Solo from Del Shannon's Runaway on Clavioline

video upload by Vintage Keys Studio

"Filmed and Edited by Louisa Revolta
Recorded and Mixed by Steve Christie at Vintage Keys Studio

OUR WEBSITE: https://vintagekeysstudio.com"

Clavioline Demonstration Analog Monosynth


"Steve from Vintage Keys Studio demonstrates the Clavioline Concert. This all-tube instrument dates from 1958 and was renovated by Steve with help from Keith Knutton, a friend of the late, great Byron Elwell, from whom the instrument was originally purchased.

Mics used are Rode NT1A on the speaker cabinet
AKG C414 XLII (x2) on the piano

(We added a bit of plate reverb to the clavioline)

Music played includes snippets of Telstar by Joe Meek, Bach’s Brandenburg Concert No 3 Mvt 1 and the other music is (C) 2021 by Steve Christie.

Video and wonderful editing by the wonderful Louisa Revolta
Sound by Steve.

The copyright in this video and its sound recording is owned by Steve Christie / Vintage Keys Studio"

ONDIOLINE Quick Oscillator Repair Job using Forgotten Futures Book

video upload by Vintage Keys Studio

"A brief explanation of an oscillator fault in the Ondioline. Resistors around the Oscillator valve (an ECC82) were all original and some had failed, causing a rise in pitch whenever a note was played.

Filmed and Badly Edited on a phone by Steve Christie, as Louisa was away on holiday. Steve hasn't had a holiday for 10 years.

GET A COPY OF THE FORGOTTEN FUTURES ONDIOLINE MANUAL HERE: https://forgottenfutures.bandcamp.com...

OUR WEBSITE:
https://vintagekeysstudio.com"

See the Ondioline label below for more. Also checke out Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline.

Georges Jenny Ondioline Electronic Keyboard Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Tale of The Ondioline: Music's Oldest Synthesizer?

video upload by The Lemon Master

0:00 Intro
1:21 Design
5:50 History
7:46 Rise
10:39 Downfall
12:47 Revival?
14:24 Outro

Note the first "synth" is debatable. The Telharmonium (1897), Ondes-Martenot (1928), Mixturtrautonium (1936), Novachord (1939), amongst others predated it. The Theremin, although not a keyboard instrument, but the inspiration if not the basis for Bob Moog's creations arrived in 1921. For a timeline of electronic instruments see https://120years.net, and for more synth centric, as we know them, see The First Synth to.....

For reverything Ondioline see https://ondioline.com

And related posts:

Jean Jacques Perrey & Dana Countryman - The Good Old Days

New Website Dedicated to the Ondioline

Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline (pics of my copy here)

And of course, see the Ondioline label for additional posts.

The Ondioline - Technical Manual, Promotional Brochure, Beginner's Handbook & 7" Single

A couple of pics of my recently arrived Ondioline technical manual by Georges Jenny, brochure, handbook & 7" vinyl single. Pics of the back sides below. You can find digital copies here, and physical copies available to order here. The quality for the physical copies are top notch. Highly recommended if you are interested in having new, pristine copies of these historical documents.

See https://ondioline.com/ for more. It's a great resource. You might remember the newly launched site dedicated to the Ondioline from this post a couple of weeks ago. The site is definitely worth taking the time to check out.

New Website Dedicated to the Ondioline

Gotye wrote in to let us know he has been working on a site dedicated to the Ondioline. You might recall he released Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline on digital and deluxe vinyl on Bandcamp. You can find the new website at https://ondioline.com. The site hosts music releases that feature the Ondioline, recreated Ondioline booklets in English and in French, and of course extensive history on the Ondioline.

The following is a short blurb from the about page:

"The Ondioline is an electronic musical instrument invented by Georges Jenny in France in the early 1940s and developed through a number of different models until his death in 1975. This versatile and expressive instrument is monophonic, but can produce a remarkable variety of sounds, from simulating orchestral instruments to creating unique and voice-like tones...

Since 2016 the musician Gotye has worked to revive interest in the Ondioline through the non-profit Forgotten Futures and with an ensemble called Ondioline Orchestra that performs tributes to Jean-Jacques Perrey’s music.

This work has been enabled by electronics technicians Stephen Masucci (USA) and Daniel Kitzig (Germany) who have undertaken extensive and faithful restorations of numerous Ondiolines, allowing Georges Jenny’s pioneering instruments to make music again after decades of dormancy.

Forgotten Futures is dedicated to the recovery of Jenny’s under-recognized work, the recreation of critical Ondioline spare parts, and the dissemination of information that will ensure the functionality and accessibility of these remarkable instruments for future generations."

See https://ondioline.com/about/#history for more, and be sure to check out the rest of the site.

