Showing posts with label Beat Frequency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beat Frequency. Show all posts

[S01E11] February 2020 - Gordon Charlton (part 2)


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)
"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

CREDITS 

--------------

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
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[S01E10] January 2020 - Gordon Charlton (part 1)


The January 2020 episode of the Theremin 30 podcast features music from Spain, USA, and the UK. Rick Reid's interview guest is Gordon Charlton, author of "The Beat Frequency Method: Theremin for the Sonic Explorer." (Part 2 of this interview is featured in the February 2020 episode.)



FEATURED MUSIC*

"Now I See" - Monelise (London, England, UK)
"Cefalù" - Modulador de Ondas (Vigo, Spain)
"Moon Cheese" - Phlogiston Theory (Denver, CO, USA)
"Quasimodyne" - Nachtsmeer (Manchester, England, UK)

*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

 "The Plummeting Man" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England, UK)
"Playing with Knives" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England, UK)
"Hadal Zone" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England, UK)
"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 
"The Beat Frequency Method: Theremin for the Sonic Explorer."

FEATURED ALBUM

"Planeta Theremin" by Modulador de Ondas - clear vinyl, CD, free download

FEATURED BLOG

StylophoneMuseum.com

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

CREDITS 


Copyright 2020 Rick Reid

----------
TRANSCRIPT

This transcript was created with speech-to-text AI. It may contain several errors until it can be manually corrected.

David Brower  0:04  
This is their man 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 leading and possibly only regularly scheduled podcast for therapists and the people who love them. In this month show I've got music from Spain USA and the UK and my special guest is Gordon Charlton, author of the beat frequency method there have been for the sonic explorer let's get started with music from London England based recording artist Monalise from her new hauntology album she provides both vocals and theremin on this lovely track, Now I See.

We started that sent with the British singer songwriter thereminist Monalise, and a song called now I see from her new album hauntology Be sure to check out the music video for now I see on the Theremin 30 YouTube playlist. After that I played a track called Stefan Liu from the Spanish group. My doula door they owned us. It's from the planeta Theremin album. The name of the group translates to English as wave modulator. It's a studio project, Apolo Pascoe, and in its live performance lineup, medulla Dordogne desk features Paulo on guitar Theremin with Monika Raina Montesinos on cello and Luxo posts on theremin. If you're into vinyl, you can buy plein air to Theremin on a very cool Limited Edition LP. It's pressed on clear vinyl and the entire album is also now available as a free download. I'm not sure how long it will be available for free, so be sure to follow the link in this month's show notes to get your copy. It's time now for the Theremin 30 calendar of Theremin events. Every month we take a look at some of the concerts and workshops happening around the world. On Wednesday, January 8. Cornelius loi headlines the music I instrumentalists show at the Slipper Room in New York City. On Friday, January 12. Victoria Lundy will be performing in the Zodiac free Arts Lab West show in Lafayette, Colorado, the New York Theremin Society hosts the day of workshops on January 18. Andrew Levine takes a mini tour of the US this month was stops in Georgia, Florida and New York and the three day Theremin Academy Loes en gets underway in Switzerland on January 31. For information 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 Derman 30 website or the Facebook page.

Right now I'm going to feature some of my own music. This is a track I recorded fairly early on after getting my first stereo and and at the time honestly I couldn't carry a tune on the Theremin to save my life. So what I did was I recorded some kind of random theremin phrases and played them back as samples from a Korg K oscillator. This track also features the gesture controlled Elise's air synth. And this stylus controlled Deb Rex stylophone I call this song Moon cheese

That was Moon cheese from my flow just in theory album, Moon cheese and other delights. By the way, if you have an interest in stylophones, be sure to check out my blog about them at stylophone museum.com. I'll include a link in this month's show notes.

After the break, I'll be visiting with Gordon Charlton, author of the beat frequency method. There are men for the sonic Explorer. So stay tuned.

