What about the rise of the DAW itself as a theme?
Is perhaps the one thing from the last 10-15 years I could cover effectively I reckon... Though it would be quite a geeky subject.
Great thread 🙂
I wish I had similar assignments rather than management consultant bollocks to write about.
I nearly ended up with Vince's old Fairlight - would have been an expensive coffee table!
Some great suggestions above that I can't really think to add to.
I have various contacts relating to the above dependant upon which way you decide to go.
I'd be really interested to hear a precis of what you finally choice to cover 🙂
Pretty much decided after all that I'm going to write about the MiniMoog.
Just writing a Research proposal at the moment... Anybody got any key information they that I should know (that I might not have already found), or any pointers to any? Would be really useful...
Ive just read this thread for the first time. Interesting stuff.
Only thing I can add at this stage is that the first minimoogs were a nightmare to keep in tune. Tuning would drift mid performance as streetlights were switched on etc,as this caused the voltage/current to fluctuate.
Wolfgang Flur said it so it must be true! 🙂
Vince Clarke+1 Thomas Dolby? Leon Theremin?
The idea that Gary Numan has been more influential on electronic music than Vince Clarke 😆
Just checked out what I wrote was 100%. It's not. When playing in Paris Kraftwerks tempos were all out. At 8pm all the big factories plugged into the network which made the voltage fluctuate.
Never fails to interest me that the kind of leftfield, noisy, abstract stuff we were doing on KVR
we were ahead of our time 😛
I would think the bob moog story would be very interesting, though it sounds like you have to focus on just one product by the sounds of it? I met him a couple of years before he died, he was a nice old man, bit dithery and eccentric, but captivating. The moog story is quite interesting, sad at times but interesting.
Or the VST/Steinberg story might be a good one, bringing electronic music into everyone's home computers.
On the VST front you can look into Arturias Minimoog VST. I use it and within a mix you couldn't tell the difference.
On the VST front you can look into Arturias Minimoog VST. I use it and within a mix you couldn't tell the difference.
don't start on that!
That didn't take long!! 🙂
Sheffield: Human League. Heaven 17. ABC.
And supposedly it all started with a Kraftwerk gig at the Uni in 1976. Sheffield's version of the Sex Pistols at Manchester Free Trade Hall.
Anyone mention Tangerine Dream? That go back a fair old way so probably influenced quite a few artist that followed.
Edit : Probably not considered pop, though...
don't start on that!
lol @ bigjim... I take it you've played around on the originals then, cos anybody younger than about 50 wouldn't claim to be able to tell the difference between a decent VST and the original hardware these days. Thank heavens for decent software!
I would think the bob moog story would be very interesting, though it sounds like you have to focus on just one product by the sounds of it? I met him a couple of years before he died, he was a nice old man, bit dithery and eccentric, but captivating. The moog story is quite interesting, sad at times but interesting.
I would like to have done the whole thing on him, but it's WAY too big a topic. Christ I've got a 3000 word cap on this, I could probably write 3000 words on Bob Moog before he even invented the Moog Modular or the Minimoog! So I decided to pick the thing he was most famous and influential for... Incidentally I watched the documentary he did shortly before he died on Youtube the other day, really interesting story. What struck me is that he was so ridiculously nice and down to earth, not at all big headed despite obviously being quite a wealthy and influential man. He seemed to be as much in awe of some of the musicians who played his instruments as they were in awe of him for creating it!
Now... Any good books to read up on the Minimoog?
The idea that Gary Numan has been more influential on electronic music than Vince Clarke
Personally I think he has, maybe not directly in the field of "pop" music, but overall he probably has. With the likes of Nine Inch Nails, The Foo Fighters, through to Basement Jaxx and Armand Van Helden (and tonnes in between) all citing him as a massive influence.
I think Vince Clarke has done a lot don't get me wrong, but I'd say his influence has been more mainstream... Which is great, but doesn't float my boat quite so much.
I take it you've played around on the originals then, cos anybody younger than about 50 wouldn't claim to be able to tell the difference between a decent VST and the original hardware these days. Thank heavens for decent software!
Nah I've not but it must be the most common ,repetitive and boring VST argument topic, analogue hardware vs VA emulation! The Arturia one if memory serves me right seems to be one that splits people the most too. I have Minimonsta but have no interest in things sounding like the original.
I've not seen the Moog documentary, will look out for it, I saw him in 2004 doing a talk with Jean Jacques Perrey which was quite entertaining.
Phil Niblock is another random person who might be worth looking at. I think he uses quite interesting techniques and his live show is pretty powerful if you ever get a chance to see it.
Minimoog, good choice 🙂
Now... Any good books to read up on the Minimoog?
And googling reveals this which looks like a good place to start:
http://www.till.com/articles/moog/