Kiss Me, Stupid (Ondioline) featuring Gotye

Joseph McGinty

From the ep Kiss Me, Stupid (Sydney) by Joe McGinty
Filmed at the Sydney Opera House by JDW
Music by Joe McGinty
(c) Tralfaz (ASCAP)
with:
Gotye, Ondioline
Eleanor Norton, cello

---

See if you can make out the Ondioline. It really stands out around 1:46 on.

Glenn Gould On the Moog Synthesizer

Published on Aug 3, 2019 Bruce Cross

Great bit of synth history. Do not miss the interview. Jean-Jacques Perrey and the Ondioline get a mention.

"Glenn Gould's radio programme on the Moog Synthesizer as rebroadcast on May 21, 1969.

0:00 Ken Haslam introduction
0:56 Glenn Gould introducion
5:25 On the Moog Synthesizer: interviews with W. Carlos and Jean Le Moyne
42:06 Glenn Gould conclusion
45:09 Ken Haslam credits
45:26 Ken Haslam introduces J.G. Parr [James Gordon Parr (May 26, 1927 – April 28, 2000)]
45:55 Parr lecture
59:52 Ken Haslam conclusion"

Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline

My copy of Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline has arrived! Here are a few "unboxing" pics. I am actually listening to it as I type this. The first side features Jean-Jacques music and is spectacular. The second side features his demos of the individual sounds of the Ondioline. If you are a fan, or even just interested in Jean-Jacques Perrey and the Ondioline, I highly recommend this release. The Deluxe Vinyl LP is a gatefold and comes with a very nice quality booklet on Jean-Jacques Perrey and the Ondioline. See below for a pic of the inside cover and back. The clear vinyl itself looks like pristine glass. You can tell the care that went into this release. See my previous post with details here, or you can go directly to the Bandcamp release page here.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline - New Release Produced by Wally De Backer aka Gotye

Readers of the site should all be familiar with Jean-Jacques Perrey's work. His preferred instrument was the Ondioline. As many of you know, Jean-Jacques Perrey passed away on November 4th of last year. I was actually fortunate enough to see him perform live with Dana Countryman for his 2006 tour.

Wally De Backer aka Gotye has produced Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline, an archival project featuring Jean-Jacques Perrey's early music with the Ondioline. The release features previously unreleased and rare tracks both on vinyl and digital download.

via Wally De Backer: "I got to know JJ in the years before he passed and this is a labour of love I undertook to pay tribute to his incredible work, specifically with the remarkable Ondioline."

You can read a great article on the Ondioline, Jeen-Jacques Perrey, Wally De Backer and the release at The New Yorker here.

The following are the official details for the release:

"Out on Forgotten Futures on LP/digital

- Never-before-released Ondioline cuts from Jean
- Jacques Perrey’s archive.
- Super rare tracks from early private press releases.
- Meticulously restored and remastered from original sources.
- Includes collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti and Billy Goldenberg.
- 36-page booklet with unreleased archival photos and an essay by Simon Reynolds.
- Compilation curated and produced by Wally De Backer (Gotye)

Jean-Jacques Perrey (1929-2016) was a pioneer of electronic pop music celebrated for his uniquely whimsical sampled soundworld, his groundbreaking style of rhythmic tape editing, and his early use of the Moog modular synthesizer.

From seminal instrumental albums such as The In Sound From Way Out! (1965, with collaborator Gershon Kingsley), to Moog Indigo (1970, featuring the classic cut E.V.A.), Perrey’s inimitable sounds have been sampled by everyone from Fat Boy Slim and Gang Starr to Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade!

Not as celebrated or widely known is the fact that Perrey was the world’s only virtuoso of the Ondioline, the remarkable proto-synthesizer developed by Frenchman Georges Jenny in the 1940s.

Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline focuses on this early period of Perrey’s musical life, when he traveled the world as the Ondioline’s prime demonstrator, began experimenting with multitrack recording technology, and made demo recordings designed to exalt the Ondioline’s incredible array of sounds and effects.

The compilation features never-before released collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, the films of David Lynch) and Billy Goldenberg (Steven Spielberg’s Duel, Columbo) as well as a collaboration with Dick Hyman which delivers the only piece of music composed by Ondioline inventor Georges Jenny currently on record.

Further gems include a sparkling early version of the beloved Pioneers of the Stars, given a stirring Ennio Morricone-esque arrangement here, as well as choice selections from Musique Electronique du Cosmos, the highly collectible album of library music Perrey recorded in 1963.

Ondioline enthusiasts will be excited to hear a super rare extended demonstration of the instrument, recorded by Perrey in the early 1960s, which also receives its first commercial release on this compilation.

