The Dreams - Electronic Soundscapes by Delia Derbyshire and the BBC

via Weekend Gallimaufry via Scott Stites
"For a long time I thought Barry Bermange (a talented writer on his own) was the one behind the whole concept. I didn't realize until much later that The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was actually the brainchild of Delia Derbyshire, and she was the one responsible for the incredible electronic sound that accompanied the voices."

$199.99 EMS "Synthi and the Composer" Album

This one is not an April Fools joke. You can actually find this album for sale behind the counter at Silver Platters Seattle. Call them if interested.

From the back cover
(note Peter Zinovieff is the man behind EMS):

"Synth and the Composer

Extracts of music realized with EMS Synths equipment.

SIDE A

Concert Music by:

Harrison Birtwistle
Peter Zinovieff
Tristram Cary
Delia Derbyshire
George Whitman

SIDE B

Television, Radio and Computer Music by:

Dudley Simpson
Delia Derbyshire
Malcom Clarke
David Vorhaus
Peter Zinovieff
Brian Hodgson

Demonstration record - Not to be sold or performed in public.

Stereo 33 1/3 rpm"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Delia Derbyshire EMS Synthi Brochure, Mods, Audio Demos & More

You'll find them at thesynthi.de

Direct links to the posts featuring the brochures:

Delia Derbyshire's Dopesheets
1971 Synthi VCS3 Brochure

Lost tapes of the Dr Who composer

via the BBC
"A hidden hoard of recordings made by the electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme [Delia Debyshire] has been revealed - including a dance track 20 years ahead of its time...

Most unexpected of all, however, is a piece of music that sounds like a contemporary dance track which was recorded, it is believed, in the late sixties.

Paul Hartnoll, formerly of the dance group Orbital and a great admirer of Ms Derbyshire's work, said the track was, "quite amazing".

'That could be coming out next week on [left-field dance label] Warp Records,' he noted.

'It's incredible when you think when it comes from. Timeless, really. It could be now as much as then.'

Delia Derbyshire's voice can be heard introducing it. 'Forget about this,' she says, 'it's for interest only.'"

Click here for the track. Realize this is the 60s. Utterly amazing.

The BBC Radiophonic Workshop Gallery

This one in via Ununseptium warehouse. You'll find the full gallery with captions here.

The top left in the pic above almost looks like old stoves and dish/sink cabinets.  It's an interesting design choice for tape and audio mangling at the time.  The woman to the left and is Daphne Oram and below is Delyia Derbishire.

Left: "Caption: Daphne Oram demonstrating Radiophonic techniques on television by means of Brenell tape recorders and Jason oscillator."  It almost looks like something from Dewanatron.

Below: "Caption: Delia at the southern end of room 12, where she sits in front of the twelve Jason oscillators, an electromechanical frequency counter and the keying unit, as used to create the 'Doctor Who' theme. The dual gramophone turntable unit to her left is a BBC RP2/1."

After checking out the pics be sure to check out the labels below or use the top left search box to search on Daphne Oram, Oramics, Delia Derbyshire, and/or BBC for more posts featuring them here on MATRIXSYNTH.

Digital Tambura + Delia's Fave Lampshade!

Published on Aug 11, 2018 100 Things I Do

"Thought I would share an experiment this week.

What would happen if I mixed the ideas behind Terry Riley's 'In C' with the effect of early tape experiments of Steve Reich. Instead of a beat I started with 3 Drones from a Radel Digital Tambura. The lampshade is of the kind Delia Derbyshire once used (check out Blue Veils and Golden Sands). From here I have created 3 basic Patterns with the sampler : Descending, Pulse and Dual pattern Pulse. While obviously not groundbreaking in any new way it does bring a new flavour of hypnotic drone that I have not used before. Some of the emergent patterns work quite well I think."

A Radiophonic Weekend - Bristol

Update: The event is in April, not March.

Two day event via Cube Cinema, Saturday April the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd.

"Day one of a weekend of special events, performances, screenings and more - dedicated to the output and legacy of the one and only BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

With their often primitive hand built devices, tape loops and early synth explorations, the workshop brought the sound of electronic weirdness out of the realms of academia and into the home, re-adjusting the ears and minds of an entire generation in the process. As interest in their oddly British, and often somewhat crackpot approach to electronic experimentation grows, and as many of their key instigators finally begin to gain the worldwide recognition their pioneering efforts deserve, we spend a special one-off weekend looking back on some of the characters, stories, sounds and inventions that shaped an era.

