Electronic Music

Paul White takes us on a sonic journey as he explores the endless possibilities of sound design using a guitar as your sound source. Through the use of foot pedals and effects plug-ins he demonstrates the synth-like sound and textures it can bring to your electronic music. Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:55 - Guitars As A Sound Source03:55 - Sustaining Notes06:10 - Using an EBow07:09 - Adding Vibrato07:48 - Emulating Multiple Oscillators08:54 - Adding Plug-in Effects10:16 - Using Granular Delays11:40 - Creating Percussive And Rhythmic Effects13:43 - The Completed SoundscapePaul White BiogPaul White joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1970s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Julie Campbell, known as LoneLady, is a musician, songwriter, singer and producer from Manchester, England. Here she tells Caro C about her writing and recording process and how she secured a deal with Warp Records.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:19 - Former Things06:08 - Influences For The Album08:55 - Curating The Ideas12:19 - Touring The Album15:21 - Warp Records17:12 - The Album Cycle19:20 - Supporting Peter Buck 23:38 - Building The Live Show28:27 - Technical Development Lonelady BiogInspired by British post-punk Julie first started making recordings in the early-mid 2000s on a 4-track cassette recorder. As her name indicates LoneLady writes, performs and records all the components of her music, building up her own soundworlds in a solitary creative process. Her debut album ‘’Nerve Up’’ was released on Warp in 2010 and her second album ”Hinterland” was released in 2015, with both receiving widespread critical acclaim. Julie recorded, mixed and produced Hinterland to near-completion in her home studio in Manchester, travelling to Keyclub Recording Co, Michigan, for some finishing touches and additional production with Bill Skibbe. Created on electronic sequencers, synths and drum machines in a basement bunker beneath Somerset House, London, LoneLady’s 3rd studio album FORMER THINGS is a tour-de-force of punch-and-crunch electro, r’n’b and pop, shot through with mournful eulogies to the lost golden age of childhood and youth.https://lonelady.co.uk/Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album 'Electric Mountain' is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This 'sonic enchantress' (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

As part of Japan, Richard Barbieri soon became the thinking person’s synthesist, famous for his rich and textural electronic backings that beautifully complemented the work of other band members to forge what is still a unique sound to this day. Disbanding at the height of their fame, Richard went on to work on a wide array of projects, some with fellow members of Japan, one of which introduced him to Steven Wilson. He joined Porcupine Tree in 1993 and, aside from Wilson, is their longest serving member to this day. After a twelve year hiatus, Porcupine Tree reconvened to write and record ‘Closure / Continuation', their 11th and, some would say, best album to date. Rob Puricelli managed to catch up with Richard during rehearsals for the first leg of their tour to support the album and began by asking him about his first exposure to, and experience of, electronic music.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:16 - What was your first experience of electronic music?03:33 - The Non-Musician 06:44 - Synth Heroes 10:05 - Do the old synths still have a place in your work?12:37 - Sound Design and your go-to synth16:26 - Sampling19:36 - Using Reason25:37 - The live rig and touring with Porcupine Tree in 2022/2332:11 - Getting the band back together33:55 - Spatial Audio38:26 - The new album44:57 - Regurgitating the past46:30 - What gear excites you today?LINKS/CREDITS Music clips provided by Richard BarbieriRichard Barbieri’s Artist Page - https://kscopemusic.com/artists/richard-barbieri/Porcupine Tree Website - https://porcupinetree.com Richard Barbieri BiogHailing from London, Richard joined Japan in 1975 and saw huge success around the world until the band split in 1982. He continued to work with David Sylvian, as well as Sylvian’s brother, Steve Jansen on separate projects. He reunited with Sylvian, Jansen and bass player Mick Karn for the Rain Tree Crow project and continued to play with Steve & Mick as part of ‘JBK’. In the early 1990s, the three of them teamed up with Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson as part of No-Man and it was here that Barbieri and Wilson would begin their long musical association. Porcupine Tree had initially been a Wilson solo project but he recruited Richard in 1993 and over the next 17 years, became one of the shining lights of the neo-prog / pop scene, embracing a more heavy style as the years went on. Reuniting in 2021, they released the first Porcupine Tree album in 12 years with 2022’s ‘Closure/ Continuation’, a critically acclaimed return to form. Richard has a large body of solo work which he started to release in 2005 and still does to this day.Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/ Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Graham Massey talks us through his early days with the formation of 808 State and improvising with electronic instruments, through to current collaborations and favourite creative tools.Chapters00:00 - Introduction02:02 - The Beginnings Of 808 State11:54 - Developing A Polished Production14:56 - Musicality And Arrangements17:29 - Incorporating Improvisation20:09 - Performing Live24:09 - Influencing Genres26:29 - Favourite Creative Tools30:16 - The Changing Access To The Arts35:46 - Other Projects41:47 - Future CollaborationsGraham Massey BiogGraham Massey is probably best known for the pioneering work of 808 State who took the energy of the early UK rave scene into the pop charts with several uncompromising top 10 singles and albums in the 1990s. 808 State returned to international touring in 2018 to celebrate their 30th anniversary with the release of a new critically acclaimed album 'Transmission Suite' in 2019. Graham trained as a sound engineer at Manchester’s Spirit Studios in the mid 80s when he was producing records as Biting Tongues for Factory Records and working as a live sound engineer at the Boardwalk Club.Studio experience allowed him to work as a producer and remixer for people as diverse as Bjork , Quincy Jones , Primal Scream, David Bowie,The Stone Roses, Goldfrapp & Yellow Magic Orchestra. Graham has worked as a composer on many film soundtracks, music for commercials (agencies such as BBH in London & SYN in Tokyo) plus theatre pieces and public art events including being musical director for Jeremy Deller’s 'What Is A City' for the opening of Manchester International Festival in 2017. Graham is also the leader of a number of other music projects in the city that might find him as a guitarist, keyboardist, wind player or drummer. Graham has DJ’d around the world and is a regular contributor to 'The Freakier Zone' on BBC Radio 6 as well as hosting his own monthly show on Reform Radio as well as guest slots on NTS radio.Graham is an Honorary Fellow of The University Of Central Lancashire and is a regular guest lecturer on the film course at Manchester School Of Digital Art (MMU). He is a regular participator at Music Tech Fest, an international forum for technologists, scientists and artists run from Stockholm University.http://www.808state.com/Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album 'Electric Mountain' is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This 'sonic enchantress' (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Mike Lindup is best known as the keyboardist and co-vocalist for Brit-Funk legends, Level 42. Mike has blended traditional keyboard instruments, such as the piano and Fender Rhodes, with a myriad pieces of cutting edge music tech over the years. We caught up with him ahead of his new solo release, Changes 2.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:52 - What were your influences?04:21 - Stevie Wonder06:14 - The move from classical to pop08:32 - Robin Scott’s influence11:51 - The transition to music tech and operating it live16:35 - When things go wrong!18:20 - The current rig20:24 - The home studio22:35 - Wally Badarou and sampling26:22 - Changes 229:27 - Reissuing Changes and a solo tour35:26 - Level 42 into 2340:45 - Quick fire questions inc. favourite synth, live track, what’s on your iPod? Mike Lindup BiogMike Lindup began a successful professional career as founder and keyboard player in Level 42, which continues to this day. He also has a successful solo career, and enjoys supporting a variety of super-talented artists including Dominic Miller, Phil Gould, and Zeep (Da Lata). He released his first solo album, ‘Changes’, in 1990, a song album featuring his great friend Dominic Miller on guitar, Pino Palladino on bass and Manu Katche on drums.In 1994 Level 42 took a break and Mike used the opportunity to diversify musically exploring different styles of music echoing his breadth of tastes and influences. He wrote music for an Audi Sport video ‘Return of the Four Rings’, performed with Latin Jazz band Negrocan, and played regularly with UK/Brazilian band Da Lata, whilst continuing to work on his own solo material.Mike’s forthcoming album, ‘Changes 2’, will be released early in 2023.Links And CreditsMusic clips taken from Mike’s forthcoming album, ‘Changes 2’03:47 - Space Groove11:18 -  Atlantia22:03 - Late Night Wonder33:37 - Time To Let GoMike Lindup Website - https://mikelindup.com Mike Lindup on YouTube - www.youtube.com/@MikeLindup42Level 42 Website - https://www.level42.com Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

