Peter Zinovieff's birthday and the EMEAPP EMS collection

video upload by EMEAPP

"Happy birthday to synthesizer pioneer PETER ZINOVIEFF. Here's a quick look at some of his innovations within our EMS here at the Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project (EMEAPP). This includes the VCS3 (The Putney), the Synthi AKS, the Synthetical Engine, and our Synthi 100 system, including the Compu-Synthi and the Vocoder 5000. Please follow us, there's lots of good stuff on the way!"

Update: from 1:42 in the video:

A Lollipop For Papa
video upload by Peter Zinovieff - Topic

LudoWic - Creating dark textures

video upload by ludoWic music

More LudoWic:
https://www.ludowic.com
https://wicrecordings.lnk.to/ludowic

Trautonium, Minimoog, & EMS SYNTHI & SYNTHI E. Note the SYNTHI E is a white model also seen here, not the standard orange yellow as seen in other posts. You can find additional LudoWic SYNTHI posts here. See this post on EMS founder Peter Zinovieff's passing for some history on EMS.

You can find additional posts featuring the Trautonium here. So much synth history can be found deep in the archives of the site.

This one is in via Soviet Space Child.

Twenty synth pioneers, three signatures: one historic calendar

via The Bob Moog Foundation

Get your calendar here

"Synth icons Dave Rossum, Roger Linn, and Tom Oberheim have all signed select copies of our "Synth Pioneers" 2022-2023 18-month calendar!

Our epic Synthesizer Pioneers 18-month calendar honors 20 innovators from over the past 60 years, and keeps time through June 2023.

It's the first calendar celebrating the achievements of synthesizer pioneers from all over the world. Each one of these iconic creators is mentioned in our calendar:
Harry Olson
Herbert Belar
Raymond Scott
Harald Bode
Bob Moog
Don Buchla
Peter Zinovieff (EMS)
Alan R. Pearlman (ARP)
Ikutaro Kakahashi (Roland)
Felix Visser (Synton)
Fumio Mieda (KORG)
Dave Smith
Wolfgang Palm (PPG)
Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel (Fairlight)
Ray Kurzweil
Makoto Fukuda (Casio)

Many of the pioneers contributed photos (some of which are suitable for framing) from their private archives for this collector's item. Also included are dates of historic importance from the timeline of synthesis, many of them provided by the pioneers themselves.

As of publication, there are
just 14 signed copies left.

Tom Oberheim signs a Synth Pioneers calendar at NAMM 2022

All sale proceeds from Synth Pioneers
benefit our work!

CLICK FOR MORE »

Superbooth 22: Erica Synths - Syntrx 2

video upload by sonicstate

Peter Zinovieff on the orignal SYNTRX

"Girts showed us the rather lovely Syntrx 2, and showed us round the refined and expanded features.

Building on their experience from the original Syntrx, this incarnation now has more accurate oscillators with octave switches and manual or CV controlled wave shaping, which allows for PWM. There is also a newly designed dual high-pass and low-pass filter allowing for enhanced filtering flexibility. There are digital FX developed in collaboration with Dutch Company 112 Decibel, and the joystick motion is now recordable.

Available: July - August

Syntrx 2 Price: 1800 euros"

New Erica Synths SYNTRX II

via Erica Synths

Peter Zinovieff himself approved our re-imagination of his legendary Synthi AKS in the form of the SYNTRX which was produced in a limited run of 1056 units. Based on lessons learned from the SYNTRX, we decided to create an instrument which would integrate even deeper into contemporary electronic and experimental music setups and cover sonic territory from daunting drones to powerful basslines and glitched noisescapes. The SYNTRX II is the culmination of our analogue sound design circuits – two perfectly stable main oscillators with waveshapers, a versatile multimode filter, supercharged external instrument inputs with an envelope follower, a unique, great sounding ringmodulator, a recordable joystick and built in piano roll sequencer, all arranged around our signature matrix mixer and topped off with powerful FX on our new DSP platform. Introducing The SYNTRX II - a new dark horse for experimental sonic rides.

