SYNTHISTORY (Leaping Fox, 2011)

It's about time to start saying "Happy New Year," so here is the last new Leaping Fox "release" of 2011.  I've been researching the history of the synthesizer, and it's a very complicated subject.  There are lots of good articles and sites out there, and my observations are just a slice of that history--the origins of electronica are also melded in, what with the development of the theremin, modulators, and many, many innovations.  I tried to hold fast to the synthesizer, which began, believe it or not, before World War II, but was delayed because of the need for materials, and resumed post-War.  You have probably seen the first models, which were mazes of wires and knobs...it was a while before piano-style keyboards were utilized as input controllers, even.  

Of course, this leads us to the Moog, being the first real commercial endeavor, and most of this disc focuses on the Moog, and especially the commercial acceptance of the invention.  Did you know, for example, that the first band to use one on an album was The Monkees? Admittedly, the first applications of the technology were used more for sound effects than music, and I think that explains why the Beatles waited so long to use it on an album.  Not that they didn't experiment with Melotrons and many other innovations, but that is another story than we are telling here.

What that means is that we will need a future volume to explore other electronic developments done by other innovators, so we'll revisit the subject in the New Year.  I'm not an expert on this subject, just a student as you are, but the more I've researched, the more fascinated I've become.  For now, enjoy this history lesson, as we follow this Moog thread toward its widespread presence throughout popular culture.

As always, I've done a fair amount of de-clicking, de-noising, and clean-up to the tracks.  You don't absolutely have to burn with no gaps, at 78 minutes, but it helps!

LINK:  Synthistory