Wendy Carlos: Electronic Music's Transformative Pioneer

video upload by Resident Advisor

"'The word "pioneer' gets thrown around too liberally these days. But in the case of Wendy Carlos, the glove fits. The face of electronic music would look immeasurably different in 2025 without the American trans composer's groundbreaking achievements. Before she came along, electronic music was barely considered music at all—just "funny sounds," as Bob Moog once said.

That all changed in 1968. Produced in collaboration with Rachel Elkind, Carlos's debut album, Switched-On Bach wielded machines to produce sounds that could compete with the symphonic pop and rock of the era. The landmark LP won multiple GRAMMYs, played a key role in popularising the use of synths and became only the second classical music record to sell a million copies.

In our latest video essay, written by Sasha Geffen, we trace Carlos's story from her early experiments with Moog through to her impact on key electronic acts of the past 50 years, including Brian Eno, DJ Sprinkles and Octo Octa.

00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Switched-on Bach
01:57 - Carlos and Bob Moog
03:07 Contribution to synth development
04:36 - A Clockwork Orange Score & The Vocoder
07:20 - Personal Life
08:20 - Musical Development

Producer - Sophie Misrahi
Writer - Sasha Geffen
Editors - Sergey Poltorakov, Guy Clarke
Motion Graphics - Sergey Poltorakov, Dan Derham

Music in order of appearance:

 1.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Toccata Fugue In D Minor - Switched-On Bach 2000
 2.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Air On A G String - Switched-On Bach
 3.⁠ ⁠Delia Derbyshire - Quest - Electrosonic
 4.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Moog 900 series Demonstration
 5.⁠ ⁠The RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer - The Well-Tempered Clavier Fugue No. 2
 6.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Prelude And Fugue #2 In C Minor - Switched-On Bach
 7.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Title Music From A Clockwork Orange (From Purcell's Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary - A Clockwork Orange Complete Original Score
 8.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Country Lane - A Clockwork Orange Complete Original Score
 9.⁠ ⁠Cybotron - Clear
10.⁠ ⁠Wendy Carlos - Genesis - Digital Moonscapes

CLICK FOR MORE »

Analogue Synthesiser Melodies | The Art of Production: Olof Dreijer

video upload by Resident Advisor

An interview with Olof Dreijer of The knife.

"Few do melodic electronics like Olof Dreijer.

No matter which part of the Swedish producer's broad catalogue you dip into—from The Knife to Oni Ayhun—you can always make out that knack for resplendent melodies, achieved using vintage analogue synthesisers such as the Oberheim Xpander and the Chroma Polaris.

Read the full feature here: https://ra.co/features/4367

Producer: Sophie Misrahi
Director of Photography: William Engström
Assistant Producer & Editor: Guy Clarke"

Envelopes | The Art of Production: Olof Driejer

video upload by Resident Advisor

"Envelopes play an essential role in Olof Dreijer's expressive, synth-heavy sound.

Dreijer demonstrates how he uses envelopes—a cycle of attack, decay, sustain and release—to emulate acoustic instruments. 'I like it when music has a mix of soft envelopes and slow attacks, and then very fast, more percussive things,' he says."

ALM TV Busy Visits.. FAUZIA EP003

video upload by ALM TV

"ALM Busy Circuits presents 'BUSY VISITS..' a video series where we delve into the creative spaces and creative practises of some of our favourite artists.

In this episode we visit the London based studio of DJ and artist FAUZIA.

FAUZIA first broke through as a DJ. Inspired by the interwoven legacies of fast music from either side of the Atlantic, her monthly NTS show sees her blend together the best of footwork, jungle and everything in between — with the likes of Mall Grab, Kode9, DJ Taye, Om Unit and Ikonika stopping in for guest spots.

The start of 2020 saw FAUZIA start to showcase her own original music for the first time, first with a celebrated production mix for DISCWOMAN, and then with a contribution to the flagship 10th edition in HAUS of ALTR’s various artists series — picking up glowing press from Resident Advisor, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Crack and more in the process.

http://fauzia.co/

https://soundcloud.com/djfauzia

https://www.nts.live/shows/fauzia

http://www.discwoman.com/roster/fauzia"

ALM TV Busy Visits..

The Rise of Listening Bars: Barcelona | Resident Advisor x Asahi Super Dry

Published on Dec 19, 2019 Resident Advisor

Anyone ID what that is at 3:16? One pitch wheel and a few knobs on the right. Shape reminds me of an SH-101, Teisco 110f, original Novation BassStation, or Access Virus. It's clearly not any of them. MIDI controller? That's the only synth content in this one, but cool idea and cool video. Giving this one the Mystery Synths label.