Features:
Two perfectly stable main oscillators with CV controlled waveforms
Modulation oscillator with variable waveforms
Highpass and Lowpass filters in series
Free running or gate synced sample and hold circuit
Multi-colour noise generator
DC coupled instrument inputs with signal inversion and envelope follower
Ringmodulator of unique design
Looping trapezoid envelope generator and VCA
Two output VCAs
Signal meter with a dedicated audio/CV output
FX section with great sounding Delay and Reverb
Recordable Joystick Analogue patch matrix with 3 attenuation levels in each patch point
254 patch memory
Piano roll sequencer
Two CV inputs
Gate input
DIN5 MIDI Input (CV and Gate) and MIDI Thru
Two assignable outputs
Headphone output

RRP: 1800 EUR (VAT excl.)
MAP: 2179 USD
Available summer 22'

CLICK FOR MORE »

Bob Moog Fondation 2022 - 2023 18 Month Calendar

via Signal Sounds, available here

The Bob Moog Fondation is a charitable organisation, based in Anaheim, North Carolina, just a few streets away from the current Moog factory. It acts both as a archive for Bob's work over the years, a museum to show the timeline of his inventions (and more general synth developement) and an educational resource for schools providing hands on experience for children and adults.

Imgaine you had to do all those things? It's pretty certain you'd quickly lose track of what day it is, what week it is or even what month it is (signs of recognition and enthusiastic ndoding from fellow COVID brain fog peepz at the back of the crowd)?

What you would need in that case is.....a calendar! Obviously you can get calendars with amazing inspritation quotes, beautifull sunsets and cute animals but what if you could get an unbelievalbe nerdy synth related calander featuring 18 of the world's most influential synth designers? That would be pretty freakin' cool, no?

"We are proud to announce the release of our epic 2022 Synthesizer Pioneers 18-month calendar, which honors 18 innovators in the field of synthesis from the past 60 years. This is the fifth calendar released by the Foundation focusing on the rich history of Bob Moog’s legacy and the web of innovation in synthesis to which he was connected.

This calendar is the first to bring to the fore the historic achievements of synthesizer pioneers from all over the world. It features:

Harry Olsen and Herbert Belar (RCA)
Harald Bode
Raymond Scott
Bob Moog
Don Buchla
Peter Zinovieff (EMS)
Alan R. Pearlman (ARP)
Ikutaro Kakehashi (Roland)
Fumio Mieda (KORG)
Tom Oberheim
Dave Smith
Roger Linn
Wolfgang Palm (PPG)
Dave Rossum
Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie (Fairlight)
Ray Kurzweil
Felix Visser (Synton)
Makoto Fukuda (Casio)
Many of the pioneers have contributed historic photos of themselves, with their hallmark inventions from their private archives. Also included within the calendar are scores of dates of particular historic importance provided by the pioneers. A brief narrative is included with each photo.

The 18-month calendar also weaves together connections between Bob Moog and many of the featured pioneers. His relationships with them ranged from inspiration to friends to colleagues to business associates. Secondary photos on many of the pages highlight that connection, showing Bob with his fellow pioneers.

The 18-month calendar is printed on #80 stock paper, making the images suitable for framing after the year is over!

This is the first time any of the Moog Foundation's products have been availabe outside of the USA so we're pretty happy to be able to bring it to you, and a portion of the profits are re-invested in the Bob Moog Foundation so it's a win/win situation.

The calander runs from Jan 2022 until May 2023 (and before you ask, we have no idea why it's an 18 month calendar...maybe they're just relaly indecisive and couldn't cut the list of synth pioneers down from 18 to 12?) and is available right now, right here.

Peter Zinovieff: A Tribute by CatSynth TV

video upload by CatSynth TV

"We look back at the life and work of Peter Zinovieff, who passed away last week at the age of 88. His work at Electronic Music Studios (EMS) was a major influence on musicians of the 1970s and beyond. At EMS, he co-created the well-known and coveted VCS3 and Synthi series. But he was also a composer in his own right, working on pioneering electronic music in the 1960s and returning to active composition in the 2010s with several collaborations with artists in other media and exploring massive sound spatialization.

Additional background music provided via the Arturia Synthi V as a tribute."

---

Also see EMS Founder Peter Zinovieff Has Passed Away

EMS Founder Peter Zinovieff Has Passed Away

Update: Image of Peter Zinovieff (previously in via Brian Kehew).

"Circa 1975: A photo from the Frankfurt Music Fair

Peter Zinovieff in the EMS synthesizer booth.

