Casio’s XW-P1 Performance Synthesizer wins Two Awards

"CASIO’S XW-P1 PERFORMANCE SYNTHESIZER KICKS OFF 2013 ON A HIGH NOTE WITH TWO INDUSTRYAWARDS
XW-P1 Receives Electronic Musician’s 2013 Editors’ Choice Award and The Music & Sound Retailer’s Best New Keyboard Award of 2012

DOVER, NJ (February 5, 2013) – Casio America, Inc. is proud to announce that its XW-P1 Performance Synthesizer is the recipient of two prestigious awards – Electronic Musician’s “2013 Editors’ Choice Awards for Affordable Synth Awesomeness” and The Music & Sound Retailer “Best Keyboard and Sound Module Award of 2012.”Both publications highlight the most innovative products and latest technological developments in the music industry.

“We are honored to announce at Winter NAMM, the show where last year our performance synthesizers came to life, that the XW-P1 has been presented with not one, but two prominent awards,” said Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. “Casio is thrilled with the response we have received over the past year throughout the music industry and we look forward to continuing to deliver electronic musical instruments that meet musicians’ wants and needs.”

For the past twenty years, Electronic Musician has been reviewing the year’s most innovative products in its Editors’ Choice Awards. Winners are selected by the magazine’s editors who research reviews, product releases, show reports and forum posts throughout the review period. Out of hundreds of potential nominees, Casio’s XW-P1 was one of 30 selected award winners and ultimately declared an “awesome” and “affordable” synthesizer. Editors from Electronic Musician noted, “Bold, original, clever, and definitely not ‘me-too’ synths, the XW showed that Casio is back in the synth game with a vengeance.”

Casio’s XW-P1 Synthesizer was also nominated for the Best Keyboard and Sound Module of 2012 by The Music & Sound Retailer. At Winter NAMM 2013, The Music & Sound Retailer announced that Casio had been declared an award winner. According to Dan Ferrisi, editor of The Music & Sound Retailer, “the Casio XW-P1 received the award due to the voting of the top music industry retailers making it a very prestigious award to receive.” For this award process, dealers and manufacturers vote for one another based on their respective categories. Casio’s XW-P1 received a great number of endorsements from dealers nationwide.

The XW-P1 Performance Synthesizer is now available at music dealers nationwide for an MSRP of $699.00. To view the XW-P1 review from Electronic Musician, please visit www.emusician.com. To view the XW-P1 review from The Music & Sound Retailer, please visit www.msretailer.com.

For additional information regarding Casio’s portfolio of electronic musical instruments, please visit www.casiomusicgear.com.

About Casio America, Inc.
Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of “creativity and contribution” through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com."

NOISECOLLECTIVE Modular Synth Masterclass Workshop with Gino Robair

NOISECOLLECTIVE is having a modular synth masterclass workshop with Gino Robair. The event will be held at the Mothership club in Turin Italy. You can pick up tickets at NOISECOLLECTIVE here. The following are the details on the event, first in Italian, then English further below.

IL WORKSHOP
Il workshop prenderà in esame una serie di tecniche da utilizzare durante l'improvvisazione con sintetizzatori modulari in un contesto di gruppo e pone le basi per un concerto la sera stessa, con i partecipanti al workshop.

Il workshop si concentrerà sulla sensibilizzazione e l'ascolto globale durante l' improvvisazione, esplorerà strategie di patching per ottenere la massima varietà ed evitare la stagnazione.

Verranno presi in esame concetti come primo piano / sottofondo, solista / supporto, controllo gestuale, e intenzione / non-intenzione.

Particolare interessante per i musicisti che utilizzano sintetizzatori modulari perché spesso la tentazione con lo strumento è quello di sovrapporre semplicemente suoni.

Gino utilizza strategie, concetti e spunti basati sul suo lavoro e sul lavoro di John Zorn, Butch Morris, ROVA Sax Quartet, Anthony Braxton e Frank Zappa.

I partecipanti devono portare un loro strumento. Possono utilizzare qualsiasi synth analogico, anche se il workshop è prevalentemente incentrato sui sintetizzatori modulari.

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The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music: Number Sixteen

Pess release follows:

The Seventh Wave
Festival of Electronic Music: Number Sixteen

Music festival delivers one of its best line-ups yet!

Edition 16 of an Electronic Music Festival established in 2016 takes place in Birmingham in October of this year.

In October 2025 the sixteenth ‘The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music’ takes place across three days at The Castle and Falcon.

For a relatively small festival The Seventh Wave continues to get some of the biggest names in electronic and progressive music.

The stellar line-up for #16 includes Plaid, Ultramarine, Richard Norris (The Grid), Mark Van Hoen/Locust, White Noise (featuring the legendary David Vorhaus) & much more.

Tickets can be purchased for individual events at Skiddle and SEE tickets.

Full line-ups follows, flyer attached for the festival… for more information, press inquiries contact theseventhwave@btinternet.com or visit https://seventhwavefestivalofelectronicmusic.com/

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Synth East 2024 - Synth and Modular festival in Norwich

video upload by Molten Music Technology

"Synth East is a festival of synths and modular in Norwich from Friday the 23rd of February to Sunday the 25th. Brought to you by the Norwich Arts Centre, Electronic Sound Magazine and Molten Modular.

Tickets are available for each event separately. There's a discount if you order the Saturday Expo and evening gig at the same time.

Friday: Subotnick documentary [trailer here], Adam Buxton interviews Steve Davis and music from Luke Sanger.

Saturday daytime: Synth Expo with performances

Saturday evening: Blancmange, Ultramarine and Molten Modular

Sunday: DIY Workshops from Thonk and Befaco.

http://www.syntheast.com"

Update: press release follows:


"Pouring from the heart of Norfolk, hosted by the Norwich Arts Centre, curated by Electronic Sound Magazine and run by Molten Modular, Synth East is back. After a devastatingly successful 2023 show the sold-out Norfolk-based festival of synthesizers returns in 2024 but this time it's been widened into a full weekend experience.