When I got my first theorem at about a decade ago, I looked into the videos and books and websites that taught the basics of theorem and performance with the idea that I would learn the rules and then hopefully develop my own style of playing. And a lot of what I found ways of playing with German with some degree of precision that you'd need to play classical music or more conventional pop music. One of the resources though, that I found it took a whole different approach. It really made me appreciate the full capacity of Sonic expression that you can get with a theorem and when you employ non traditional ways of playing and creating music. That resource was a booklet I found online called the beat frequency method: Theremin for the sonic explorer. I'm very happy to have the author of that booklet, Gordon Charlton as this month's special guests. Thank you so much for being on the Theremin 30 podcast.

Gordon Charlton  17:28  
It's a pleasure, Rick.

Rick Reid  17:29  
you have been a big influence on my learning process for playing the theorem. And can you kind of give me a background first of all how you got introduced to the theremin.

Gordon Charlton  17:37  
I kind of stumbled for settle in last randomly Google found a shopping hole Tasmania made them kitengela At a price I could afford the moment I saw it, I just knew I had to have one. And once I saw later one arrived in the post, what I did discover within about three seconds of owning it was playing in tune is really hard. And I have to admit, particularly Sony didn't help it not at all linear and the volume control was basically on and off. But I had missing and I was going to make what I could have it

Rick Reid  18:17  
so then how did you the one to develop your own technique for flying.

Unknown Speaker  18:22  
I have no particular musical background. So I started researching music, really upon music theory and such like and also considering what came naturally to be instrument seemed to be a bit of an oddball instrument. It doesn't sit comfortably, most of the time in an orchestra. I gotta say that people who can do that, so impressed with them. It's more like bagpipes or a didgeridoo. It's its own instrument. And did we do some fantastic when you're playing? Did we do music? You know, bagpipes are ideal for bagpipe music, Doctor good in an orchestra perhaps. So I'm studying what is Theremin music and whatever natural capabilities of the instrument with a gun to inform how I play

Rick Reid  19:13  
that introduces one of the ideas from your paper an extra dimension to the way you move your hands.

Unknown Speaker  19:19  
Yes. Because it's not just about putting your hand in a certain place. It's how you move your hand from one place to another.

Rick Reid  19:25  
And that's something that doesn't come up in any of the other methods that I've learned about at Sala one dimensional sort of thing.

Unknown Speaker  19:32  
Yeah, it's not a part of music theory, but I've been able to find

Rick Reid  19:37  
your method seems to be at odds with a very large camp that says the Germans only for playing classical music and the precise pitches.

Unknown Speaker  19:48  
I disagree with that. I don't disagree with it can be absolutely beautiful. Played using classical methods. But a lot of music I listened to isn't lost. I searched through lots of things on actually understand about music and I really get industrial music. When I had my first Throbbing Gristle album, just I totally saw what they were doing. And it had nothing to do with classical music theory, as far as I could tell was more related to the Art of Noise and the futurist movement. It was a big question for me though, can I abandon playing in tune and still sound good? If you play something which pays no heed to tune whatsoever, then that sounds fine too. Because you you adapt to it. You say okay, this is not intended to be in tune. Let's listen to it for what it is at least I hope that's what people who listen to my music do.

Rick Reid  20:49  
Tell me about some of the little tools that you use with twine

Unknown Speaker  20:53  
you later the foster twill will deal with foster twill First, there's a limit to how fast human hand can create a vibrato. And I wanted to exceed that so you know, was little handheld milk flossers which are like little stick with a twisted wires to go to the end. And wizardry. You stick it you Belk or you coffee and it fluffs up.

Rick Reid  21:23  
IKEA sells them for about $3.

Unknown Speaker  21:25  
Yeah, that's the one if you take one of those and just bend the metal stock a tiny bit. So the flush at the end is no longer central but wobbles from side to side. And you've got the basis of a really fast vibrato there. You hold it with the correct orientation in the pitch field. So the push is moving towards and away from the pitch rod. And it could trill Yeah, we have one is 20. Later, this was something I did at school. I think everyone's done this at school, you hold a ruler against your desk and twine we end it and it goes up and down creates a fun sound. I just happened to have a 50 centimeter metal ruler, which are clamped underneath the volume loop. If I tagged it at the highest extent it would mute the sound. And that will lowest extent it would allow a full volume instead of controlling the volume control with my hand, I would turn that and it would modulate the volume it's demonstrated on the piece for my first album called The plummeting man. Vaughn makes use of fossil fuels and 20 liters.