"The past few years have seen a wave of listening bars opening across Europe. Taking inspiration from Japan's culture of audiophile venues, these spots put a unique twist on a long-standing tradition, creating an environment for discovering music that appeals to hi-fi obsessives and casual listeners alike.

The Rise of Listening Bars: Barcelona

"We are in a Mediterranean city—at some point people want to chat." Guille De Juan, owner of Barcelona venue Curtis, knows it's impossible to replicate a Japanese-style, no-talking-allowed listening bar in his home city. Instead, he's built a space inspired by Japan's audiophile venues but adapted to Barcelona's buzzy atmosphere.
Curtis, which opened in 2018, also takes inspiration from a source closer to home: Nica, a Barcelona audiophile venue with an impressive programme of DJs and live acts.

Barcelona isn't the only city where listening bar culture is taking root. You will find them in Stockholm, Amsterdam, Istanbul and London. (The previous film in this series told the story of London's influential Brilliant Corners.) These spots put a unique twist on a long-standing tradition, creating an environment for discovering music that appeals to hi-fi obsessives and casual listeners alike.

Produced by Resident Advisor in partnership with Asahi Super Dry Beer.

Visit the series home on RA: ra.co/listeningbars"

Hugo R.A. Paris - Orb of Truth

Published on Dec 6, 2019 Hugo R.A. Paris

A new release from supporting member, Lavender. You can find an article on the release here.

"Orb of Truth is the first single from Hugo R.A. Paris’s latest LP, Threaded Habitat (one sheet), which came out Aug 2nd on Jacktone Records (Berlin / Detroit - Fact top 10 Labels of 2018) and Beacon Sound (Portland, OR - Terry Riley, Colleen, Benoit Pioulard,...). This first video comes out in response to the album’s praise (XLR8R, Fact, Resident advisor), as Hugo closes the first leg of his tour for the Fall-Winter.

The video for Orb of Truth was shot in New Zealand by native artist, and now Portlander, Sam Hamilton. Entirely shot on film, grainy with minimal processing and edits, it echoes Hugo’s physical and immediate approach Sound.

In the video, individuals of various age / gender generate reflections by means of a mirror, metaphor for the Orb of Truth. The reflected images offer different representations of their surroundings in contrast with their immediate environment, and illustrate subjectivity in the constant friction between mankind and the space it occupies.

The support tour for Threaded Habitat is staged to resume early Spring in an engaging audio visual experience involving a vibrant mix of modular synthesizers, keyboards and percussions. Updated tour schedule can be found on www.hugoparismusic.com

Threaded Habitat Fall / Winter tour schedule
8/2 - Salem, OR
8/10 - Spokane, WA
8/18 - Seattle, WA
8/30 - Salem, OR
9/9 - San Francisco, CA
9/14 - Paris, Fr
10/06 - Seattle. WA
10/18 - Vancouver, BC
10/23 - Portland, OR
10/25 - Richland, WA
11/02 - Seattle, WA
11/14 - Salem, OR
11/27 - Eugene, OR
11/30 - Corvallis, OR"

The Art Of Production: Surgeon's Techno Live Setup

Published on Oct 29, 2019 Resident Advisor

LepLoop, Octatrack, and OTO Boum.

The Art Of Production: Surgeon's abstract live setup

Published on Oct 29, 2019 Resident Advisor

SOMA Lyra-8, Roland SH-01A, OTO BIM, and EHX looper.

The Art Of Production: Floating Points - Yamaha CS70

Published on Nov 1, 2019 Resident Advisor

"Floating Points runs through the magisterial Yamaha CS70 and shows how he used it to make "Requiem For CS70 And Strings" from his new album, Crush."

The Art Of Production: Floating Points - Buchla system

Published on Nov 1, 2019 Resident Advisor

"Floating Points unpacks the sprawling Buchla system powering both his solo live shows and his new album, Crush."

New Novation Peak Patches by Emily Sprague

via @WeAreNovation

"With dreamy, melodic and intuitive ambient sounds, Emily A. Sprague, co-member of Florist, takes the stage for this weeks’ patches. 🎹🎛🎚
Our latest Peak Patches are now live >>> here"

"Emily A. Sprague is a musician who was raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she makes sounds for herself and for others. Emily’s approach to both composition and performance is a personal and spiritual one, deeply rooted in the communication of emotion through textures and tones.

SoundCloud | Resident Advisor"

Unfolding Forms by Anthony Child Featuring the Pin Electronics Portabella.

"I wanted to make some of my new personal music projects available to you in a more direct and immediate way.

