the original 2-record set. By the way, this ensemble also featured the Electronium Pi, made by Hohner beginning in 1952. It was a monophonic, electronic keyboard instrument and was an add-on instrument for the piano mounted under the keyboard, which is the model used by Stockhausen. His keyboardist, while Harald Bojé used the accordion-like model. 06:19 01:14:56 6.     The Music Improvisation Company, “Tuck” (1970) from The Music Improvisation Company. Electric Guitar, Derek Bailey; Live Electronics, Hugh Davies; Percussion, Jamie Muir; Soprano Saxophone, Evan Parker. 03:00 01:21:14 7.     David Tudor, “Rainforest IV” (1973) from Rainforest IV.  Composed in 1973 by David Tudor; performed by Composers Inside Electronics (David Tudor, Martin Kalve, Philip Edelstein, Ralph Jones, Bill Viola, John Driscoll). Recorded at the exhibition "Für Augen und Ohren - Von der Spieluhr zum akustischen (Environment (For eyes and ears - from the mechanical clock to the acoustic environment)" at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, January 1980. 25:12 01:24:24 8.     Maryanne Amacher, “"Head Rhythm 1" And "Plaything 2" (1999) from Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear). 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 01:49:36 9.     Caroline Park, “Grain 5” (2011) from Grain. This is a cassette release by Park, often known her for generative composition work and electronic improvisations based on parameters that she defines. Recorded, performed by Caroline Park. 09:05 01:59:32 10.   Caterina Barbieri. “This Causes Consciousness To Fracture” (2017) from Patterns Of Consciousness.  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 02:08:36 11.   Sarah Davachi, “First Cadence” (2021) from Antiphonals. Composed, recorded, performed, Mellotron (bass flute, recorder, oboe), Tape Echo, Sarah Davachi. 05:48 02:31:20 12.   Asha Tamirisa, “Live Performance,”(2023) at the Waterworks 2023: Festival of Experimental Sound. Laptop synthesis, snare drums, Asha Tamirisa. Soundtrack for a video recorded by Wenhua Shi & Nick Stevens, video editing by Nick Stevens, and audio recording and mixing, Matthew Azevedo. 25:10 02:37:02   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 175 Chapter 34, Live Electronic Music— Foundations. 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 34, Live Electronic Music— Foundations from my book Electronic and Experimental music.   Playlist: LIVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC FOUNDATIONS   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:36 00:00 1.     John Cage, “Radio Music” (1956) from John Cage. Performed on radios by Gianni-Emilio Simonetti, Juan Hidalgo, Walter Marchetti. Each of these performers used a Panasonic multi-band portable Radio Model RF-1600 B receiver. 04:33 01:40 2.     John Cage, “Cartridge Music” (1960) from Music For Merce Cunningham. Phonograph Cartridges, Amplified Small Objects, David Tudor, Michael Pugliese, Takehisa Kosugi. Recorded at Paris, France in September 1988. 18:53 06:12 3.     Alvin Lucier, “Music for Solo Performer” (excerpt) (1965). Live recording from 1975. Brainwave amplification performed by Alvin Lucier; electronics, Nicolas Collins. 11:46 25:04 4.     Gordon Mumma, “Horn” (1965) from Live-Electronic Music. Electronic modification of horn sounds. Horn, Gordon Mumma; Cybersonic console, designed by Mumma, operated by William Ribbens; Recorded by George Cacioppo; Voice, George Cacioppo, Robert Ashley. For a hornist, two voices, and a cybersonic console operator. 09:36 36:48 5.     John Cage, “Variations V” (1965). Performance on November 11, 1966, Théâtre de Champs Élysées, Paris. Performers, John Cage, David Tudor, Gordon Mumma. 39:57 46:10 6.     David Tudor, “Bandoneon ! (A Combine)” (1966) from The Art Of David Tudor 1963–1992. Composed and performed by David Tudor. 14:15 01:26:43 7.     David Behrman, “Runthrough” (1967–68) from Wave Train. For homemade synthesizers and photocell mixers. Homemade Synthesizer, Photocell Mixer, Alvin Lucier, David Behrman, Gordon Mumma, Robert Ashley. 12:11 01:40:26 8.     Gordon Mumma, “Telepos” (1972) from Music For Merce 1952-2009.  Recorded live on February 2, 1972, La Fenice, Venice. Controlled Sounds Activated By Dancers With Telemetry-accelerometer Belts, Gordon Mumma. 18:38 01:52:34 9.     Pauline Oliveros, Rehearsals for “In Memoriam, Nikola Tesla” (excerpt) (1972). Recorded live September 1972, Köln, Germany.  No performers listed. 11:56 02:11:06 10.   Robert Ashley, “Automatic Writing” (1974–79) from Automatic Writing.  Electronics, Polymoog, Voice, Words, Produce, Recorded, Mixed by Robert Ashley; Mixing Assistance, Rich LePage; Switching Circuit Designed and Built by Paul DeMarinis; Translated by Monsa Norberg; Voice, Mimi Johnson. 