They are featuring the rare SYNTHI P model, just announced on the left side and stand. Underneath the board listing EMS musical artists is a SYNTHI HI-FLI effects unit is barely seen. Another unusual/prototype model is next to the Hi-Fli."


Peter Zinovieff and Electronic Music Studios video upload by JeffreyPlaide


Peter Zinovieff: Synth Pioneer video upload by Sound On Sound magazine Jul 21, 2016


Peter Zinovieff talks about modern musical interfaces video upload by Expressive E Jan 6, 2016


Peter Zinovieff feature uploaded by Erica Synths on Nov 23, 2020. This was the latest video to feature Peter Zinovieff that I am aware of.


Peter Zinovieff interview 2015 video upload by 香港電子音樂社 Hong Kong Electronic Music Society Jun 30, 2015


Dr Peter Zinovieff intro & performance excerpt - Deliaphonic 2017 video upload by Deliaphonic Aug 29, 2018

And a few perspectives from others:

Bright Sparks Behind The Scenes - The Brits video by GForce Software published Feb 16, 2021

Cosmic Tape Music Club Podcast hosted by The Galaxy Electric - E1 Peter Zinovieff

video by The Galaxy Electric published Jan 27, 2021

Peter Zinovieff Electronic Calendar

video by Mark Jenkins published Dec 9, 2019 - Electronic Calendar available through this post.

You can find a history of posts mentioning Peter Zinovieff here.

via The Guardian

"Peter Zinovieff, a hugely influential figure in British music whose early synthesisers helped to change the sound of pop, has died aged 88. He had suffered a fall at home earlier this month.

With its marketing slogan 'think of a sound – now make it', his company Electronic Music Studios (EMS) was one of the first to bring synthesisers out of studios and to the public. With products such as the portable VCS3 and Synthi A, EMS customers – including David Bowie, Kraftwerk, the Who, Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd – were often taught to use the instruments by Zinovieff.

In 1967 he collaborated with Paul McCartney on Carnival of Light, a performance of a 14-minute avant garde composition created between Beatles sessions for Penny Lane that has never been released.

He was also a respected composer of his own work, including early experiments with AI composition and sampling – he claimed to have invented the latter technique." You can read the full post here.

via Wikipedia:

"Peter Zinovieff (26 January 1933 – 23 June 2021) was a British engineer and composer, whose EMS company made the VCS3 synthesizer in the late 1960s. The synthesizer was used by many early progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd[3] and White Noise, and Krautrock groups[4] as well as more pop-oriented artists, including Todd Rundgren and David Bowie. In later life he worked primarily as a composer of electronic music.

Zinovieff was born on 26 January 1933;[5] his parents, Leo Zinovieff and Sofka, née Princess Sophia Dolgorouky, were both Russian aristocrats, who met in London after their families had emigrated to escape the Russian Revolution and soon divorced.[6] During World War II he and his brother Ian lived with their grandparents in Guildford and then with their father in Sussex. He attended Guildford Royal Grammar School, Gordonstoun School and Oxford University, where he earned a doctorate in geology.[7][8]

Zinovieff's work followed research at Bell Labs by Max Mathews and Jean-Claude Risset, and an MIT thesis (1963) by David Alan Luce.[9] In 1966–67, Zinovieff, Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson ran Unit Delta Plus, an organisation to create and promote electronic music. It was based in the studio Zinovieff had built, in a shed at his house in Putney. (The house is near the Thames, and the studio was later partially destroyed by a flood).[10][11] EMS grew out of MUSYS, which was a performance controller operating as an analogue-digital hybrid.[12] It was a synthesiser system which Zinovieff developed with the help of David Cockerell and Peter Grogono, and used two DEC PDP-8 minicomputers and a piano keyboard.[13] Unit Delta Plus ran a concert of electronic music at the Watermill Theatre in 1966, with a light show. In early 1967 they performed in concerts at The Roundhouse, at which the Carnival of Light was also played; they split up later in 1967.[11] Paul McCartney had visited the studio, but Zinovieff had little interest in popular music.[14]

In 1968, part of the studio was recreated at Connaught Hall, for a performance of pieces by Justin Connolly and David Lumsdaine.[15] At the IFIP congress that year, the composition ZASP by Zinovieff with Alan Sutcliffe took second prize in a contest, behind a piece by Iannis Xenakis.[16]

In 1969, Zinovieff sought financing through an ad in The Times but received only one response, £50 on the mistaken premise it was the price of a synthesiser. Instead he formed EMS with Cockerell and Tristram Cary.[17] At the end of the 1960s, EMS Ltd. was one of four companies offering commercial synthesizers, the others being ARP, Buchla, and Moog.[18] In the 1970s Zinovieff became interested in the video synthesizer developed by Robert Monkhouse, and EMS produced it as the Spectron.[19]

Jon Lord of Deep Purple described Zinovieff as "a mad professor type": "I was ushered into his workshop and he was in there talking to a computer, trying to get it to answer back".[20] Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, in their history of the synthesizer revolution, see him rather as aristocratically averse to "trade".[21]

Zinovieff wrote the libretto for Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus,[22] and also the words for Nenia: The Death of Orpheus (1970).[23] The section Tristan's Folly in Tristan (1975) by Hans Werner Henze included a tape by Zinovieff."

Update:

Peter Zinovieff: A Tribute by CatSynth TV

video upload by CatSynth TV

"We look back at the life and work of Peter Zinovieff, who passed away last week at the age of 88. His work at Electronic Music Studios (EMS) was a major influence on musicians of the 1970s and beyond. At EMS, he co-created the well-known and coveted VCS3 and Synthi series. But he was also a composer in his own right, working on pioneering electronic music in the 1960s and returning to active composition in the 2010s with several collaborations with artists in other media and exploring massive sound spatialization.

Additional background music provided via the Arturia Synthi V as a tribute."

You can find additional posts featuring Peter Zinovieff here.

Alan Pearlman - Philip Dodds & Close Encounters (Bright Sparks Outtake)

video by GForce Software

"In an outtake from the Bright Sparks Documentary, ARP founder Alan R Pearlman talks about Philip Dodds and the story behind the use of the ARP 2500 on Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

Originally released in December 2015 to critical acclaim and created to compliment the I Monster album of the same name, Bright Sparks documents the human stories of eight musical instrument pioneers, - Robert Moog (Moog), Alan R Pearlman (ARP), Don Buchla, Harry Chamberlin, The Bradley Brothers (Mellotronics), Adrian Wagner (Electronic Dream Plant), Peter Zinovieff (EMS) and Ken Freeman.

'An engrossing and fascinating documentary that pays tribute to the modest but amazing innovators who changed the face of electronic music' Vince Clarke

https://www.gforcesoftware.com/blog/b... www.imonstermusic.com
Alan Pearlman Foundation: https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org"

You can find additional Bright Sparks Documentary posts here.

Update: see this post for the actual order invoice for the 2500.

ARP's Dennis Colin - Ladder Filter & Hyperphase Pedal (Bright Sparks Outtake)

video by GForce Software

"An outtake from the Bright Sparks Documentary where ex-ARP engineer (and the creator of the SEM filter) Dennis Colin talks about how the Ladder Filter was the inspiration for his lauded and obscenely rare Hyperphase pedal.

Sadly, Dennis passed away just after we filmed him at his home in New Hampshire, but his legacy lives on in the ARP 2500, ARP 2600, Aries 300 and the legendary Oberheim SEM filter.

Originally released in December 2015 to critical acclaim and created to compliment the I Monster album of the same name, Bright Sparks documents the human stories of eight musical instrument pioneers, - Robert Moog (Moog), Alan R Pearlman (ARP), Don Buchla, Harry Chamberlin, The Bradley Brothers (Mellotronics), Adrian Wagner (Electronic Dream Plant), Peter Zinovieff (EMS) and Ken Freeman.

'An engrossing and fascinating documentary that pays tribute to the modest but amazing innovators who changed the face of electronic music' Vince Clarke"

You can find additional posts featuring Bright Sparks here.

Dennis Colin - Significant Events (Bright Sparks Outtake)

video by GForce Software

"A fascinating and touching outtake from the Bright Sparks Documentary where ex-ARP engineer Dennis Colin recalls two of the most significant events of his life.

Dennis was a joy to film and listen to and even though his health was poor, his mind was super sharp. Sadly Dennis passed away shortly after we recorded this at his home in New Hampshire. However, his work lives on in the ARP2600, Aries 300 Modular and the legendary Oberheim SEM filter.