The all new Friday evening Synth East event is curated by Electronic Sound Magazine and kicks off with (possibly) the UK premiere of a documentary on electronic musician Morton Subotnick, who at 90 years old, is known affectionately as the Father of Techno. It’s called Subotnick, Portrait of an Electronic Music Pioneer by Waveshaper Media who brought us the intoxicating 2014 documentary, I Dream of Wires.

Following the film we have writer, broadcaster, comedian and musician Adam Buxton chatting with Synth East alumni Steve Davis about music, life and modular synths. Finishing off the evening we have an ambient set from modular musician Luke Sanger as we relax into some beers in preparation for what’s to come for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday’s Synth East Expo is a carnival of control voltage, a festival of synth sounds and a party of epic performances. Dozens of manufacturers will be filling the Arts Centre with synths and modulars to give you an opportunity check out their marvellous machines and bask in the glow of synthesiser technology. You’ll be able to chat with the makers about the gear and even have a personal demonstration. Simply walking through the auditorium in the company of such exciting gear is completely thrilling.

Throughout the day we’ll be having some performances from local artists Hardwired and Tristan Burfield before we once again embark on the awesome modular experiment of the all-star patch off. This year, joining Robin "Molten Modular" Vincent, Steve Davis and Gaz Williams will be Mylar Melodies, Nina Richards, and Jason Jervis. These are unique, improvised performances that you’ll never see anywhere else.

Saturday night’s synthesiser explosion features the 80s synth legends Blancmange who have kindly agree to fit us in before their extensive Everything is Connected: The Best Of Blancmange tour of the UK. Supporting Blancmange we have eclectic electronic music duo Ultramarine featuring Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. And in the warm up slot is our own Robin “Molten Modular” Vincent and a special guest.

On Sunday we are hosting some Eurorack DIY workshops presented by Befaco and Thonk. They will be held at Electronic Sound HQ at Capital House over a few hours. The idea is that you buy a ticket for the workshop and then order the kit that you hope to build directly with Befaco or Thonk.

Synth East 2024 runs from the 23rd to the 25th of February. Each event is available as a separate ticket and there's a bundle deal on buying the Saturday Expo and evening performance together.

Our intention is to revel in the world of synthesizers, modular and electronic musical boxes. We want to explore sound through performance, discussion and hands-on interaction. It's a lot of fun and open to anyone with an interest in bleeps, tones and noises."

Electronic Voyages: Early Moog Recordings 1964-1969 - Compilation LP Preview

Published on May 4, 2019 Waveshaper Media

Update: see the second embed further below.

"Available exclusively from our Bob Moog documentary Indiegogo campaign: https://igg.me/at/electronicvoyager

Electronic Voyages: Early Moog recordings 1964-1969
(Waveshaper Media - WSM-03 vinyl LP)

A1. Robert Arthur Moog - The Abominatron (1964)
A2. Herbert Deutsch - Jazz Images, A Worksong And Blues (1967)
A3. Joel Chadabe - Blues Mix (1966)
B1. Lothar and the Hand People - Milkweed Love (1968)
B2. Intersystems - Changing Colours (1968)
B3. Ruth White - The Clock (1969)
B4. Max Brand - Triptych (1969)
B5. Paul Earls - Monday Music (1968)

In support of their forthcoming Bob Moog documentary Electronic Voyager, Waveshaper Media have produced a compilation LP of Moog recordings from the 1960s. The first compilation of its kind, Electronic Voyages: Early Moog recordings 1964-1969 contains tracks by Robert Arthur Moog, Herbert Deutsch, Joel Chadabe, Lothar and the Hand People, Intersystems, Ruth White, Max Brand, and Paul Earls. All of these tracks, released here on vinyl in an edition of 1000 copies, have been scarcely heard and difficult to track down, with all but three of them previously unreleased on vinyl.

Bypassing the Moog synthesizer’s backseat appearance on key pop recordings by the likes of the Beatles, the Doors, and the Beach Boys, Electronic Voyages aims to highlight the diverse approach of 1960s musicians and composers who adopted the Moog as their primary instrument; these recordings all feature the Moog synthesizer front and centre. Beginning with an “audio letter” (The Abominatron) from Bob Moog to his musician-muse Herbert Deutsch, demonstrating some of the first Moog synthesizer prototype’s capabilities, Electronic Voyages veers from avant-garde and electronic soundscapes, to psychedelic madness and summer-of-love pop. In the 1960s, the Moog synthesizer was a new, groundbreaking instrument, and its use was completely uncharted territory. The pioneering use of the Moog on all of these recordings sounds fresh today - you can sense the wide-eyed exploratory delight unfolding, and the disparate results range from endearingly naive (Lothar and the Hand People, Paul Earls) to downright eerie (Ruth White, Intersystems).

The musicians and composers behind these Electronic Voyages may have been among the first to adopt Moog synthesizers, but the fact that they so readily found within them expressivity, heart, and a means to translate their wondrous sense of discovery, speaks far more to Bob Moog’s visionary invention and enduring legacy."

Update: Playlist of releases in different order:



Robert Arthur Moog - The Abominatron (1964) - from "Electronic Voyages" LP
Ruth White - The Clock (1969) - from "Electronic Voyages: Early Moog recordings 1964-1969" LP
Intersystems - Changing Colours (1968) - from "Electronic Voyages" LP
Lothar and the Hand People - Milkweed Love (1968) - from "Electronic Voyages" LP
Joel Chadabe - Blues Mix (1968) - from "Electronic Voyages: Early Moog recordings 1964-1969" LP
Paul Earls - Monday Music (1968) - from "Electronic Voyages" LP
Max Brand - Triptych (1969) - from "Electronic Voyages: Early Moog recordings 1964-1969" LP

"Poetry at the core of arts" with a Dedication to Pierre Henry by Marc-Henri Arfeux & the Access Virus

Many of you will be familiar with the Access Virus compositions by Marc-Henri from previous RADIOKLOW posts. Marc-Henri bridges the gap between electronic music and other forms of art. His most recent work is a poem in tribute to Pierre Henry accompanied by the Access Virus. The tribute is hosted on La poésie au cœur des arts : le Blogart which translates to "Poetry at the core of arts". Click through and click on the Access Virus image to get to the piece.

via Marc-Henri:

"This site called 'Poetry at the core of arts' is the net the extension of a book of the same title, an anthology of poetry published by the french publisher : Editions Bruno Doucey. The book contains a poem I wrote about electronic music. The site was conceived to developp an exploration for some of the poets and artists of the book. I am one of them for, poetry , music and painting.