Rick Reid  22:59  
Now I have a tool inspired by your writing. It's a screwdriver about two feet long,

Unknown Speaker  23:04  
right? The pitch baton because well actually isn't a screwdriver, but it's a long piece of metal with an insulated handle. Yeah, while you're just holding the insulated hand or the presence of a screwdriver in the pitch field, makes no difference. But as soon as you touch one finger against the metal of the screwdriver, that becomes part of the Tobin circuit and pitches determined mostly by the closest thing to the pitch rod which is part of a circuit where you're not touching the metal of a screwdriver that your hand when you are touching your metal screwdriver and the screwdriver is pointing it to pick toward that it's the end of screwdrivers determining the pitch. So you can jump instantaneously from a low pitch to a high pitch by pointing the screwdriver at the pitch rod and just touching the metal portion of it with your finger which again allows us to achieve an effect which is not doable without additional tools. I've got a truck which demonstrates that is called playing with knives.

Unknown Speaker  24:42  
asserting this lipstick knife, rather than screwdriver, and it made for a jokey title.

Rick Reid  24:49  
You know with a traditional composition you've got all these rules and all these pitches and everything and there's a certain way of creating a song and you've suggested drawing from real life experience. Can you explain how that works

Unknown Speaker  25:02  
the first example of this would be a song called hadal. So, with hadal toe this deepest part of the ocean. By this time I was already making sounds which sounded like science, Documentary, Music, or science fiction. So I was looking for interesting place is daily with deepest part of we actually get a strange jellyfish creatures. And you can hear whale song in the distance. In my imagination, at least the ping of submarine sonar, whale song is easy. Just hold a low note and let the echo box to do its magic. And just gently drift up and down in the low scales. Be the sonar ping, just a very quick little movement up in the high range. And again, the echo box will turn it into a big sort of sound. And for jellyfish, I found out with the echo on put my hand in the mix range of the field and just make random quick, strange movements. And it kind of had the right sort of feel. So there must be compositional elements for very simple tune and out to one for a while. I started Sabre be low drone, because the echo will carry that on I can then put another sound on top of it by say doing sonar ping at this point. They go back and reinforced while something a bit and maybe I feel now it's time first a jellyfish to wander past for my field of view. And so on. And after a while you get into a pattern of it, it starts to feel better after a while you start to feel like okay, this song is called on lucky enough and we'll just wind it down.

Rick Reid  27:09  
If you'd like a free download of the beat frequency method, look for the link in this month's show notes. And next month, I'll play more of my interview with Gordon Charlton. He'll be sharing some practical and easy ways to modify your theorem and that might not have crossed your mind. Now we're almost out of time but I want to squeeze in part of just one more track. Here's an excerpt from a recording called Quasimodine. it's from Manchester England-based experimental recording artist Nachtsmeer.

That wraps up the first Theremin 30 podcast of 2020. I want to thank Monalise Modulador de Ondas, Nachtsmeer and myself for providing the great Music in this episode. Also a big thank you goes to Gordon Charlton for being in the hot seat this time around. We'll continue our conversation in the February episode. Also coming up in February, I have absolutely no idea what music I'll be playing. I need you to tell me so if you have an original track that you'd like to play it on the show, contact me through the Theremin 30 website or the Facebook page. Until next time, I'm your host Rick Reid. Thank you for tuning in.

David Brower  29:50  
You've been listening to the Theremin 30 podcast visit Theremin 30 on the web at Theremin three zero.com

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[S01E05] August 2019 - Michelle Moog-Koussa (part 2)

Michelle Moog-Koussa

The August episode of the Theremin 30 podcast features music from USA, Germany, and England. Rick Reid concludes his interview with Michelle Moog-Koussa, executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation. Part one of Michelle's interview is in the July episode. 