46:00 02:23:04   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 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 8.     Don Muro, “Deanna Of The Fields” (1981) from Anthology. Vocals, Piano, Electric Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Synthesizer, Korg M1 Music Workstation, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Don Muro. 02:52 55:18 9.     Nervous Germans, “Hometown” (1981) from Nervösen Deutschen. Bass, Producer, Micki Mäuser; Drums, Udo Dahmen; Guitar, Manni Holländer; Vocals, Casio VL Tone micro keyboard, Grant Stevens. 05:15 58:10 10.   Tuxedomoon, “Blind” from Time To Lose, Blind. Effects, Guitar, Peter Principle; Casio M-10, Blaine L. Reininger; Vocals, Moog, Soprano Saxophone, Steven Brown; Vocals, Winston Tong. 07:44 01:03:26 11.   Herbie Hancock, “Rough” (1983) from Future Shock. Fairlight CMI, AlphaSyntauri, Emulator, Herbie Hancock; Background Vocals, Bernard Fowler, Grandmixer D.ST., Nicky Skopelitis, Roger Trilling; Bass, Bill Laswell; Drums, Sly Dunbar; Lead Vocals, Lamar Wright; Prophet-5, Michael Beinhorn; Turntables, Voice, Grandmixer D.ST. 06:54 01:11:00 12.   Wendy Carlos, “Genesis,” “Eden,” and “I.C. (Intergalactic Communications)” (1984) from Wendy Carlos' Digital Moonscapes. Programmed All Sounds programmed and performed on the Crumar GDS/Synergy digital synthesizer, Wendy Carlos. 15:20 01:17:50 13.   Ron Kuivila, “Household Object” (1984) from Fidelity. Casio VL toneand homemade electronics, Ron Kuivila. 09:34 01:33:20 14.   Lejaren Hiller, “Expo ’85” (1985) from Computer Music Retrospective. Four short pieces highlight the versatility of the Kurzweil K250: “Circus Piece - A Cadential Process” (4:04), “Transitions - A Hierarchical Process” (2:12), “Toy Harmonium - A Statistical Process” (1:41), “Mix Or Match - A Tune Generating Process (5 Examples)” (3:44). 11:55 01:42:52 15.   Third World, “Can't Get You (Out Of My Mind)” (1985) from Sense Of Purpose. Yamaha DX7, Prophet 5, PFR Yamaha, Grand Piano Yamaha Acoustic, Organ Hammond B3, Clavinet Mohner D6, Percussion, Vocals, Michael "Ibo" Cooper; Backing Vocals, Glenn Ricks, Meekaaeel; Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Richie "Bassie" Daley; Drums Yamaha Acoustic Drums, Electronic Drums Simmons, Drum Machine D.M.X., Drum Machine Linn Drum Machine, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Willie Stewart; Keyboards, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar The Washburn Electro Acoustic, Vocals, Percussion, Stephen "Cat" Coore; Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Bill "Bunny Rugs" Clarke; Percussion, Neil Clarke; Percussion, Binghi Drums, Junior Wedderburn, Tschaka Tonge. 03:37 01:54:46 16.   George Todd, “Sound Sculptures” (1985) from Music For Kurzweil And Synclavier. Synclavier Digital Music System, George Todd. 09:02 01:58:22 17.   Russ Freeman, “Easter Island” (1986) from Nocturnal Playground. Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, Keyboard Bass, Emulator II, Linn 9000 Drum programming, Russ Freeman; Drums, Percussion, David Renick; Percussion, Emulator II programming, Steve Reid; Alto Saxophone, Brandon Fields. 05:30 02:07:22 18.   Donald Steven of G.E.M.S., “Images - Refractions Of Time And Space (1986)” from Group Of The Electronic Music Studio - McGill University. Yamaha DX7, Laurie Radford; Bass, John Oliver; Electric Flute, Jill Rothberg; Percussion, Elliot Polsky, François Gauthier. 11:42 02:12:52 19.   Jane Brockman, “Kurzweil Etudes” (1-3) (1986) from Music For Kurzweil And Synclavier. Kurzweil K250, Jane Brockman. 10:19 02:24:32 20.   Richard Burmer, “Across The View” (1987) from Western Spaces. Emulator II plus an analog synth, Richard Burmer. 04:38 02:34:48 21.   Sonny Sharrock Band, “Kate (Variations On A Theme By Kate Bush)” (1990) from Highlife.  Electronics, Korg M1, Korg Wave Station, Dave Snider; Bass, Charles Baldwin; Drums, Abe Speller, Lance Carter; Guitar, Sonny Sharrock. 05:52 02:39:32 22.   Second Decay, “Taste” (1994) from Taste. Produced with the Roland Compu Music CMU-800R workstation and without MIDI; Simmons Electronic Drums,Thomas V.. Other synths used: ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, PPG Wave 2.0, Emulator I and II, Roland SH-101, SH-7, CR-78, TR-808, MC-4, TR-606, EMS Synthi A, Solina String, Mellotron, Crumar Performer, Teisco 110F, Wasp, Linn LM-1, SCI Pro-One, Minimoog, Korg Mono-Poly, SQ-10, Elektro Harmonix Minisynth, Vocoder and effect devices, Compact Phasing A, Roland Echos RE 201, SRE 555.  04:20 02:45:18   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.