Some Good Space Music

Miles Davis - Live in Montreaux (1973)


Robert Wyatt - Alifib (1974)


John Martyn - I'd Rather be the Devil (around 1975)

Cosmic Music

This one is real cosmic space-funk nastyness! What do they play up there? ARPs, Moogs?

Born In The USA

Hüsker Dü - Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely (1986)


Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun


Wooden Shjips - Dance, California

Magazine - Permafrost

Permafrost is a great song from a great post-punk album, Secondhand Daylight (1979) by Magazine.
Note that the keyboard player (Bob Dickinson?) has a white ARP Odissey. Is it just a case or cool bands have this synth? (see the post below about Area)

ARP 2500 Modular

Theremin

The other night, at the Jarre show, I heard a theremin play live for the first time. I had no idea it could produce such phat basses and full low end sounds.

Cool.

Classic Electronic Music

Classic modular Moog, Minimoog and Arp synthesizers, a Theremin, a Doepfer ribbon control, at least three EMS synths, a Mellotron, a Moog Liberator, some early sequencers and drum-machines, string synths and organs and even a current Moog Little Phatty.

That's what was on Jarre's stage tonight at the Oxygene concert I went to. The show was focused on the performance and on the music, with great, minimal lights that put in evidence the glorious synths. I'm not a huge Jarre fa, but I must admit those were the best spent money since last summer great Daft Punk show (which was free).

Don't miss it.

Never Sell Your Gear

Once, around 1997, I had this wonderful drum machine, I bought it for less than nothing, at that time everybody wanted an MPC or a Roland TR or a Rave-O-Lution and I was very young and did not really understand how lucky I was. Separate outs, Sequantial Circuits 8 bit pitchable sounds. But I was all into new sounds, I needed the snare of the 909, the kicks of an 808, so I sold it to buy, if I remember well, a Novation Drumstation. No problem with the latter, I have used it in lots of productions, just a couple of days ago I recorded its 808 dope kick on a track for my next album; but I always wish I still had that Drumtrak today...
Its sounds are exactly what I'm using now in my new-disco-cosmic productions, and what I look for every time a start working on a rhythm track.
I have found online a set of samples and I play them with Fxpansion GURU but it's not like the real thing.
The Sequential Circuit Drumtrak is the last piece of gear I have sold.

Tangerine Dream - Live At Coventry Cathedral 1975

Give It More Comp

Audio Damage are giving Rough Rider, a vintage style compressor as a free download on their web. I have some of their plugins in my studio and it's great stuff. Cool interfaces and big, definite, clear sound.

This one is a bus compressor, best used to "pump" rhythmic tracks, but it could produce "atom bomb squish" when used to its extreme limits.

Available as VST and AU.

A Green, Eco-Sustainable Recording Studio

Paul Villinski is a well-known New York-based artist. After hurricane Katrina he wanted to transport his studio to Louisiana to see the aftermath first-hand and create artwork in response. He picked up a 30′ trailer, gutted it, and rebuilt it to be green and non-toxic.
Wouldn't it be nice to fill it with synths and use something like that as Eco-Sustainable recording studio? One day you could produce on a sunny beach, the other on a green field and get inspiration by the beautiful surroundings. You could also tow it with an electric car. The trailer is outfitted with a 1.6 kW solar system and a micro wind turbine. Maybe not enough for larger studios (I suppose a large studio wouldn't even fit in), but I guess it could well serve a small project eco-studio. What do you do to keep your recording studio eco friendly?

Via Inhabitat

Area

Probably one of the best thing out of Italy. Area was a really experimental left-wing band founded in the '70s. If you never listened to them go check their catalog on itunes.
Looks like they are using a white ARP Odissey. Cool.
There's a long interview, very interesting and technic, but boring if you don't speak Italian.

Charles Cohen improvising on a 1970's Buchla Music Easel

Via Matrixsynth

The Tapes Have Been found