A must for dedicated fans, and a vibrant introduction for new listeners to Perrey’s wonderfully individual style of music, Jean-Jacques Perrey et son Ondioline canvasses his unparalleled mastery of the Ondioline, points towards the exuberance of his later sample and Moog-heavy work, and importantly, illuminates a reflective and melancholy side to his recorded work that expands on his already considerable achievements.

Curated by long-time Perrey fan and recent collaborator Wally De Backer (Gotye), this is the first release on Forgotten Futures, a new record label set up by De Backer to excavate lost works by pioneering producers and musical instrument inventors. De Backer got to know Perrey over the last few years of his life, visiting him a number of times at his home in Switzerland, and coordinating the archiving of his recordings, photos and music scores. Perrey mentored De Backer in the restoration and playing of Ondiolines, and through their developing connection over this instrument, Perrey entrusted De Backer with a number of the rare masters and one-of-a-kind test pressings of Ondioline recordings that form the basis of this compilation.

Tracks:1. La Vache et le Prisonnier 2. Visa to the Stars (commercial arrangement) 3. Chicken on the Rocks4. Danielle of Amsterdam 5. Cigale 6. L'âme des Poètes 7. Dandelion Wine 8. Barnyard In Orbit9. Sérénade à la Mule 10. Mars Reflector 11. Pioneers of the Stars (orchestral arrangement)12. to 38. Ondioline demonstration from Satellite Records acetates"

https://jean-jacquesperrey.bandcamp.com/

Photograph by Anna Webber

via The New Yorker:

"Wouter De Backer, known as Gotye, has a keen understanding of the electronic musician Jean-Jacques Perrey’s discography, and of the nuances it contains."

Asaden Ondomo letter

Published on May 17, 2017 JOAN CARLES RAMOS CASANOVA

"mounting letter"

Anyone know what's going on in this video? Is that a stand for music sheets?

Update via @JoshSemans: "Yes! It’s a music stand, of sorts. Very faithful to the design of the Ines seen on many original ondes."

Ondioline and REAL old valve amp .plus Vermona Synth

Published on May 6, 2017 KPProd Music

"Виртуальный Ондиолин (библиотека Kontakt) звучит через ламповый усилитель советской радиолы "Мир" 1954 года. Плюс синтезатор Vermina."

Gotye to Pay Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey at Moogfest

via Moogfest:

"At Moogfest 2017, Gotye will present a tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey. Jean-Jacques Perrey (1929-2016) was an alternative pop visionary, a pioneer of rhythmic tape editing techniques, and a virtuoso of the rare French electronic musical instrument, the Ondioline. Gotye, a long-time Perrey fan and a budding Ondiolinist, has assembled the Ondioline Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to reviving the spirit of this rare and unusually expressive early synthesizer. The ensemble features thereminist/keyboardist Rob Schwimmer, vintage synth specialist and ex-Psychedelic Furs member Joe McGinty, as well as members of acclaimed alternative band Zammuto. Perrey’s best-known songs will be celebrated alongside ultra rare pieces co-written with Angelo Badalamenti and Billy Goldenberg in an eclectic set juxtaposing Perrey’s joyful and boisterous pop with more reflective work spanning three decades of his career. Ondioline Orchestra perform all sounds live, including Perrey’s signature sample sounds, classic Moog patches, and a rich variety of Ondioline timbres on fully-restored original instruments. This show is a rare opportunity for fans of early electronic pop music to celebrate this influential producer/performer’s wonderfully inventive studio work in a live environment."

How cool is that? I had no idea Gotye was into the Ondioline and Jean-Jacques Perrey.

Jean-Jacques Perrey has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH numerous times in the past. I was fortunate enough to see him perform live back in 2006. I'll never forget that show. It was pure magic. That image to the left was from it. That's Jean-Jacques Perrey on the left and Dana Countryman on the right.

RIP Jean-Jacques Perrey 1929-2016

The image to the left may be a little blurry, but it comes from the one time I actually got to see Jean-Jacques Perrey live with Dana Countryman, back in 2006. I took that photo. That was one of the rare times I could sum up an experience in one word: magical. Well maybe two: magical, and joyful. That may sound cliche to some, but it is 100% accurate, and I do have to say, with the absolute upmost respect, Jean-Jacques Perrey (and Dana Countryman) put on one of the funnest shows I've been too. The man brought absolute joy to life. When I was a kid I had no idea I was listening to his tunes while watching Disneland's Main Street Electrical parade! He was a pioneer of electronic music that brought humor and playfulness to his music throughout his career. I still remember his pet elephant (you'll need to go through numerous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH to find it. :) As you'll see his presence influenced many posts here on MATRIXSYNTH over the years. His main instrument was the Ondes Martenot.