Originally released in December 2015 to critical acclaim and created to compliment the I Monster album of the same name, Bright Sparks documents the human stories of eight musical instrument pioneers, - Robert Moog (Moog), Alan R Pearlman (ARP), Don Buchla, Harry Chamberlin, The Bradley Brothers (Mellotronics), Adrian Wagner (Electronic Dream Plant), Peter Zinovieff (EMS) and Ken Freeman.

'The result is a documentary that isn’t merely well informed, it’s definitive.'
Gordon Reid (Sound On Sound Magazine)

https://www.gforcesoftware.com/blog/b...
www.imonstermusic.com
Alan Pearlman Foundation: https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org"

You can find additional posts featuring the Bright Sparks documentary here.

Bright Sparks Documentary - B Side

video by GForce Software

"The B Side of the critically acclaimed Bright Sparks Documentary focuses on the British electronic music pioneers, including the original Mellotron makers, Les, Norman and Frank Bradley, EMS's Peter Zinovieff, Electronic Dream Plant's Adrian Wagner & Chris Huggett, and String Ensemble inventor, Ken Freeman.

Includes contributions from I Monster's Dean Honer & Jarrod Gosling, Peter Zinovieff, Chris Cross, Daniel Miller, John Bradley, Karl Hyde, Ken Freeman, Fred Gardner, Will Gregory, Dean Honer & Jarrod Gosling"

You can find additional GForce Bright Sparks posts here.

Cosmic Tape Music Club Podcast hosted by The Galaxy Electric - E1 Peter Zinovieff

video by The Galaxy Electric

"Welcome to our inaugural episode of the Cosmic Tape Music Club monthly Podcast! Join your hosts Jacqueline and Augustus of the experimental pop band The Galaxy Electric as they wax poetic on the topic of Peter Zinovieff, Geologist, Computer and Tape Music Studio Innovator, Electronic Instrument Design Collaborator, Gentleman, and Scholar. We share all sorts of facts starting with his early and family life, buying what he believed to be one of the very first Personal Computers, EMS, the VCS3, Unit Delta Plus, famous folks that rolled through the studio, his obsession with pure randomness, and more.

Timeline:
Intro 00:00​
Early Life 01:21​
Funding EMS 05:45​
David Cockerell 08:55​
Synchronicity between Synth Designers 11:50​
Couldn't be bothered with actually using the Synths 16:08​
Is he a tape musician 19:07​
Unit Delta Plus 19:53​
Carnival of Lights 26:44​
EMS Tech Talk 30:23​
EMS's Downfall 39:25​
Robin Wood and EMS rebirth 42:55​
iVCS3 45:03​
Spectron Video Synth 46:18​
Randomness 50:01​
The Implant 53:04​
Pete Kember/Electronic Calendar Album 01:01:01​"

Peter Zinovieff on SYNTRX

Erica Synths

"Peter Zinovieff shares his memories about developing EMS Synthi and checks out the SYNTRX.
We are grateful to great minds that changed the course of music history and inspired entire generations of musicians and instrument developers."

Check out an EMS VCS4 at VCS4 Day Event on March 19

Looks like two EMS VCS3s in a custom keyboard controller case. There was a smaller VCS4 and XILS made a software emulation that looked just like this one. You can find both in the archives here.

Details on the event via Eventbrite:

"VCS4 day is a one day event (10–5pm) that pays tribute to the unique early music synthesiser, the EMS VCS4, which has recently been acquired for the Department of Music at Goldsmiths from the musician Simon Desorgher, with the support of the Goldsmiths Alumni and Friends Fund.

VCS4 day is a free event, but due to a limited capacity you must register through Eventbrite to attend.

The VCS4 was produced by the world-renowned Electronic Music Studios Ltd (EMS) company in London in the late 1960s, run by pioneering composer Dr Peter Zinovieff. It was one of a number of early EMS synthesisers used by pioneers of electronic music in Britain, and was created initially for the composer Harrison Birtwhistle for use in his piece Chronometer (1971–72). The instrument, which is the only one in existence in the world, combines two VCS3 synthesisers to create a custom and highly versatile performance instrument. VCS3 synthesisers have been used by such luminaries as Delia Derbyshire, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd and Robert Fripp. For many years the VCS4 had been thought lost, until the advent of the Hugh Davies Collection arriving at Goldsmiths in 2019, when Desorgher approached the music department with a proposal for the VCS4 to be maintained and made available to students and researchers at Goldsmiths Electronic Music studios.

Shortly after Goldsmiths Electronic Music Studios opened in 1968 (one of the first electronic music studios at a university in the UK), the studio obtained two other EMS VCS3 synthesisers. It is fitting therefore that the VCS4 is now housed in Goldsmiths Electronic Music Studios, affording opportunities for it to be used by undergraduate and postgraduate students in both their compositions and performances.

VCS4 day represents an opportunity to gain detailed insight into this extraordinary instrument, through a series of talks from its inventors, protagonists and leading experts on the history of analog synthesisers and their cultural impact. A programme of performances on the VCS4 will take place throughout the day."

"ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS" book - ALBUM REVIEWS by MARK JENKINS.

Published on Dec 9, 2019 Mark Jenkins

You can find Peter Zinovieff Electronic Calendar on Amazon here. The links below will take you more for each.

Peter Zinovieff, Gokcen Kaynatan, Klaus Schulze, Ian McFarlane, Tolley & Dara, Charles Wain, Dave Gate, Paul Haslinger, Tangerine Dream.

"Thanks to all the labels and distributors - Space Age Recordings, Finders Keepers, Roundtable Distribution, State of Matter, Lakeshore and Universal/Virgin"

5 MINUTES WITH - EMS VCS3 Synthesizer

Published on Aug 27, 2019 sonicstate

"Episode two in our 5-MINUTES-WITH series, and this time its the EMS/Putney VCS-3. An unusual synthesizer from the late 1960's with a truly scientific vibe to it. Peter Zinovieff started building these instruments to fund his burgeoning obsession with electronic music. It went on to become a quirky classic.

Yes the VCS-3 is a rare beast, rumour has it that there is a waiting list for modern builds of this directly from EMS, but the timescale appears to be rather variable."

5 MINUTES WITH sonicstate

Peter Zinovieff ‘Electronic Calendar: The EMS Tapes’ Double CD

via Electronic Sound:

"‘Electronic Calendar: The EMS Tapes’ is a lavish double CD set featuring more than 20 pieces by EMS founder Peter Zinovieff. The package includes a 64-page booklet containing extensive liner notes and exclusive photos, plus extracts from Zinovieff’s own diaries and writings.

The work was produced by Zinovieff at his studio in Putney in the 1960s and early 1970s and is an essential addition to every early electronic music fan’s archive. The first CD consists of collaborations with British composer Harrison Birtwistle and the German composer and Marxist Hans Werner Henze, while the second disc mainly features solo compositions.

As a record of the pioneering days of electronic music and computer control, ‘Electronic Calendar’ is captivating, strange and evocative of a period of intense experimentation and boundless possibilities.

The full track listing is:

Disc 1
01. ‘CHRONOMETER ’71’ (WITH HARRISON BIRTWISTLE)
02. ‘BIRTHDAY SONG’ (WITH HARRISON BIRTWISTLE)
03. ‘FOUR INTERLUDES FROM A TRAGEDY’ (WITH HARRISON BIRTWISTLE)
04. GLASS MUSIC (WITH HANS WERNER HENZE)
05. ‘TRISTAN (SHORT SECTION)’ (WITH HANS WERNER HENZE)
06. ‘CHINA MUSIC’ (WITH HANS WERNER HENZE)
07. ‘TRISTAN (LONG SECTION)’ (WITH HANS WERNER HENZE)

Disc 2
01. ‘AGNUS DEI’
02. ‘ZASP PARTS 1 TO 3’ (WITH ALAN SUTCLIFFE)
03. ‘UN KNOWN 1’
04. ‘TARANTELLA’
05. ‘UN NAMED 1’
06. ‘JANUARY TENSIONS’
07. ‘JUNE ROSE’
08. ‘UN NAMED 2’
09. ‘A LOLLIPOP FOR PAPA’
10. ‘M PIRIFORM’ (WITH JUSTIN CONNOLLY)
11. ‘MARCH PROBABALISTIC’
12. ‘UN NAMED 3’
13. ‘RAASAY DIGITISED’
14. ‘NOW’S THE TIME TO SAY GOODBYE’"

Electronic Sound Issue 56 Magazine & CD Bundle Featuring EMS

via Electronic Sound

"We have a superb issue for you this month. And that’s not only because we have an exclusive interview with Kraftwerk main man Ralf Hütter, although since Hütter rarely talks to the press that is clearly something a bit special.