On day one (Saturday), we’re delighted to welcome very special guests - Radiophonic boffins, David Cain and Dick Mills - who will be presenting a history of the workshop, discussing their work, and presenting a wealth of material unheard for decades.

CLICK FOR MORE »

This Is Sandy P

flickr by Masonic Boom

"What happens when you cross the Aphex Twin with Delia Derbyshire?

You get Sandy P, the heroine of a couple of novels, is what you get.

(Or would that be Karen Tregaskin? ha ha ha)"

An Interview with Paddy Kingsland of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

You'll find the full interview on Astronauta Pinguim, including mentions of Delia Derbyshire & Daphne Oram.

BTW, today is Paddy Kingsland's birthday.  Happy Birthday Mr. Kingsland!  :)

Pictured: Paddy Kingsland and the EMS Synthi 100 (the Delaware)

"Patrick 'Paddy' Kingsland was born in Hampshire (England) on January 30th, 1947. He took piano lessons in his youth and got his first guitar when he was 15. By this time he also built his own valve amplifier and began to play in a band in his school days. After attending Eggars Grammar School in Alton, Hampshire, Paddy joined the BBC. He was a technician there until, in 1970, he had the chance to join the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the famous department that was responsible for providing the soundtrack and sound effects to BBC radio and TV shows. Paddy worked there for 11 years and created the music for many programs, including "The Changes", "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and several episodes of 'Doctor Who'!

"In 1973, BBC Records released the album 'Fourth Dimenson'. Although it was credited to The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, "Fourth Dimension" is the first solo album released by Paddy Kingsland and includes tracks that he recorded from 1970 to 1973, using mainly the EMS synthesizers VCS3 and Synthi 100 (the Delaware)..."

You can still find the release on Amazon and eBay.

The first synth to enter the BBC? "The first synthesizer arrived in 1970 - an EMS VCS3. It was great for learning about voltage control and making sounds, but no good for playing tunes on. The Arp Odyssey which came a bit later was much better for that."

via Fabricio Carvalho aka Astronauta Pinguim on the MATRIXSYNTH Lounge. You can find interviews with other synth legends on his site or via the Interviews label below.

Mid Century Electronica

Mid Century Electronica from Atomic Shadow on Vimeo.

"A short piece featuring Hp sine wave generators, tape loops and ring modulators. re-mixed and produced by Steve Howell at Hollow Sun."

via Atomic Shadow:
"Entitled 'Mid Century Electronica' the piece made use of my dusty, tube HP sine wave generators, tape loops and ring modulators. I am very pleased that Stephen Howell of Hollow Sun agreed to produce and re-mix the track. Any day that you can collaborate with a man who has done sound design for Peter Gabriel is an outstanding day.

Here is how Mr. Howell described the piece...
'A short piece featuring vintage, tube HP sine wave generators, tape loops and ring modulators with a photographic homage to the early pioneers of electronica.... Daphne Oram in twin set, the impish Delia Derbyshire of the early BBC Radiophonic Workshop, several tweedy boffins in their music labs, Karlheinz Stockhausen and so many others. A different age when innovation and ingenuity triumphed over the many technical limitations of the age.

Abstract music soundtrack re-mixed and produced by Stephen Howell of Hollow Sun using traditional techniques in a digital age.'

Stephen has made some really unique Kontakt instruments using samples from my vintage equipment. Check the Music Laboratory Machines section at his web site.

http://www.hollowsun.com/

TriOsc, Oscillosine, and Broken all started out as samples from the Atomic Shadow lab."

See http://atomicshadow.bandcamp.com for the latest two releases by Atomic Shadow. A future album titled "Twelve Full Moons" is due shortly after the first of next year.

Patricia Wolf Sound Pack for the Novation Peak v1.2

via Patricia Wolf:

"This is a demonstration of the sound design work I did for the Novation Peak. I created 50 patches demonstrating some of the new features that the v1.2 firmware update has to offer. My sound pack is available for free with the update through Novation's Components App. Select the Novation tab on that app to access them as well as GForce Software's free patches.

