The February 2020 episode of the Theremin 30 podcast features music from Spain, Sweden, the UK, and USA. Rick Reid concludes his interview with Gordon Charlton, author of "The Beat Frequency Method: Theremin for the Sonic Explorer."
FEATURED MUSIC*
"Mai Tai Break" - L'Exotighost (Madrid, Spain)
"The Lark" - Rewired Stockholm (Stockholm, Sweden)
"Ouroboros Drive (for Barbara Bucholz)" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England, UK)
"Make Music, Not War" - Eric Kriner (Jonesboro, AR, USA)
*The full-length recordings featured in this show were used with the knowledge and permission of the artists and composers. Please support the artists by visiting their websites, purchasing their recordings, and attending their performances.
ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"Articulator" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England, UK)
"Opera Glasses" - Phlogiston Theory and Ron Allen (Denver, CO and Seattle, WA, USA)
"Opera Glasses" - Phlogiston Theory and Ron Allen (Denver, CO and Seattle, WA, USA)
"Time Shadows" - Phlogiston Theory (Denver, CO, USA)
"No Static at All" - Phlogiston Theory (Denver, CO, USA)
INTERVIEW
Gordon Charlton, author of
CALENDAR OF THEREMIN EVENTS
Visit the Theremin 30 Calendar of Theremin Events for links and details of events mentioned in this episode.
ON YOUTUBE
Theremin 30 Playlist
CONTACT
- Write to the show: theremin30podcast@gmail.com.
- Record a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theremin30/message
- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theremin30/support
CREDITS
- Producer/Writer/Host: Rick Reid
- Opening and closing announcer: David Brower
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TRANSCRIPT
This transcript was generated with speech-to-text AI. It may contain several errors until it can be manually edited.
David Brower 0:02
This is there have been 3030 minutes of theremin music, news events and interviews with a new episode about every 30 days. Now, here's your host from Denver, Colorado, USA, Rick Reid.
Rick Reid 0:19
Hello, and welcome to the 11th episode of the monthly podcast devoted to theremin music. At least it's usually monthly. I'm running a bit behind schedule this month because I had a lot of other things going on in my life that got in the way and although this is only a 30 minute show, it actually takes me several hours, sometimes up to 20 hours to create each episode. And I just couldn't get it all together to release the show a couple of weeks ago at the beginning of the month like I normally do. So I appreciate your patience and and I think you'll find this episode was well worth the wait. I've got new music on tap from the USA, Spain and Sweden. Plus part two of my interview with Gordon Charlton, the UK based experimental recording artist also known as beat frequency. Let's get started with the tropical lounge stylings of exotic ghost, a group from Madrid Spain that features Javier Diaz Aina on the theorem and sip on a fancy umbrella drink while you listen to this track called my tie break.
We started that set with a song called Muy Thai break by the Spanish group L'Exotighost. Then we heard the classical favourite The Lark as performed by the Swedish duo rewired Stockholm, featuring Martin Anderson on theremin and Carl herdsmen on piano. The Lark is the opening track of their new album now available on Spotify and YouTube. Mikhail Glinka composed the lark, also known as the skylark in 1840. It's the 10th song of his 12 Song piano and vocal work called A Farewell to St. Petersburg, it has become an essential song of the classical theorem and repertoire, possibly because it was one of Leon Theremin favorite songs. He once performed it in a theorem and demonstration for Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and even Totland into play some of it. To hear more classical music from rewired Stockholm, follow the link in this month show notes at Theremin thirty.com. It's time now for the Theremin 30 calendar of their emit events. Every month we take a look at some of the concerts and workshops happening around the world. On February 20, Southern California thereminist Barry Schwamm will perform with the Jones Band in Pasadena Canadian folk duo leaf rapids have a couple of concert dates in Alberta on February 20 and the 22nd Carolina ICW will be performing at the music discovery project in Frankfurt, Germany on February 28th, and 29th. And the New York theorem and society will host a day of their Theremin workshops in Brooklyn on March 7. For details about all of these events and more go to Calendar dot Theremin thirty.com And if you have an event you'd like on the calendar, send me a message through the Theremin 30 website or the Facebook page.
Coming up in the second half of the show. I'll be finishing my interview with Gordon Charlton, author of the beat frequency method Theremin for the sonic explorer. Now let's hear some of Gordon's music. This is a track called Euro Boris drive from Gordon zero beat album. It's dedicated to the late Barbara Bucholtz.
That was music from my interview guest Gordon Charlton. I'll be visiting with him after the break. I've also got Theremin and modular synth music from American recording artist Eric Kriner. So stay tuned
in the January episode of Theremin 30, I've visited with UK thereminist Gordon Charlton who records under the stage name beat frequency. As we continue our conversation this month Gordon talks with us about some simple mods and hacks for the Moke ether wave standard. I want to mention some modifications that you proposed for the Germans that are really simple and really clever and helpful. The first one is with the mug ether wave, is you have that little tuning tool, tape it inside the box so you always know where it is.
Gordon Charlton 16:24
The plastic trim bottle I've been to a little poem to remind me of plastic trim port alignment tool, plastic bottle alignment tool, fix your settlement. That's so cool. If you lose it look like a fool plastic trim port alignment tool.
Rick Reid 16:46
So you need to put music to that.
Gordon Charlton 16:49
Yeah, it's a handy way of remembering what it's called.
Rick Reid 16:53
Then another little simple modification you made that I really like is you took a wire and attached one end to the volume antenna, oh yes, open and then extend it to the top of their instrument where you can reach it and touch it with your finger.
Gordon Charlton 17:10
Yeah, it can vary shops to Carter's sound. I've been looking at lots of different ways of getting a more staccato shown from more getting more attack from a sermon because it seems to me that's one thing it really doesn't have. And it's just a way of adding to your palette. I don't again, I would never ever want to diminish what a sermon can already do. Because what it whatsoever is do is brilliant. We can do a little more than just a tiny bit just to fit a fuse wire twisted drone so that makes me electrical contact was in the loop. But run it up to the top of the Salomon tape it down we pick up clear tape and suddenly you've got something you can just tap on and get it this extra component to your pallet. I've also experimented with a handheld switch that just interrupts the audio out so I've got a little button on top and when the button is not pressed, audio goes to clear when you press the button it kills it a kill switch was a song which really showcases the kill switch and it's called articulator.
It's not a new invention. Back in the very early days of Tobin's, before the volume liquid been fully developed, people would use either footswitch or open switch. And you can find a couple of old examples of people using this in a melodics of either way, it works very well. Although I must say, if you're going to do some of that with Milotic you really want pitch preview because you just switched off your source of tooling. Yes, that's attack.
Rick Reid 19:42
So two other really simple mods that you've proposed that I have adopted myself. These applying to the ether wave standard or either way plus, is a little piece of tape or Velcro or piece of plastic tubing over the volume antenna to get rid The chirp that sometimes happens with that instrument, and over the pitch antenna, so you don't lose the nut the holds the antenna on the instrument,
Gordon Charlton 20:07
phones, some shrink wrap tubing, heat shrink tubing, and you get right down to just slide over nicely. I know of at least half a dozen people who have lost the nut for my pitch Rod was taking it apart, and it's fallen off on stage and rolled away or what have you. And then we go on to Thurman world or one Facebook group say, I've lost me. And yeah, it's easily avoided. And if we used to decorate your instrument, it would be kind of fun to make the whole picture the whole volume loop black, so they're completely invisible. I've done that. Yeah. Just to add to the magic of backstage white gloves. You hadn't some moving around, magically plucking music from Yeah, which is what so into all about
Rick Reid 21:10
what can we expect from you in 2020? Do you have any plans musically.
Gordon Charlton 21:15
I've put so in music to one side. To focus on another aspect of my music. I've been right from the very start looking at generative music music which is created on a computer or mathematically such like. And that's been a little background scene for most of my years playing music. And it's recently come to the forefront and I'm really working on developing non Sony Music which hopefully in the future, we'll be able to incorporate so in back in to expand my range of things. After seven or eight albums of solo experimental Theremin music was kind of starting to run out of ideas. So we just put that on the back burner, but let it bubble away for a while. While I think about something else you want to come back to it. Maybe there'll be something new and interesting. It'll catch my attention again. And hopefully, I'll be back in the same room in the music business.
Rick Reid 22:25
For more information about the artists and interview guests on Theremin 30 Be sure to follow the links in our show notes. Also, check out the Theremin 30 playlist on YouTube. Now let's wrap up this episode with some experimental music from Eric Kriner a thereminist In synthesis from Jonesboro Arkansas, here in the USA. Here's the track called make music, not war. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Looks like time is running out on this edition of the Theremin 30 podcast. I want to thank Lazada ghost rewired Stockholm Beat Frequency and Eric Kriner for providing the wonderful and diverse Music in this episode. Also thanks to Gordon Charlton for once again sharing his ideas and insights with us. Coming up in March I have a special guest is scheduled to help us commemorate the birthday of Clara Rockmore and I have some beautiful music from Rob Schwimmer. If you have a theorem and track you'd like me to play in the show, contact me through the theorem and thirty.com website, or the theorem and 30 Facebook page. Until next time, I'm your host, Rick Reid. Thank you for tuning in.
David Brower 29:51
You've been listening to the Theremin 30 podcast visit Theremin 30 on the web at Theremin three zero.com
Copyright 2020 Rick Reid