The following is a short piece of audio that was edited out of the original podcast interview with Don Lewis back in November 2020, where he discusses his time programming the Yamaha DX7’s factory sounds. In the wake of Don’s passing we decided to publish this excerpt, along with a tribute on the website.Chapters00:00 - Introduction02:29 - Yamaha DX7 and DX9 Demo03:02 - The Beginnings Of FM Synthesis09:26 - Working For The Competition12:26 - Yamaha DX7 and DX9 DemoDon Lewis BiogDon Lewis was a gifted musician and educator whose mission was to inspire and empower audiences to achieve their dreams. Whether presenting a solo concert or collaborating with other musicians and artists, Don's music brought a message of hope, respect and community. Don began playing piano as a Dayton, Ohio high school student. Later, at Tuskegee Institute, he accompanied and sang with the Tuskegee Chorus and played for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Freedom Rallies.Uniting his interest in engineering with his musical talent, Don became one of the pioneers in synthesizer use and technology. In 1977, he designed and built a synthesizer system, Live Electronic Orchestra (LEO) that was an inspiration for Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), now on display at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA.Don performed at concerts worldwide and appeared as a soloist with many symphony orchestras. As a studio artist, he worked with such greats as Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendez and Michael Jackson. Don also created scores for film and television productions including the award winning Rainbow's End and Were You There series featured on PBS. In addition he scored commercials for such clients as Nissan, Pacific Telephone, and Digital Equipment Corp.Also an enthusiastic teacher, Don taught courses in the history of Gospel Music, multimedia, and synthesizer technology at University of California at Berkeley Extension, San Jose State University and Stanford University. In 1987, Don combined his love of children, education and music to create Say “Yes” to Music! He delighted thousands of students, teachers and school administrators across the United States and Canada with his inspiring musical assemblies.Throughout the years Don had been a concert artist and consultant with various musical instrument manufacturers including Hammond, Arp, Yamaha, Roland Corporation, and Rodgers Instruments. He continued to delight and touch the hearts of his fans in his concerts at home and throughout the world until his untimely passing on November 6th, 2022.Links / Credits Music from Yamaha’s DX7 and DX9 demonstration cassette.https://donlewismusic.com/https://www.donlewisleo.comhttps://www.augustenborgproductions.com/ Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Martyn Ware has been at the forefront of the British synth-pop scene since its inception, founding the hugely influential Human League with Phil Oakey and Ian Craig Marsh. Martyn and Ian went on to establish the British Electric Foundation from which Heaven 17 emerged, along with work as a producer for the likes of Tina Turner and Terence Trent D’Arby. Martyn has since ventured into the world of immersive audio through his collaborations with Vince Clarke as well as being a Principal at Tileyard Education, a Visiting Professor at Queen Mary University of London and a board member at the Ivors Academy. This year, Martyn released his autobiography, entitled Electronically Yours Vol.1.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:44 - Why Write Your Autobiography Now?02:13 - Sheffield 06:44 - Why Electronic Music? 09:57 - The Ware Ancestry12:00 - Music And The Message19:51 - Ripping Up The Rule Book21:35 - The Split!29:34 - British Electric Foundation30:31 - Heaven 1733:15 - Sananda Maitreya / Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby37:01 - Is There A Volume 2 To Look Forward To?Martyn Ware BiogIn his his long and illustrious career, Martyn has been part of the Human League, British Electric Foundation and Heaven 17.As a record producer and artist he has featured on recordings totalling over 50 million sales worldwide, producing amongst others Tina Turner, Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby), Chaka Khan, Erasure, Marc Almond and Mavis Staples.He founded Illustrious Company with Vince Clarke in 2001 to exploit the creative and commercial possibilities of their unique three-dimensional sound technology, in collaboration with fine artists, the performing arts and corporate clients around the world. He is a Principal at Tileyard Education and a Board Member at The Ivors Academy. Buy Electronically Yours Vol.1 (Book) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronically- Yours-Vol-My-Autobiography/dp/0349135150 Buy Electronically Yours Vol.1 (Audiobook) - https://amzn.eu/d/8hl1pkcIllustrious: https://illustriouscompany.co.uk/Heaven 17: https://www.heaven17.com Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Part electronic visual music artist and part software developer as co-founder of Ableton, Robert Henke delves into the overlap between artist and engineer and how software needs to be accessible in order to encourage and not hinder the creative process.