The patches are performed with a mixture of Octatrack sequencing (using sequences from songs I have written) and live performance with a MIDI controller. I was inspired by artists like Delia Derbyshire and wanted to record little vignettes and sonatas using the Peak without other sound sources.

I made this recording so that friends can hear the sounds I made and so that other Peak users can get a closer glimpse into how I envision sound design. Please get in touch if you have any questions about my process or anything else related to this project and I will respond as best I can.

The Novation Peak was recorded directly into a Steinberg UR44 interface. No external effects. Subtle mastering from Tokyo Dawn Labs software to balance recordings of different patches.

And here is a little bit of information about me:

Patricia Wolf is an electronic musician, sound designer, and gallery curator based in Portland, Oregon. After years of working in the synth pop duo Soft Metals, Wolf became interested in exploring non-linear songwriting and new forms of synthesis. Alongside working with Novation, Wolf co-founded the gallery Variform which focuses on sound design and modern composition. Patricia Wolf is a recipient of the Precipice Fund, a grant funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, to explore synthesis in the contemporary art world."

You can find info on the Novation Peak v1.2 update here. Also see previous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH for additional demos.

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."

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)"

Doctor Who Theme by Delia Derbyshire and Ron Grainer, Cover with the Korg Monologue/Minilogue

video upload by Mattelica

"Live take of the Doctor Who Theme song with a Korg Monologue on Key Trigger/Hold mode on bass and the Korg Minilogue + internal delay/feedback on melody to a Yamaha MG10xu mixer with internal early reflection fx to a Canon 6D + 17-40mm lens"

Doctor Who Theme Music - Played on Vintage Synths

video upload by Luke Million

"The theme from Doctor Who has always been a favourite of mine. I've recreated it using a mix of the 60s and 80s theme music created by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire and thrown my own synth flavours in. 🎹👨‍⚕️🎹

Gear Used;
Moog Multimoog
Roland SH2
Arp Odyssey Mk 1
Korg MS20"

Delia Derbyshire - Dance from 'Noah'

YouTube Uploaded by rainbreeder on Jul 8, 2011

"won't sound out of place in today's UK dance scene, except it was made decades ago."

via Richard Issitt on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

VOID // Live @ Erica Synths Garage

Published on Aug 2, 2017 Erica Synths

"VOID performs live creating sound with Doepfer A100 basic system with added Erica Synths and Doepfer modules, Korg SQ-1 sequencer and Zoom ms70cdr effects pedal. Visuals are created beforehand using Pure Data and then modified with an analogue synthesizer and other low-resolution video devices. Live performance was played on VDMX.

VOID is a project of Reinis Naļivaiko (sound) and Artūrs Kalvāns (video), it’s an experimental audiovisual performance duo born in Liepāja back in 2012. Their sound comprises both dark and deeply atmospheric soundscapes and rhythmic noise compositions, aiming to create a diverse emotion gamma to the audience. In the creation process VOID uses field recordings & sound synthesis and their performances are always improvised. The visual aspect of the project is driven not by particular aesthetic principles but rather defined by methods used in the picture creation, such as manipulations with the signal through mixing it with other video sources, interfering with the video chain and digitizing of an analogue signal. The frame sequence and composition is controlled by the sound, and the visual rhythm either illustrates or breaks the sonic one. Works of VOID are influenced by the GAS project of Wolfgang Voigt, Pan Sonic & Delia Derbyshire."

A Little EMS Early History

via Electronic Battle on the AH list:
"The association of EMS with Putney is well known - EMS were originally based at 277 Putney Bridge Road London SW15 2PT.

However, a label on the "KS" portion of one synthi AKS says "made in England by EMS(London)Ltd.,49 Deodar Road London SW15".
Google maps shows that Deodar Rd runs off, and then adjacent to Putney Bridge Road and it is a residential area.

Was it the case that the address actually on Putney Bridge Road was the sales office or showroom, and that a "cottage industry" of assemblers and testers grew up around the area? Maybe Deodar Rd was the home of one of the workers, does anybody know?"

It turns out this is where Peter Zinovieff the founder of EMS lived. You can verify this at the Delia Derbyshire website where you'll find a fascinating account of her studio, Unit Delta Plus.

Update: you can find another interesting bit of EMS history on David Cockerell at the valhalla blog. The following is a brief excerpt. Be sure to see the site for more.