Recorded using a Pin Electronics Portabella."

via Resident Advisor

"Unfolding Forms is an eight-track, digital only album on Child's Dynamic Tension label, released without advance notice. A tweet from Child announcing the album said, 'I wanted to make some of my new personal music projects available to you in a more direct and immediate way,' and called this LP the "first release," implying that more are to come. The album was recorded on a Pin Electronics Portabella modular synthesizer. It's Child's second full-length of the year, following Luminosity Device this past spring."

Tangerine Dream at Union Chapel

Published on Sep 18, 2018 Resident Advisor

"View the feature on RA: https://www.residentadvisor.net/featu..."

Some synth spotting with Tangerine Dream. Moog, Roland, soft synths, and eurorack. I think I spot a Manikin Schrittmacher sequencer in the rack.

RA Sessions: Suzanne Ciani - Improvisation on Four Sequences for RA

Published on Aug 1, 2018 Resident Advisor

"A special Session with a pioneer of modular synth performance.

Binaural audio: please put your headphones on for the full 3D experience.

Visit the RA feature page: https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3307


Credits:
Director and Editor: Patrick Nation
Producer and Editor: Guy Clarke
Camera: Sophie Misrahi, Stephen Dunn, Patrick Nation, Guy Clarke
Sound: Flynn McBurney and Guy Clarke"

The enduring magic of the Radiophonic Workshop | Resident Advisor

Published on May 17, 2018 Resident Advisor

"We look back on 60 years of the pioneering electronic music and sound effects workshop.

Visit the RA feature page: https://www.residentadvisor.net/featu...

'It was a place for experimentation,' says Roger Limb, who's been a member of the Radiophonic Workshop since 1972, "full of weird and wonderful sounds which people were not quite sure what to make of." It is easy to forget how mind-bending something like the Doctor Who theme would have sounded back in in the mid-'60s, at a time when almost all music was acoustically derived. Breakthroughs like this were made possible by the pioneering experimentation at the Workshop, which was set up at the BBC in 1958 to record sound effects for radio programming. Techniques were developed on-the-fly using tape manipulation, oscillators and early synthesisers, laying the groundwork for countless musical movements that would come afterwards. The Workshop closed in 1998, but some of its members have continued to channel its spirit into live performances and recorded music. We followed the group to a recent show at the Science Museum in London to hear about the Workshop's 60-year-long journey.

Director / Producer - Sophie Misrahi
Editor - Sophie Misrahi
Camera - Sophie Misrahi, Guy Clarke
Dubbing Mixer - Guy Clarke

Director / Producer - Sophie Misrahi
Editor - Sophie Misrahi
Camera - Sophie Misrahi, Guy Clarke
Dubbing Mixer - Guy Clarke"

RA Sessions: Tin Man - Nonneo

Published on Dec 11, 2017 Resident Advisor

"Emotional acid.

Visit the RA feature page: https://www.residentadvisor.net/featu...

The original “Nonneo” was kind of playful by Auvinen’s standards, with bright synths and wriggling percussion in the mix, but for his RA Session he focuses on the track’s darker emotional core, setting it to faster drums and jamming on the Roland SH-101.


Credits:
Director / Editor - Sophie Misrahi
Producer - Guy Clarke
Camera - Charlie Moore, Guy Clarke, Sophie Misrahi
Sound Engineer - Flynn (Sound Services)"

RA Tech: Melodic Pads on the D-05

Published on Sep 12, 2017 Resident Advisor

"Roland has announced the next synth in its Boutique range, the D-05.

It's based on the D-50, which was Roland's flagship digital synthesiser in the late '80s and early '90s. It was competing against Yamaha's DX7, which used a synthesis technique called frequency modulation to create lifelike sounds. The D-50, however, used 8-bit samples for the attack portion of the sound, while linear arithmetic synthesis generated the sustain part. This allows it to generate complex, morphing patches not possible on analogue synthesisers.

The D-05 recreates the original circuitry using Digital Circuit Behaviour technology and contains the signature joystick, which is used to blend between different layers of a sound. There's also built in chorus, reverb, delay and EQ effects in addition to a 64-step polyphonic sequencer. It runs off USB power or batteries and functions as a soundcard when connected to a computer. Sweetwater has listed a pre-order price of $345."

RA Sessions: Legowelt

Published on Sep 11, 2017 Resident Advisor

"The Dutch artist performs a freaky extended live session.

This whole lo-fi, straight-to-tape, DIY aesthetic that’s so popular these days? Danny Wolfers invented it. OK, that’s an exaggeration. But it’s true that the Dutch artist has embodied these characteristics for longer than some of this style’s recent adopters have been alive. Wolfers gets additional respect for never wavering from these core tenets of his artistry. He’s popular, to be sure. He plays live all over the world, and he releases records on big labels like Clone and L.I.E.S. But he still clearly values unfiltered creativity above anything else.