Our cover feature details the history of EMS, the legendary UK synthesiser company founded by Peter Zinovieff, Tristram Cary and David Cockerell in 1969. What started out as a vehicle to fund Zinovieff’s studio became a decade-long adventure in synthesis with a very British sense of innovation about it. EMS machines like the VCS 3 and the Synthi AKS were responsible for some of the best known electronic music of the 1970s – from the Radiophonic Workshop to Brian Eno to Pink Floyd.

We also have a weighty report on the recent Bluedot Festival, featuring Kraftwerk, New Order, Jon Hopkins, John Grant and more. Our interview with Ralf Hütter took place backstage after the Kraftwerk set, with Hütter radiating urbane charm and wry humour as he chatted about music and science and sampling and cycling. “We are not a museum, so let’s play what we do,” he declares. “My art is music.”

Other interviews this issue include Haiku Salut, Eric Random, Jah Wobble & Bill Laswell, Paranoid London, Rolo McGinty from The Woodentops. Plus, of course, we have our packed front section, our ace regular columnists, and our usual exotic feast of new album reviews. Hit the link to order your copy straight away!



Limited Edition CD Album: ‘The Sounds of EMS’

This month’s audio accompaniment is ‘The Sounds Of EMS’, a fascinating 45-minute CD of music made either by the people responsible for EMS, or by the machines they built. You can almost smell the dust burning as the old circuits start warming up! The CD has two pieces by Peter Zinovieff and another from Tristram Cary, the latter with a spoken explanation of what he wanted to achieve with the piece. There are also tracks by David Vorhaus (who founded the cult electronic group White Noise with Delia Derbyshire), Mike Hankinson (another early adopter of the VCS 3), Benge from Wrangler and Jack Dangers from Meat Beat Manifesto.


01. PETER ZINOVIEFF – ‘A LOLLIPOP FOR PAPA’
02. TRISTRAM CARY – ‘ 3, 4, 5 – A STUDY IN LIMITED RESOURCES’
03. BENGE – ‘1969 EMS VCS3’
04. DAVID VORHAUS – ‘THING FOR TWO VCS3S’
05. JACK DANGERS @ TAPE LAB – ‘SYNTHI 100-PIECE 1’
06. MIKE HANKINSON – ‘JS BACH’S FUGUE AND TOCCATA IN D MINOR’
07. PETER ZINOVIEFF – ‘JANUARY TENSIONS’ (EXCERPT)
08. TRISTRAM CARY – ‘3, 4 , 5 – A STUDY IN LIMITED RESOURCES’ (TALK)"

XILS-lab Updates XILS 4 Matrix Modular Soft Synth to v1.5

The press release:

XILS-lab updates ultimate matrix modular soft synth with welcomed fanciful features added to XILS 4 v1.5

“My favourite analogue synth is probably the VCS3, so when I heard that a company was releasing a software version I was quite cautious; today, XILS 4 is one of my favourite plug-ins! Working with it gives me the same excitement as the original hardware, plus there are lots of extra features, since it is basically two VCS3s with an interconnected sequencer. The sound is great, and it is one of the best soft synths on the market for experimenting with new ways of creating sounds!”

- Jean-Michel Jarre (award-winning composer, performer, and record producer), April 2015


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS 4 v1.5 — a major update to its self-styled ultimate matrix modular soft synth, effectively emulating a conceptual ‘blend’ of the legendary VCS4, a ‘dual VCS3’ analogue matrix modular synthesizer prototyped by British trailblazing entity EMS (Electronic Music Studios) back in 1969 but never commercially released, with pioneering British synthesist Tim Blake’s so-called ‘Crystal Machine’ (comprising two EMS Synthi AKS analogue matrix modular synthesizers with hard sync between their oscillators, one connected to the keyboard and the other connected to the sequencer) — with welcomed additional fanciful features including a powerful preset manager in a single window and new effects with semi-modular routing, as of November 30…

CLICK FOR MORE »