"David Cockerell designed the EMS products* from 1969 to 1972, including the VCS3, the VCS4, the Synthi-100 (famous as the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s “Delaware”), the Synthi/AKS, and the Hi-Fli pedal. Cockerell then went on to design some of the classic Electro-Harmonix pedals of the 1970’s: Small Stone, 16-Second Digital Delay, the Microsynth, and so on. In the 1980’s, Cockerell designed the Akai samplers, including the S900. Today, David Cockerell is back at Electro-Harmonix, cranking out pedals such as the HOG/POG/MicroPog, the Stereo Memory Man with Hazari, the 2880 loop sampler, and the Voice Box."

Daphne Oram documentary - Wee Have Also Sound-Houses & Early BBC radiophonics: Private Dreams and Public Nightmares (1957)

Daphne Oram documentary - Wee Have Also Sound-Houses

YouTube Uploaded by straypixel on Jan 6, 2012

"To mark the 50th anniversary in 2008 of the creation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the programme examines the life and legacy of one of the great pioneers of British electronic music - the Workshop's co-founder Daphne Oram.

As a child in the 1930s, Oram dreamed of a way to turn drawn shapes into sound, and she dedicated her life to realising that goal. Her Oramics machine anticipated the synthesiser by more than a decade, and with it she produced a number of internationally-performed works for the cinema, concert hall and theatre.

Daphne Oram was among the very first composers of electronic music in Britain and her legacy is the dominance of that soundworld in our culture today.

Introduced by Robert Moreby
Produced by Ian Chambers
TX BBC Radio 3, Sun 3 Aug 2008 21:45"


Early BBC radiophonics: Private Dreams and Public Nightmares (1957)

YouTube Uploaded by straypixel on Jan 8, 2012

"An early BBC experiment in radiophonic sound, predating the establishment of the Radiophonic Workshop, created by Frederick Bradnum and Daphne Oram (pictured) and produced by Donald McWhinnie.
TX BBC Third Programme, 07/10/1957.

McWhinnie's spoken introduction (the work starts at 4:20):

"This programme is an experiment. An exploration. It's been put together with enormous enthusiasm and equipment designed for other purposes. The basis of it is an unlimited supply of magnetic tape, recording machine, razor blade, and some thing to stick the bits together with. And a group of technicians who think that nothing is too much trouble - provided that it works.

"You take a sound. Any sound. Record it and then change its nature by a multiplicity of operations. Record it at different speeds. Play it backwards. Add it to itself over and over again. You adjust filters, echos, acoustic qualities. You combine segments of magnetic tape. By these means and many others you can create sounds which no one has ever heard before. Sounds which have indefinable and unique qualities of their own. A vast and subtle symphony can be composed from the noise of a pin dropping. In fact one of the most vibrant and elemental sounding noises in tonight's programme started life as an extremely tinny cowbell.

"It's a sort of modern magic. Many of you may be familiar with it. They've been exploiting it on the continent for years. But strangely enough we've held aloof. Partly from distrust. Is it simply a new toy? Partly through complacency. Ignorance too. We're saying at last that we think there's some thing in it. But we aren't calling it 'musique concrète'. In fact we've decided not to use the word music at all. Some musicians believe that it can become an art form itself. Others are sceptical. That's not our immediate concern. We're interested in its application to radio writing - dramatic or poetic - adding a new dimension. A form that is essentially radio.

'Properly used, radiophonic effects have no relationship with any existing sound. They're free of irrelevent associations. They have an emotional life of their own. And they could be a new and invaluable strand in the texture of radio and theatre and cinema and television.'"

Also see:
Delia Derbyshire - Sculptress of Sound documentary 1 - 7

Sightseers' Alice Lowe with EMS VCS3 & Elka SYNTHEX

This one in via Pablo:

"In the Studio with our friend @alicelowe

Delia derbyshire-ing it up in the toydrum studios as we score her new film - watch this space

Toydrumproductions

If you have not seen Alice's last film which she wrote and stars in - you need to

its BRILLIANT!

Sightseers - directed Ben Wheatley"

Trailer below (note there are some NSFW bits in it).


NSFW bits in this one.

Sightseers Trailer Published on Aug 30, 2012

"Jet-black comedy from Ben Wheatley - writer-director of Kill List - about a dark and bloody journey through the British Isles in a caravan."