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:12 - Current Projects03:23 - Lumière - Working With Lasers06:49 - Building The Performance Software08:54 - The Beginnings Of Ableton11:37 - The Overlap Between Artist And Engineer17:12 - Working With Audio Loops20:49 - Making Software More Accessible27:16 - Developing A Unique Sound30:18 - Working Without Compression36:27 - 8-Bit: The CBM 8032 AV Performance Robert Henke BiogRobert Henke's work is not easy to describe in a single sentence, and that already says a lot about what fascinates him: complexity and detail, often emerging from seemingly simple processes. Henke is a software developer, fascinated by the inherent beauty and elegance of technical constructions, and co-founder of music software company Ableton where he still plays an active role in the development department. Henke is a Berlin based electronic music producer who blurs the boundaries between club and listening since the mid 1990s. Henke is a visual artist often working with lasers to create audiovisual performances and installations. And Henke is teaching and writing about computer based audiovisual art and in general is a very nice person happy to share his knowledge. https://www.roberthenke.com/Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album "Electric Mountain" is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Susanne Kirchmayr, also known as Electric Indigo, is an Austrian music producer, Techno DJ and founder of the female:pressure, an international network of women in the electronic music industry. Here she chats to Caro C about her career beginnings through to her current projects.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:02 - Ferrum 7 music track02:09 - Starting Out As A DJ08:55 - Becoming A Music Producer13:18 - Founding female:pressure20:38 - An International Support Network23:50 - Musical Styles27:15 - Current Projects29:57 - Ableton and Modular31:10 - Working In Multi-Channel Audio34:39 - Future PlansElectric Indigo BiogElectric Indigo, DJ, composer, musician has performed in 45 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. She represents an intelligent and distinguished interpretation of techno and electronic music. In 1998 she founded the transnational female:pressure network for which she received an Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronic in 2009. The Republic of Austria awarded her with the Kunstpreis Musik in 2020. Electric Indigo premiered her compositions at festivals like Wien Modern, Musikprotokoll, CTM or Heroines of Sound and composed for Klangforum Wien. Her debut album “5 1 1 5 9 3” came out on Imbalance Computer Music, followed by "Ferrum" on Editions Mego in 2020. “Brittle” was released on Ventil Records in 2022.https://indigo-inc.at/Caro C BiogCaro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album "Electric Mountain" is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This "sonic enchantress" (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.URL: http://carocsound.com/Twitter: @carocsoundInst: @carocsoundFB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Michael Whalen is a two-time Emmy Award winning, Grammy-nominated composer with over 30 years experience composing for film and television, as well as being a recording artist in his own right, with over 800 million streams since 2015. Here he talks to Rob Puricelli about performing his latest instrumental album ‘Imaginary Trains’ to a live audience at the EMEAPP museum, using their extensive collection of rare vintage synthesizers.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:47 - What was the inspiration behind the album, “Imaginary Trains”?05:06 - How did you come up with the idea for the live broadcast?10:51 - What instruments did you choose from the EMEAPP collection20:10 - How did you go about replacing the studio parts with the gear you chose?22:44 - Did any instrument daunt you?27:07 - Behind the scenes...30:19 - The choice between live and sequenced34:01 - Rehearsal and preparation35:42 - Gear Acquisition Syndrome! (G.A.S.)39:10 - Did any of these old machines let you down?39:50 - Would you do this again?41:55 - Future projectsMichael Whalen BiogAfter more than 30 years as one of the top television and film composers, an an internationally renown recording artist, a music supervisor, artist coach/client and former record label executive, his music has been heard by billions and billions of people. He has accumulated more than 800 million streams from all worldwide music platforms since 2015. His musical output is enormous and ranges from ambient/new age to jazz to soundtrack/theme music, world music, singer/songwriter, classical and crossover.Michael is an expert on copyright law, music monetisation and digital rights. He consults with major technology and music companies and mentors artists around the world as part of his company Artist Expansion. As a teacher, he has been an adjunct professor at NYU, The Berklee College of Music, and The City College of NY. Michael is also an author, thought leader on the future on digital copyrights and panelist at dozens of major conferences and festivals.https://www.michaelwhalen.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ugFiMYlr0https://emeapp.org/Rob Puricelli BiogRob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. He also writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.www.failedmuso.comTwitter: @failedmusoInstagram: @failedmusoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/failedmuso/Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts