Electronic music

Well if we want some of the real early pioneers of electronic instrumentation and sounds, them we have Leo Theremin who invented the Theremin in 1920… and possibly the first electronic instrument the Telharmonium invented in 1896 by Thaddeus Cahill… impressive as it was invented and built before vacuum valves were invented… it relied on electronic/mechanical hybrid setup of generators for pitches.
The mkiii version weighed 200 tons… and was used for concert recitals.
I believe technically these non synthesizer electronic instruments are called Electrophones.

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Many of the recordings mentioned from the 1960s into early 70s arose out of the invention of the synthesiser, arguably the most significant development in electronic music. As a tool they were capable of creating just about any possible sound, but also once fitted with a keyboard were playable by any pianist or organist, adding new sounds and textures to a musician’s repertoire, but as playable as any keyboard (subject to some initial setting).

A couple of other albums from that time that I don’t think have been mentioned yet: *Electronic sounds” by George Harrison’s, and Terry Riley’s *Rainbow over Curved Air”, which was said to be the source of the name of the band Curved Air - a band that used synthesisers and a then novel electric violin.

I do t think so… at best they are restricted to the sounds they could make, and of course there were two distinct branches of synthesiser… subtractive synthesis as used by Moog and additive synthesis as used by Buchla… each having its advantages and disadvantages and its own gamut of sound.
There was then additive variants such as the FM synths … first made popular with the Yamaha DX7… they are really interesting, but complex to programme.
I think the instruments that have been revolutionary in being able to create more natural organic as well as out of this world sounds electronically and are arguably quite intuitive to programme are the sampling and wave table instruments… they are hugely versatile… and in my experience are not necessarily limited to a specific gamut of sounds.

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I think there was a keyboard called the “Fairlight” and you could program/attach sounds to each key and then play it like a piano.
I heard it used in some concerts and was amazed at the time.

Lookd it up on wikipedia …

[Fairlight keyboard/sampler]

(Fairlight CMI - Wikipedia)

Yes, sample based not electronic (unless the sounds are electronic!). Original of this ilk I think was Mellotron (using magnetic tape to store the samples!), used by bands like the Moody Blues from late 60s, while these days there are loads of sample based keyboards, many also combined with synths.

Kate Bush was an early adopter of the Fairlight.

Regarding the Mellotron, Moody Blues, Genesis, Barclay James Harvest, King Crimson are all groups that spring to mind.

Tape looping, mellotrons, etc are playback devices… but even the Mellotron can basically adjust the sounds that are played back from its loaded tapes.

However electronic samplers are absolutely electronic… I guess we shouldn’t confuse sampling with a sampler as an instrument… they are more than just scratching with DJ record decks or loopers (although many can do such a basic task if required).
Samplers can capture or create a wave table and then you manipulate it to create a textural sound that can be quite original, just like with wave table instruments. The wave table module becomes like the oscillator shape module on a traditional analogue syth.

Even the Fairlight CMI as developed in 1979 can playback back a digitised sample but allows you to manipulate it into something new… you can also manually draw your wave table into it and play it back chromatically… the CMI essentially was a digital polyphonic wave table synthesiser.
I have a CMI simulator… and yes it can in its simplest mode act like a Mellotron, but typically does far more… I would say the ‘8 bit 10 kHz DAC: sound is the characteristic feel of the CMI mk1 giving it a very electronic / sparse artificial bandwidth limited sound… that was quite popular for a while in the 80s…

Technically the Fairlight CMI was a Digital Audio Workstation incorporating an embedded sampler… and allegedly it coined the term ‘sampler’. It was based under licence on the Qasar M8 polyphonic digital synthesiser developed by Tony Hurse of Creative Strategies.

I would say the Synclavier is a more of an accurate sound sample/excerpt replay machine than the CMI.

But if we want to talk about electronic music instrumentation in detail that is a different thread, rather than the creativity possibilities of electronic music from musicians.

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Yes Fairlight’s CMI could play tiny excerpts looped electronically withi in its wave tables chromatically, either captured/recorded/stored or created manually with a pen, but often heavily manipulated them to create a distinct electronic sound often quite removed from the trigger sample or excerpt. I use a CMI simulator… it’s certainly not the same as using a sample looper in a production. It’s typically used as a distinct electronic synthesiser or wave table manipulation instrument with a distinct low bandwidth sound … great for a retro vibe… as opposed to a pure sound sample replay device.
The wave table in a digital synth, is like the oscillator in an analogue synth.

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In terms of Electronic Music, lets not forget about Giorgio Moroder, ok he was more a producer but he was responsible for bringing EM into the more commercial realm, kicking off with Donna Summers groundbreaking I Feel Love featuring the infamous Moog, that song was a major influence for what came after right across the music industry

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Yes I thought of him earlier… I feel the fusion of Moroder and later Kraftwerk led the way to modern EDM.
Moroder to me was the great musician / production / engineering pioneer of the electronic dance floor vibe… as very distinct from the then disco.
Riffs, hook patterns, hypnotic beats, suspense builds and drops… breakdowns, and simplicity… and catchy simple repetitive vocals.

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Building on A Winged Victory For The Sullen recommendation from HH, also really worth a listen is ‘and their refinement of the decline’ by the incomparable Stars of the Lid. I love ambient music and would also point you to Anthene (many wonderful albums) Zake or Celer. Happy listening

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I have the Stars of the Lid album and you’ve prompted me to listen to it now. Thanks! I’ll check out the others too.

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for early moog music try
Doug Mckechnie, he took a very ealy mook on tour playing live , recordings have been released

also try UK band
Radio Massacre International
Stephen

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Simple response : Russian techno station.

Trentem0ller - the last resort

Epic stuff

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I never get tired of John Foxx’s Metamatic from 1980 (and later variants especially Underpass remixes) or Recoil’s (Alan Wilder) Unsound Methods (extended version features great remixes of Stalker and Control Freak).

Some others in no particular order:

Arca, Arca, KicK etc
Agnes Obel, Citizen of Glass
Tirzah, Colourgrade
FKA twigs, Eusexua
Nala Sinephro, Endlessness
Tom Morello & the Bloody Beetroots, The Catastrophists
JFDR, Museum

I could end many more to the above list…

Near forgotten Thomas Dolby has been involved in synth electronic music and production for ages.

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This is one of my favourite electronic music album.