You will find the poem I wrote for the book, three pieces of music composed in january 2014, four poems by other authors of the anthology, three improvisations performed in early february 2014, a former composition called De Haute Vallée you have seen in the form a video in late 2012, an interview in french and some photographs taken at my flat when I was interviewed."

The following is Marc-Henri's poem translated into English:

"Orpheus veil"

Fly down into Orpheus ear,
Where roll clockworks
Of the forbidden stars
And voices shreds seeking vision.

Listen at the well of walls
Echoes of illuminated faces
In their bronze palaces.

Pavings, folds of roses,
The naked heels
Playing the freshness game
With embers
And the childhood kisses.

Travelling back to horizon,
In the limestone of nights,
Is now the prophecy of the spices,
With its tissue gifted with red
And the sobbings of an initiation.

Marc-Henri Arfeux - 2013

----------

Update: the following an English translation of the interview with Marc-Henri Arfeux on "Poetry at the core of arts". It is a fascinating read and reminds me of why I initially got into synths. My first synth was a brand new Oberheim Matrix-6 back in 1986. When I first started exploring the Matrix-6 I had no idea what the parameters did, so I just dived in. For me it was an exploration of sound for the sake of sound and a fascination in creating musical instruments never heard before. The focus was on that exploration rather than the attempt to mimic real world instruments. Much of this spirit is covered in the world of musique concrete and is captured in the interview below. Do not miss the part on the short wave radio. Truly fascinating and an inspiration for sonic exploration.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Analog Renaissance on Electronic Musician Online

Click here for an 861kb pdf of the Analog Renaissance article in Electronic Musician. The article features the Cyndustries ZeroOscillator, pictured.

Via John Loffnick on the Cyndustries mailing list. You might recognize John Loffnick of The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site and The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site.

BTW, I love it when magazines put full articles online. Thank you Electronic Musician.

Casio Tried to Weasel Out of Import Tax

Here's a fascinating bit of synthesizer history sent my way via Brian Moore. Apparently Casio claimed their synthesizers fell under "electrical articles which produce sound" taxed at 3.9%, rather than, "electronic musical instruments" taxed at 6.8%. They argued this because they were sold without an amplifier, speakers or headphones and because they went beyond that of "electronic musical instruments." Title link takes you to the case brief for Casio v. U.S. Below are some exerpts. The case was decided against Casio in 1996. Good stuff. Thanks Brian. Makes you wonder what Roland, Korg and Yamaha classified their synths as during the same time...

"Casio imports into the United States electronic musical synthesizers. All of the imported synthesizer models were classified by the Customs Service, upon entry into the United States, as "Electronic musical instruments: Other," TSUS 725.47, with a duty rate of 6.8% ad valorem.

Casio timely challenged the classification by filing suit in the United States Court of International Trade. Casio argued that these synthesizers were improperly classified as electronic musical instruments and should instead have been classified under TSUS 688.34 as "Electrical articles and electrical parts of articles, not specifically provided for: Electrical articles using pre-programmed digital integrated circuits to produce sound," dutiable at the rate of 3.9% ad valorem."

"In addition, Casio argued that five of the imported models, VZ-1, VZ-10M, HZ-600, MG-510 and PG-380, could not be classified as electronic musical instruments because they were imported and sold in commerce without an amplifier and speakers or headphones and thus did not make an audible sound as imported. The ability to make an audible sound, they argued, was a requirement for classification as an electronic musical instrument."

"The trial court's finding that the synthesizers do not possess features substantially in excess of those within the common meaning of the term "electronic musical instruments" is not clearly erroneous. All of the additional features are designed primarily to make it easier for a musician to create music or embellish the sound he or she would normally be able to produce. The auto-rhythm and auto-accompaniment features allow inexperienced users to create chords and accompaniment with the press of a key, and the sequencer features allow a single musician to play, in essence, multiple instruments simultaneously. The only feature which does not appear to enhance a musician's ability to play the instrument is the one that plays prerecorded melodies. However, Casio admitted that this may be a musical instrument feature because it is similar in nature to a music box, which was specifically designated a musical instrument by Congress. TSUS 725.50."


Update via Dave Manley in the comments:
"Apparently Casio tried to do this more than once. In Pinch and Trocco's book "Analog Days" there is a short description of a 1994 case that sounds similar, but I guess is different: Casio Inc. versus the United States", October 7, 1994. The products aren't described but apparently they only played preprogrammed patterns.

"What the court had to decide was whether the Casio devices were machines or musical instruments. It fell to Bob [Moog], testifying for Casio, the plaintiff, to argue that the Casios were machines and to Herb [Deutsch], testifying for the government, to argue that they were musical instruments. Bob pointed out the essence of a musical instrument is that the performer should have "real-time control" and that the Casio takes this away. The judge did not buy this argument, describing it as a "seemingly myopic premise" and contrary to legislative inent. The government won the case and the judge decided that, for tariff purposes anyway, the Casio, as long as it contained an amplifier and loudspeakers, was a musical instrument, and thus subject to the higher rate of tariff."

Interesting that Casio tried this twice once arguing with amplifier and loudspeakers, and once without.

Herb Deutsch played an interesting part in the development of the synthesizer. He met Moog when he sold Theremins and started requesting features that eventually led to the synthesizer. Take a look at Analog Days for more details (read it for the story, not for the authors' editorializing and analysis)."

John 'PAiA' Simonton Memorium

No title link. Note the John S. Simonton Memorial Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma City 73101.

--------------------
In Memoriam: John Stayton Simonton, Jr.
June 24, 1943 - Nov. 25, 2005


Oklahoma City - Founder and president of PAiA Electronics, Inc. (OKC)
John Stayton Simonton, Jr. died at his home in Arcadia, Okla. on
Friday, Nov. 25 after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was
62 years old.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to John and Eva Simonton, John Simonton grew
up in New Orleans, La. graduating from the Sam Barth School for Boys
and the Metairie Park Country Day School. In 1965 while finishing his
engineering and psychology degree at Louisiana Tech University in
Ruston, La. he met and married Linda Brumfield Simonton.

After completing his degree in 1967, John moved to Oklahoma to work for
the first computerized jet engine test facility at Tinker A.F.B.

In 1968, John founded PAiA Electronics, Inc. in Oklahoma City, a
company dedicated to providing synthesizer kits to the do-it-yourself
electronic musician. John Simonton has designed hundreds of products
including the Gnome MicroSynthesizer, the SMPL System SMPTE / MIDI /
Machine synchronizer and the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, which is
credited with being the first commercially available user-programmable
percussion box.

Many music artists received their first exposure to synthesis with
PAiA's modular systems. Many engineers, scientists and technicians had
early exposure to their professions through his trade journal articles.
His work with starved tube circuitry produced the TubeHead series of
preamplifiers and his most recent project was PAiA's Theremax theremin.

A widely read author and contributor in the electronic popular press,
John was also the publisher of Polyphony magazine, which was first
published in 1975 and later renamed Electronic Musician. Electronic
Musician eventually sold to Mix Publications of Berkeley in 1985. John
was also the founding partner in High Technology, Inc. the first
computer store in Oklahoma in 1976, which became the first wholesale
distributor for Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977.

Deeply dedicated to doing what was right, John was a mentor and
inspiration to many do-it-yourselfers encouraging them to pursue
avocations and careers in engineering and music.

He is survived by wife Linda Simonton, daughter D. Stayton (Staci)
Craig, son John S. Simonton III (Trey), granddaughters Nikki Craig and
Callie Simonton, and grandson Christopher Kai Simonton.

A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held at 6 p.m.,
Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Omniplex Science Museum in Oklahoma City. In
lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John S. Simonton Memorial
Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma
City 73101.
"

Analogue Solutions Celebrates 25th Anniversary Milestone with SUPERBOOTH18 Synth Showcase

"KINGSWINFORD, UK: British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to be celebrating its 25th anniversary as a true analogue synthesiser, sequencer, and Eurorack module-making specialist, showcasing its latest products at SUPERBOOTH18, May 3-5 in Berlin, Germany…

Analogue Solutions’ journey to electronic instrument-innovating glory has taken it along a (proverbial) long and winding road. Returning to ‘ground zero’, the aptly-named company was founded by Tom Carpenter in 1993, initially dealing in selling vintage electronic musical instruments while providing ancillary services such as repairs, modifications, manuals, and spare supplies. Since he was (and still is) a fervent fan of electronic music and also an active electronic musician himself, his natural instinct for programming synthesisers soon led him towards getting his hands dirtier, as it were, delving deeper into electronic instruments of his own making.

Moving onwards and upwards, Analogue Solutions settled into its innovative stride within a short space of time by becoming the third company to enter the then-emerging Eurorack market, making modules for the small-format modular system set in motion by Germany’s Doepfer Musikelektronik (with the 1996 introduction of its initial A-100 series modules). Fast-forward to today, though, and Analogue Solutions has released over 70 different modules; meanwhile, the market mushroomed with hundreds of module-makers — both bigger and smaller — seriously embracing Eurorack in pursuit of their now clearly-competitive craft.

Concentrating in more recent years on non-modular products, such as self-contained true analogue synthesisers — featuring fully-analogue audio paths with analogue LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and EGs (Envelope Generators) — and standalone sequencers, today Analogue Solutions is rightfully recognised as a critically-acclaimed British boutique electronic instruments innovator; indeed, its ever-expanding product range is now sold worldwide, with an accomplished client list that reads like a who’s who of electronic music, including such synth-centric luminaries as Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore, Erasure’s Vince Clarke, New Order’s Stephen Morris, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, and The Human League’s Philip Oakey, to namecheck but a notable few.

For making electronic music is what it’s all about for founder Tom Carpenter: “I’ve always loved electronic music, and my goal, as always, has been to create amazing-sounding, vintage-style analogue synths to enable musicians to create the music I grew up on and continue to love to this day. Although it’s now been 25 years, I still have so many ideas that I want to make into physical products. Put it this way: I’ve released four new products in the last six months, and, as part of our 25th anniversary celebrations, I hope to have a further two products to showcase at this year’s SUPERBOOTH in Berlin, where we’ll be exhibiting.”

Analogue Solutions will be showcasing its latest boutique electronic instruments on Booth 0202 at SUPERBOOTH18, May 3-5 in Berlin, Germany. Go check them out... while wishing Tom Carpenter and his innovative company a Happy Anniversary!

For more in-depth info about Analogue Solutions’ products, please visit the company website here: http://analoguesolutions.com"

RAJ MUSICALS SAARANG

images via this auction
"VINTAGE Electronic Tanpura Synthesizer DELUXE SAARANG RAJ Musicals
- Made by: Radel Systems , Bangalore
- Type No. TBR6
-SI. No. 266

Runs on 6 C batteries and for having such a small speaker can get painfully LOUD! Radel Saarang Electronic Tanbura

The 'Saarang' produces the plucked sound of a conventional stringed tambura (tanpura) used for classical Indian music. The sound is produced electronically without the use of any strings. The 'Saarang' plays by itself and does not need a person to play it.

Pitch tunable by more than octave and covers the range of male as well as female voices - from lower A to higher C (lower 6 to higher 1, Karnatic system or lower White 6 to higher White 7, Hindustani System).

The Tanpura
The Tanpura is a four to six stringed fretless instrument made of wood, and usually combined with gourd. It provides the performing artist(s) with a tonic reference and enriches the background with its unique harmonic drone. The strings are tuned in a manner that emphasizes the tonic and the dominant notes of the raag. The bridge is slightly curved to not only provide a buzzing sound (as the strings are plucked), but also to generate various harmonics that enhance the tonal quality of the instrument. The size (gourd and neck) of the instrument may vary depending on whether the artist is an instrumentalist, male vocalist, or a female vocalist. Tanpura was most probably included as a part of a classical music ensemble since the seventeenth century.

The Tanpura player plucks the strings one at a time, in a steady, repetitive, almost orderly manner, using the index and middle fingers.

These days "electronic" tanpuras <../elect/elect.html> have become commonplace, since they do not require a human player, are less expensive, simpler to tune, require minimal maintenance, and are easily portable. Many Indian professional musicians (including world renowned artistes like Pandit Debu Chaudhuri and Pandit Aashish Khan) are now touring without a tanpura player and are using the Riyaz Raagini <../elect/elect.html> sampled electronic tanpura machine as it sounds so very realistic. However, some artists prefer a natural instrument to an electronic one when available, and sometimes combine the two types. Electronic Tanpuras are, naturally, used by many students for practice as in this way the student can practice for long periods of time as and when needed without the need for a person to sit and play tanpura for them.

Electronic musical instruments are defined as instruments that synthesize sound from an electronic source. The origins of electronic music can be traced back to the work of Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand Von Helmholtz the German physicist, mathematician and the year 1860. While many instruments were developed in years to follow it was not till The Vacuum Tube Era (1915-1960) and Integrated Circuits time, that real muscle made it to world of electronic musical instruments. With travelling Indian musicians, good electronic instruments have been of great help both in performances as well as in Riaz (practice sessions).

David Courtney, musician, music theorist, divides these instruments into 3 classes, Shruti Generation, interments that replaced drone instruments like the Surpeti. Electronic "Surpetis" have been in use for about 20 years. In recent times the more refined Electronic Tamburas have become very popular. The 2nd generation are the Lahara Machines that provide repeating melodies to accompany drum solos. The 3rd category is the Theka Generation, or the Drum Machines, devices that provide sound comparable to the Tabla."

Udpate via Loscha in the comments:
"I have one of these, and it sounds like this:
http://www.loscha.com/music/Loscha-Tambura_Test.mp3
Well, almost the same. Mine is the "base" model.
The pcb look like this;
http://www.loscha.com/music/saraang-pcb.jpg
http://www.loscha.com/music/saraang-pcb-marked.jpg

I am adjusting an modulating the notes pitches in real time with this track.

The unit arpeggiates the tones in a 6 note sequence, and the notes are fixed, the root note on my unit has no fine tuning, only coarse.
You have notes on steps 1, 3 4 and 5 of the pattern. You can only turn on and off notes, and each note has a certain range, constrained by traditional patterns.
I think the Deluxe unit has 5 notes in the sequence, my base unit has only 4.

I corresponded with the creator a while ago, and this is the main section of what he wrote

'At the outset, please accept our apologies for this delayed response. For some unknown reason, we were unable to connect to the site referred to in your mail and we were not in a position to figure out which model you possessed. We were able to connect today and now know that you possess an obsolete version of the Saarang that went out of production seven years ago. We seem to have destroyed all the data connected with this model and are not in a position to furnish them to you. Considering that you are an electronics engineer, the following explanation should help you in trying out whatever modifications you may want to perform.

The four strings are synthesized through four oscillators based on 555 Timers. These signals are amplitude modulated through a capacitive charging and discharging circuit comprising two transistors, BC547 (NPN) and BC 557(PNP). Each of the four PNP transistors is triggered on by a
zero going pulse applied to its base, which results in an electrolytic capacitor getting charged to a peak value. This voltage acts as the amplitude modulating voltage for the square wave input. The triggering of the PNP transistors is controlled by a control circuit comprising another 555 timer, a counter and a demultiplexer.

We hope that this explanation is of use to you. With regards,

G. Raj Narayan'

My Tambura is one of my favourite things in the whole world, and it is in my top 5 musical things I'd never part with if I had to sell up everything I owned. "

Update: mp3 sample demo from Loscha here.

Roland Launches Music Creation Platform 808303.studio

via Roland: "Roland Launches Music Creation Platform 808303.studio with the Design Museum in London Featuring Legendary TR-808 Rhythm Composer Drum Machine and TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer

In response to the global pandemic, museums have been forced to reimagine how visitors interact and engage. Now, Roland and Yuri Suzuki have teamed up with the Design Museum to create 808303.studio, a fun and educational music creation platform and online-learning experience.

The Design Museum is also currently showing its popular ‘Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers’ exhibition featuring Roland’s legendary TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine and TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer.

808303.studio
The 808303.studio, which features Roland’s innovative step sequencer interface, as well as emulating the sound of the original Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine and Roland TB-303 Bass Line bass synthesizer, is a professional-sounding online musical interface. The studio lets users record their masterpieces and allows sharing through social media or as a download. Acid House innovator ‘A Guy Called Gerald’ will also be on board to help visitors find their way around the platform and teach them how to program and play their own electronic dance music using 808303.studio.

‘Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers’ exhibition
The ‘Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers’ exhibition focuses on innovation in electronic instruments and key moments in the history of electronic subculture. Roland’s TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine and its TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer — arguably two of the most groundbreaking inventions in the history of electronic music – will be on display. The unique sounds, along with their interfaces and unique perspectives, will allow visitors to take unexpected and innovative approaches to making music.

Yuri Suzuki
Yuri Suzuki is a sound artist, designer and electronic musician that explores the realms of sound through art and people. His work can be seen in several international museums and has worked with the likes of Google and will.i.am. to bring his collaborations to life.

The Design Museum
Based in Kensington, London, the Design Museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. In 2018, the museum was awarded the European Museum of the Year Award.

Roland
For nearly 50 years, Roland’s electronic musical instruments and multimedia products have fueled inspiration with trendsetting gear spanning from pianos, synthesizers, guitar products, and electronic percussion to DJ controllers, audio/video solutions and livestreaming products, providing modern software-based solutions and seamless creative workflows between hardware products, computers, and mobile devices.


Visitors are welcome to enjoy the 808303.studio and ‘Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers’ exhibition until February 14, 2021."

Moogfest 2014 Presenters Include Makers Roger Linn, Dave Smith, Tom Oberheim, Don Buchla, Forest Mims & More

"Moogfest 2014 Announces Daytime Presenters Including Futurists, Musicians, Scientists, Authors, Filmmakers, and Pioneers of Electronic Music Instrument Design

Phase 1 tickets start at $199 for 5-Day General Admission, and $499 for 5-Day VIP Admission while supplies last through December 19 when Phase 2 GA tickets go up to $299. All prices exclusive of applicable fees.

ASHEVILLE, NC – November 14, 2013 – Moogfest is a five-day festival dedicated to the synthesis of technology, art and music. Since its inception in 2004, Moogfest has been a magnet for artists, engineers, and enthusiasts of Bob Moog. With an experimental lineup of daytime conference programming featuring cultural, artistic and technological luminaries and punctuated by a diverse line up of landmark nightly performances, Moogfest honors the creativity and inventiveness of Dr. Robert Moog and pays tribute to the legacy of the analog synthesizer. This is no ordinary festival.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Masterminds: The Art of Engineering with Dave Smith, Tatsuya Takahashi & Mark Verbos

Dave Smith, Tatsuya Takahashi, and Mark Verbos will be at the Amsterdam Dance Event, discussing their design process and personal philosophies. Details:

"18:15 - 19:00
Compagnietheater (C6 Main Hall) | Kloveniersburgwal 50, Amsterdam

Three gamechanging engineers talking about designing new musical instruments, their design processes and personal philosophies.

Dave Smith (US)
Dave Smith is an engineer and musician who has pioneered many groundbreaking technologies in music technology.

Tatsuya Takahashi (JP)
Tatsuya Takahashi is Chief Engineer of Analogue Synthesizers at Korg. Raised in London, he has been with Korg since moving to Tokyo in late 2006. His roles consist of product planning, hardware engineering, and project management. He successfully launched the first analogue synth from Korg in nearly thirty years in the form of the Monotron.

Mark Verbos (US)
Since the early 1990s, Mark Verbos has worked as an Electronic Musician, Recording Engineer/Producer and Synthesizer Tech/Designer. As an electronic musician, he has released countless recordings and performed around the world. His live performances are legendary for being entirely improvised using analog gear. His own synthesizer brand, Verbos Electronics is world renowned for its aesthetics and musical interfaces."

RIP DIETER MOEBIUS

Playlist:
Rother + Moebius Live in Tokyo 1999, Night 1 (Shibuya)
Dieter Moebius - Open Source Festival - Symposium 'Transphone'
Eno/Moebius/Roedelius - After the Heat [Full Album]
Kluster-EM und Texte 1970 (Industrial Kraut-Experimental)
Cluster - 1979 Grosses Wasser

Sad news in via Juergen W. Last Monday, July 20, Dieter Moebius passed away from cancer. Above is a small playlist featuring his recent work with Michael Rother (ex-Kraftwerk guitarist), followed by some of his earlier work with Brian Eno, and finally his earliest days with Kluster. He was a true pioneer of electronic music and remained active in the electronic music scene throughout his lifetime. You'll find countless videos on his work and influence on YouTube. He formed Kluster in 1969 with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Tangerine Dream's Conrad Schnitzler. He collaborated with Brian Eno and Conny Plank, and continued his career with ex-Kraftwerk guitarist Michael Rother.

The following is his bio and a couple of pics from Wikipedia. You'll find his website at http://www.dietermoebius.de.

"Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a German/Swiss experimental/ krautrock/ ambient/ electronic musician.

Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler (Tangerine Dream). They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster. Later Moebius and Roedelius founded the band Harmonia with Michael Rother (Neu!), which also collaborated with Brian Eno.

Dieter Moebius was involved into numerous projects with such musicians as Conny Plank, Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru).

Moebius toured with Michael Rother as Rother & Moebius in 2007.[1] Additionally, on 27 November 2007, a Harmonia reunion concert was held in Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, where the band performed together live for the first time since 1976.[2][3] He died on 20 July 2015 of cancer.[4][5]"

Top: Dieter Moebius from German krautrock band Cluster performing at Fusion Festival 2010

Bottom: Michael Rother (left) & Dieter Moebius (right) live in 2007 - "German guitarist and experimental musician Michael Rother (left; ex - Kraftwerk, Neu!, Harmonia) and German/Swiss electronic experimental musician Dieter Moebius (right; ex - Cluster/Kluster, Harmonia). This photo was taken live at a concert of ROTHER & MOEBIUS (an electronica /ambient-krautrock collaboration project of Michael Rother & Dieter Moebius) in Frankfurt am Main/Germany (at 'Sinkkasten')."

RIP Moebius, you will be missed.

Klaus Schulze Has Passed Away

Klaus Schulze passed away yesterday at the age of 74.

via Discogs

"Born August 4th 1947 in Berlin, died April 26th 2022, was a german electronic pioneer, composer and musician. Schulze initially made his mark as a drummer, first with the group Psy Free, later with Tangerine Dream (he played on their first album "Electronic Meditation" before he quit) and Ash Ra Tempel (with Manuel Göttsching). In 1971 Schulze started a solo career as an electronic musician and released a couple of heavily experimental albums, 'Irrlicht' and 'Cyborg'. 1973's 'Cyborg' was the first release where he used a 'real' synthesizer, the legendary VCS 3 and later in the 70's he would record albums such as 'Moondawn', 'Mirage' and 'X' and embark on several tours, documented across a number of live albums.

In 1978 he set up the label Innovative Communication and the following year he also launched the pseudonym/project Richard Wahnfried. In the 1980's Schulze continued his hectic release schedule as well as recording several soundtracks and rebuilding his studio (he "went digital" in 1986). In summer 1983 Klaus Schulze 'sold' Innovative Communication.

In the 1990's Schulze recorded several electronic interpretations of works by classical composers (most notably Wagner) as well as collaborating with opera singers and other classical music performers on his own albums. He also started collaborating with German ambient/techno artist Pete Namlook in the series 'The Dark Side Of The Moog' on the latter's Fax label, and steered the Wahnfried project into a more modern techno- and trance-inspired direction.

Schulze '...passed away on April 26, 2022 at the age of 74 after a long disease but all of a sudden'. - statement from his social media pages."

You can find numerous posts mentioning Klaus Schulze over the years here. Below are a few better known performances featuring his work from early on to a more recent performance with Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard.

Klaus Schulze with his rack of Quasimidi Polymorphs built to his specifications.
Klaus Schulze Live 1977 better image & sound

video upload by Relena Bonasoro

Klaus Schulze Live - WDR Köln 1977

Klaus Schulze Live - WDR Köln 1977 video upload by Boropolis

Klaus Schulze talks about, and demonstrates, his first synth an EMS Synthi A

video upload by Synthasy2000

Klaus Schulze - A few Minutes after trancefer

video upload by Electronic Progression

Klaus Schulze Feat. Lisa Gerrard - Rheingold

video upload by Ioannis Gourgoulidis

via @moogmusicinc

"A pioneer of electronic sound, Klaus Schulze and his contributions to the synthesizer community and modern music as we know it will continue to inspire for generations.

Thank you, Klaus, for showing the world how truly human electronic music can be.

❤️"

Photo credit: Klaus D. Mueller
Source: klaus-schulze.com

This image was taken in Berlin in 1976 according to Till Kopper @realqwave. That would have made him 28 or 29 at the time depending on the month taken.



Update: also see Klaus Schulze: A tribute to his music and legacy

Zero-G Releases Haunted Ground Sample Library

Zero-G: Haunted Ground from Adam Pietruszko on Vimeo.

50% off until tomorrow, June 3rd!
Get it here: http://www.zero-g.co.uk/store/haunted-ground-p536.php

"BRAND NEW RELEASE! HAUNTED GROUND - Ambience & FX from Abandoned Places, by Adam Pietruszko.

Introductory offer until Wednesday 3rd June - 50% OFF.

Haunted Ground is an avant-garde sound library inspired by the unique character of abandoned places. The structures that man left to crumble as time ticks away, now brought to life in this collection of samples. Created by sound designer Adam Pietruszko specializing in visual and aural documentation of forsaken buildings, to provide you with the atmosphere and spirit of these forbidden locations. This library took a year to plan, prepare and record. Carefully choosing locations as recording sites and inspiration was taken from countless photographs, schematics and abandoned structure history resources.

The mood of abandoned factories, warehouses and installations has been recreated via means of analog and digital synthesis, along with the sounds captured on-site via field recording, to bring you closer to the exploration, all properly mangled and warped, for that particular eerie feeling.

The sounds of this library give insight into the afterlife of these seemingly dead and quiet buildings. For beneath the rubble, rust and peeling paint, there lies another dimension. The ghosts of workers and inhabitants roam the rooms, halls, corridors and attics, longing for the life that had been taken away from their homes. The machines, furnaces and tools remember their duties, but their shift is over. Delve in the echoes of the past and explore their legacy and hidden nature.

This library is aimed at cinematic and game sound producers, looking to bring a touch of reflection, suspense and nostalgia into their works. Also a contemporary electronic musician will find many inspiring sounds to exploit.

All sounds have been captured in 24-bit, 48kHz audio and are split into 4 categories, for easy construction of your own custom abandoned places sound scenes.

Haunted Ground Demo 1 - Condemned Hospital (mp3)
Haunted Ground Demo 2 - Factory Drones (mp3)
Haunted Ground Demo 3 - Haunted Prison(mp3)
Haunted Ground Demo 4 - Old Cottage (mp3)

The categories and gear used in the recordings are as follows:

Entities and Spirits – eerie sounds of ghosts and lost souls, for that haunted feeling. You'll find chants, drones and atmospheres as well as numerous sweeps and whines. Most of these sounds were created using a semi-modular analog synth setup (Moog Little Phatty Tribute Edition Serial No. 1165 with CV Out Mod, a collection of Moog Moogerfooger analog effects + WMD Geiger Counter digital wave-shaping distortion unit).

CLICK FOR MORE »

SOUNDMIT 2017 - International Sound Summit - Torino - 3/5 November 2017

Published on Feb 20, 2017

"Born in 2017 from the experience of SYNTHMEETING event in Torino, It is its natural evolution and inherits all the know-how acquired in six long years of work and success.

SOUNDMIT - International Sound Summit, created from the same working group of SYNTHMEETING, is the new and biggest event dedicated to musical instrument's world in Italy.

Entered in the Turin art week on 3/5 November 2017, SOUNDMIT welcomes the SYNTH MEETING and opens the doors to other sectors of the musical world: Software, Dj Point, Makers, Schools, Recording studios, Record labels, Luthiers, Dealers and Manufacturer are just some of the innovations included in this new event."

http://www.soundmit.com
http://www.soundmit.it

And the official press release:

"Torino, February 2017

SYNTH MEETING present SOUNDMIT (International Sound Summit)

We are pleased to finally announce the developments of the S YNTHMEETING o f Torino during the last months.
The SYNTHMEETING , which began in 2011 from an idea of F rancesco Mulassano a nd ran till 2016 together with Luca Torasso, will be part of a newest and bigger event.

After the success of the sixth edition which brought over 2 500 visitors and 60 international brands to Torino, we have decided to take a step forward.

In 2016 we set up the Associazione Culturale NOISECOLLECTIVE with the founding members being Francesco Mulassano, Luca Torasso and Luca Minelli ( www.noisecollective.net ) then we enlarged the network with some acquisitions. Are part of NOISECOLLECTIVE :

- SYNTHMEETING , the only event dedicated to the world of synthesizers and electronic musical instruments capable of involving over 2500 people and 60 international brands (data from 2016)
- The Facebook group SYNTH CAFÈ, with more than 14,000 members is a reference point in the field of synthesis and electronic music in Italy, created by L uca Minelli in 2011.
- The music portal ULTRASONICA h as been an online reference point since 2004 for music news and live event photos with an exclusive photographic archive which hosts over 12,000 photos.

- The Facebook group STRUMENTI MUSICALI USATI with 5400 members is among the largest and most active italian groups for buying and selling musical instruments on Facebook.

These acquisitions have immediately incremented the network guaranteeing a group of nearly 22,000 members.
After the closing of the sixth edition of the meeting we immediately started working on creating a new event which inherits the know-how gained through the experience of the SYNTHMEETING and the other events which followed in these months (MOD01, OpenDay, The Golden Synth Era with Felice Manzo, Arduino and Synth with Pier Calderan, Modular Synth Masterclass con Gino Robair).

SOUNDMIT - International Sound Summit ( www.soundmit.com)

CLICK FOR MORE »

The First Computer Generated Music? - Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II

Above is a recording of Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II computer used to generate music. According to the title, it is the first recording of computer music. The following are a couple of excerpts on the piece from the tech blog Engadget, followed by the British Library Sound and Vision blog. Both imply that Alan Turing's machine was the first computer to generate music. I was curious about the timeline, so I took look at at 120 Years of Electronic Music, which is a running list of the history of pivotal instruments in electronic music. Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II is not yet listed. The RCA Synthesizer, however is, and is dated 1951. There were two versions of the RCA Synthesizer, the Mark I and the Mark II which came later in 1957. There was also a computer located in Sydney, Australia that generated music in the 1950s. Based on the following, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II first generated music in 1948. It's not clear when work on the RCA Mark I may have generated it's first sounds, however it appears it was completed in 1951. There were two previous instruments that influenced the RCA Mark I, namely, Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945, however, they do not appear to have been computer based like the RCA Mark 1, or Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II. Worth noting is the the RCA synthesizers were specifically created to generate music, while, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II was not.

via Engadget:

"Alan Turing is known for a few small achievements, like helping end World War II, laying the groundwork for modern computers and developing the 'Turing test' for machine intelligence. You may not be aware, however, that he paved the way for synthesizers and electronica by inventing the first computer-generated musical tones. A pair of researchers from the University of Cantebury have now restored the first-ever recording made from Turing's 'synthesizer.'

Turing figured that if he rapidly played clicking sounds at set intervals, the listener would here them as distinct tones corresponding to musical notes. For instance, playing the click on every fourth cycle of a computers' CPU produces a 'C' tone, exactly like a modern synthesizer. He tested that theory on his Manchester Mark I, one of the world's first programmable computers. Instead of making music, he used the tones to indicate computing operations like completed tasks and memory overflow errors (meaning he also invented notification sounds).

Turing knew that he could program songs on his 'synth,' but had no interest in doing it. Luckily, talented programmer and musician Christopher Strachey got his hands on the Manchester Mark II's operating guide, which was, by the way, the world's first computer manual. Using that, he coded God Save the Queen, the longest program ever at the time. The next morning, he played it back to surprised onlookers at the lab, including Turing, who was uncharacteristically thrilled, saying 'good show.'"

Left: SSPL/Getty Images

And via the British Library Sound and Vision blog:

"Today, all that remains of the recording session is a 12-inch single-sided acetate disc, cut by the BBC's technician while the computer played. The computer itself was scrapped long ago, so the archived recording is our only window on that historic soundscape. What a disappointment it was, therefore, to discover that the pitches were not accurate: the recording gave at best only a rough impression of how the computer sounded. But with some electronic detective work it proved possible to restore the recording—with the result that the true sound of this ancestral computer can be heard once again, for the first time in more than half a century.

Frank Cooper's original 'acetate' disc (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)
Fig. 2: The original 'acetate' disc was saved by Manchester University engineer Frank Cooper (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)

Alan Turing's pioneering work, in the late 1940s, on transforming the computer into a musical instrument has largely been overlooked: it's an urban myth of the music world that the first computer-generated musical notes were heard in 1957, at Bell Labs in America.1 The recent Oxford Handbook of Computer Music staked out a counterclaim, saying that the first computer to play notes was located in Sydney, Australia. However, the Sydney computer was not operational until the end of 1950, whereas computer-generated notes were emerging from a loudspeaker in Turing's computing lab as early as the autumn of 1948."

On the RCA Synthesizer via 120 years:

"In the 1950’s RCA was one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the United States; business interests included manufacturing record players, radio and electronic equipment (military and domestic – including the US version of the Theremin) as well as recording music and manufacturing records. In the early 50’s RCA initiated a unusual research project whose aim was to auto-generate pop ‘hits’ by analysing thousands of music recordings; the plan being that if they could work out what made a hit a hit, they could re-use the formula and generate their own hit pop music. The project’s side benefit also explored the possibility of cutting the costs of recording sessions by automating arrangements and using electronically generated sounds rather than expensive (and unionised) orchestras; basically, creating music straight from score to disc without error or re-takes.

The RCA electrical engineers Harry Olson and Hebart Belar were appointed to develop an instrument capable of delivering this complex task, and in doing so inadvertently (as is so often the case in the history of electronic music) created one of the first programmable synthesisers – the precursors being the Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945.

The resulting RCA Mark I machine was a monstrous collection of modular components that took up a whole room at Columbia University’s Computer Music Center (then known as the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center). The ‘instrument’ was basically an analogue computer; the only input to the machine was a typewriter-style keyboard where the musician wrote a score in a type of binary code."

The Story of the RCA Synthesizer

Published on Dec 16, 2012 alanoneuser

"History of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer and the Victor Synthesizer.
Produced by Kevin Meredith.
Featuring Dr. Alex Magoun of the IEEE History Center at http://www.ieee.org/history_center
and Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. of Notable Software at http://www.notablesoftware.com/"

1950 early electronic synthesizer: 'This is music with a strictly electronic beat'

Uploaded on Mar 11, 2011 Clips & Footage

Title Screen - 1950's Electronic Music

Published on Jul 13, 2013 Cliff Marshall

The Flamenco MOOG

flickr by darklorddisco

Note that's obviously an EMS VC3s aka Putney in the image. If you see the bottom update to The Moog Keytar you will see that it was actually just a controller for an ARP Odyssey and not a Moog. Moog was synonymous with synth during that time. Kind of like Xerox.

Update via Stefan in the comments:
"Dan Lacksman is actually one of the better "synth-musicians" of that time imo, he's a belgian jazz musician.

The album where this single is on is absolutely great stuff: link

He also made records using the name 'Electronic System'.

Electronic System – New Electronic System
Electronic System - Revival
Electronic System – Vol II
Electronic System – Vol III
Electronic System – Disco Machine
Dan Lacksman - New Electronic System

Expect to pay between 30 to 60 euro's for these on ebay, but well worth it."