Head over to his website. There’s a section for the Ableton plug-ins he makes and gives away. There’s a bit for his zine, Shadow Wolf Cyberzine. He writes reviews of old synthesizers, and has a section called Obseuriosa where you can download his weird, sample-based experiments. Then see his Discogs page. He has over 30 aliases, and he’s released two albums already this year. He called the first, A Vampire Goes West, “amateur space jazz meets professional ambient.” He described the second, Unfolding The Future With Amateur Space Jazz, as “a lo-fi minimal [wave-ish] version of cosmic space jazz and anything closely related to it... from spiritual soul, G-funk, Ethiopian jazz to ambient and everything in between.” (He wrote and illustrated a 24-page graphic novel for that one.) To summarise all of this in a few words, Wolfers is the real deal.

His RA Session is longest we’ve released so far, which was probably to be expected. He turned up to our London office last month with a trunk full of gear and, roughly speaking, performed five tracks. The first two are versions of forthcoming material, and from around 16 minutes onwards we get Wolfers in full-blown improv mode.

Visit the RA feature page: https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3064

Director - Sophie Misrahi
Producer/editor - Guy Clarke
Camera - Sophie Misrahi, Guy Clarke, Patrick Nation
Sound Engineer - Jesal Chohan-Padia (Sound Services)"

RA Sessions: Sandunes - Ever Bridge (intro) / SSP4/Untitled / The Trust

Resident Advisor
Published on Aug 10, 2017

One of India’s leading electronic music artists performs her dazzling live set.

“There are some amazing artists coming out of India,” a woman named Dhwani told us at Magnetic Fields last year.

'There were always a lot of artists—ten years back, 20 years back—but [now] I think they’re getting a platform,' said a woman called Saloni.

It’s likely they were both referring to artists like Sanaya Ardeshir, who makes music under the name Sandunes. Ardeshir is part of a gradually swelling wave of Indian artists whose success locally is beginning to translate internationally. She produces and performs a highly engaging style of electronica that blends elements of UK club music with influences from her homeland. A track like “Crystal Pink,” which appeared on her 2016 album DOWNSTREAM, is a good introduction to her sound. Ardeshir intuitively sculpts the arrangement, building a series of subtle climaxes through soaring synth harmonies, while the drums rattle and fizz underneath.

Beyond the Sandunes project, she’s also built her profile through a series of collaborations. Ardeshir plays synths for the popular group Dualist Inquiry, and has worked with the famed Indian rock band Indus Creed. She’s also involved with Different Trains 1947, an upcoming project led by Actress that commemorates the 70th anniversary of India’s independence. They’ll perform at Liverpool’s Edge Hill railway station, the Barbican in London and the 2017 edition of Magnetic Fields.

We’d guess the thing that’s really drawn people to Sandunes is her live performances. Ardeshir has been playing piano since she was a child, and you can sense how natural she is in front of keys during this RA Session. The 15-minute set is made up of “Ever Bridge,” “SSP4/Untitled” and “The Trust,” a string of old, new and revised music.

Production credits:

Director - Stephen Dunn
Producer - Guy Clarke
Editor - Sophie Misrahi
Camera - Stephen Dunn, Sophie Misrahi, Guy Clarke
Sound Engineer - Jesal Chohan-Padia"

RA Sessions: Octo Octa - Improv / Adrift / Fleeting Moments of Freedom (Wooo) | Resident Advisor

Published on Jul 17, 2017 Resident Advisor

"The acclaimed house artist blasts through some of her current live repertoire.

Visit the RA feature page: https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3036

Credits:
Director - Patrick Nation
Producer - Michael Delle Donne
Editor - Sophie Misrahi
Camera - Patrick Nation, Sophie Misrahi, Patrick Elmore
Sound Engineer - Daniel Dominguez

Thanks to Good Room http://www.goodroombk.com/"

RA Sessions: Space Dimension Controller - Transatlantic Landing Bay / Exostack | Resident Advisor

Published on Apr 27, 2017 Resident Advisor

"Everyone's favourite time traveller performs a classic and a new single."

Korg Monologue & Native Instruments Maschine Jam.

Steevio - "Primes" (Modular Synthesis)

Published on Apr 6, 2016 XLR8R

Eurorack & Moog Voyager RME

"Freerotator Steevio guides us through the minefield that is his Eurorack.
More info: https://www.xlr8r.com/features/2016/0..."

And one more from Resident Advisor

RA Sessions: Steevio | Resident Advisor

Published on Jun 24, 2016 Resident Advisor