Image credit: Mal Meehan, in via Dana Countryman, who had the following to say (Update: you can find his full words here - do take the time to read it for a fascinating bit of synth history):

"My dear friend and mentor Jean Jacques Perrey passed away today, November 4th, 2016. His illness came on quickly, and he did not suffer long, for which I’m happy. I’m extremely sad that I’ll never see him again, but I have been playing some of his happiest music today, and it immediately cheered me up. I know that’s what he would want --- for everyone to be happy, and not to be sad."

He will be missed, but his music and memories will continue to bring joy to people for years to come. He brought so much joy to the world. Thank you Jean-Jacques Perrey!

Update: Dana Countryman wrote a longer piece on Jean-Jacques Perrey here. Do take the time to read it. From that piece:

"For those who don’t realize it, Jean-Jacques rst started recording electronic music in 1952, long before the Moog synthesizer was rst made for sale in 1967. Relocating from Paris to New York City, JJ actu- ally owned and recorded with the second Moog ever produced, and with his musical partner Gershon Kingsley, they released their rst Moog album -- almost two years before Wendy Carlos released her rst Moog album. Jean-Jacques was truly the pioneer of popular electronic music.

His crazy, happy music has been heard everywhere from commercials, to Sesame Street - in hip-hop songs, in dance remixes and most famously, for decades in the delightful featured music in Disneyland’s 'Main Street Electrical Parade'. In recent years, his music has even made appearances on the Simpsons, and on Comedy Central’s 'South Park'."

Update2: one more sent my way via @bronwenjones:

Jean-Jacques Perrey & Dana Countryman - Funky Little Spacegirl - Music Video

Uploaded on Jan 19, 2009 mee3d

"View a High quality version here - www.funkylittlespacegirl.com

Celebrating 80 years of Jean-Jacques Perrey's Legendary Happy Electropop Music here is the Music Video for "Funky Little Spacegirl", released from the new album with Dana Countryman 'Destination Space'. Available on Oglio Records. Music Video Created by Mal Meehan from mee3d"

Soniccouture Ondioline

Published on Dec 18, 2015 Soniccouture

"A short preview of the Soniccouture Ondioline Kontakt instrument.
Featuring Neil Cowley.

http://www.soniccouture.com/en/produc..."

"FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF SYNTHS

There is a group of early analogue monosynths, produced in the 1950s, about which very little information exists.
Clavioline, Ondioline, Univox, Solovox - these are the most well known of this species, and are all pretty similar to each other. All feature a real-time volume controller, operated by the players knee. All are valve-based with their own built-in amp and speaker, and all have a variety of switches to alter the timbre of the sound.
The Ondioline was the original and the most sophisticated in terms of synthesis and features; it was developed as a low-cost Ondes Martenot, which is why it features a similar lateral vibrato keyboard. The sound can be surprisingly realistic when the vibrato and knee lever are used together - organic and sinuous."

Ondioline Olivier Briand

Published on Dec 9, 2014 Olivier Briand

via Olivier: "here you will find some démos of my grandfather's Ondioline....he made it with a Kit in 1956, so this is a unique model. The unit was not working and all condensers have been changed, so i was happy to play again with it and demonstrate it."

Video description:
"Petits tests autour de l'Ondioline de mon grand père fabriquée en Janvier 1956, elle reviens de révision et re-sonne enfin !
Modèle unique fabriqué en KIT.
Vous pourrez l'admirer et l'essayer lors du prochain "Synth-Fest" à Nantes en 2015 les 2/3/4/5 Avril au "Dix" place des garennes."

"The Ondioline School of Paris" Ad & Ondioline User Manuals

You'll find them on Dana Countryman's Ondioline.com sub site here.

Mark Mothersbaugh's Tour of Mutato Muzika

Published on Jun 4, 2013 keyboardmag1·273 videos

"In this archival clip from May 2010, Mark Mothersbaugh gives us a tour of some of the vintage synths in Mutato Muzika, DEVO's headquarters in L.A."

EMS SYNTHI AKS, Oberheim TVS, Moog Memorymoog, Minimoog & Sonic Six, various circuit bent gear, EMS VCS3, custom DIY modular Aries Modular, EDP Wasp, Novachord, Electronium, TONTO, EML 500, Polybox, Octave CAT, Pink Floyd's Ondioline, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 & more.

Update via Michael Hewel in the comments: "the modular around 08:00 is an Aries"

Life, Laughter & Loops DVD - Jean-Jacques Perrey on the Ondioline

Published on Sep 20, 2012 by mee3d

"An extract from the Jean-Jacques Perrey 'Life, Laughter & Loops' DVD Boxset.
http://www.jjpdvd.com/
copyright © 2004-2012 Mal Meehan"

An RL Music interview with Jean-Jacques Perrey

Added to this post.