FEATURED MUSIC*

"Song for Illusory Impressions Project 2017" - Aileen Adler (Austin, TX, USA)
"Improvisation 2" - Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel (Atlanta, GA, USA)
"Elektromat" - Schramm (Zinnowitz, Germany)
"Fantaisie for Ondes Martenot and Piano" - Charlie Draper (London, England)
"Mortante Elefanto" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England)

ADDITIONAL MUSIC

"Opera Glasses" - Phlogiston Theory and Ron Allen (Denver, CO and Seattle, WA, USA)
"No Static at All" - Phlogiston Theory (Denver, CO, USA)
"Time Shadows" - Phlogiston Theory (Denver, CO, USA)

INTERVIEW

Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director, Bob Moog Foundation and Moogseum (Asheville, NC, USA)

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

Submit your music, suggest a calendar event, or volunteer for an interview by writing to: theremin30podcast@gmail.com. Visit Theremin 30 on Facebook.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theremin30/message

*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.

CREDITS

Producer/Writer/Host: Rick Reid
Opening and closing announcer: David Brower

Copyright 2019 Rick Reid

--------------------
TRANSCRIPT

Please note: This is a machine-generated transcript that has not been manually edited. There will be numerous errors. Check back soon for a corrected version.

David Brower  0:04  
This is Theremin 3030 minutes of Theremin 30 news events an interview with a new episode about every 30 days now here's your host from Denver, Colorado.

Rick Reid  0:19  
USA Well hello and welcome to the only regularly scheduled podcast devoted to Theremin music and Theremin events. In this August 2019 episode of Theremin 30, we'll teach you recordings from the USA, the UK and Germany all played with the permission of the artists. We'll take a look at the calendar of Theremin events. And we'll also hear the conclusion of my interview with Michelle Moga kusa, founder of the bob mug Foundation, and the new museum and Asheville North Carolina. Let's start off with some modern classical music from Austin, Texas. Here's thereminist alien Adler, accompanied by Katherine Davis at the piano

Rick Reid  5:45  
We started that set with Amy Adler and pianist Catherine Davis. Catherine wrote the song for a 2017 performance art exhibition called the illusory impressions project. Then we heard improvisation too from Atlanta based experimental artists do wet for Theremin and lap steel. duet is embarking on a concert tour very soon and I've got details in the Theremin 30 calendar of events. So let's do that right now. On the August calendar of Theremin events, Dr. G is touring the public libraries of Nova Scotia with his science focused concerts for kids. The new museum in Asheville, North Carolina celebrates Leon Theremin 's birthday and its own grand opening with three days of events from August 13 through the 15th. I'll have more details later in the show. in Montreal on August 23, and 24th Alex SHERMER teams with Gregoire blonk for an afternoon Theremin workshops and a concert premiere of a new work composed by Alec and among the September calendar highlights duet for Theremin and lap steel take their show on the road September 5 through the 14th with performances in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois. In mid September, Mandarin electronic hosts several Theremin 100 Japan events, including an attempt to set a new Theremin world record to get more details on these events and many more follow the links on the calendar at Theremin thirty.com. Our next recording comes from the German industrial band Shrum featuring Robert Meyer on Theremin I only took one semester of German in college so I don't know exactly what these lyrics are saying. So if you happen to be more fluent in German than I am Be warned that I haven't screened this tract or any explicit or offensive language. I do know that the song was inspired by the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Robert tells me it's about how a love bombing can turn a healthy individual into a zombie. I just dig it for Roberts Theremin riffs. Here's Shrum with a track called electro Mont

Rick Reid  11:52  
you can see the official music video of electromech in the new Theremin 30 video playlist. There's a link on our website or just search for Theremin 30 on YouTube. There's more music to come on the Theremin 30 podcasts. And we'll play part two of my interview with Michel Moke kusa. So keep listening.

Rick Reid  12:20  
Remember, you can find links to all of the artists featured on this podcast at Theremin three zero.com right now I'm going to break my own rules. This next track does not feature a Theremin. Instead, Charlie Draper plays the owned martineau along with pianist Paul Jackson. This song is called fantasy for owned Martin oh and piano. It was written by French composer Pierre vai loan in 1930, but was never published. And fortunately for my podcast, it is lapsed into the public domain. This is believed to be the second musical composition ever written specifically for the owned Martin No. This live performance was recorded at the Theremin and owned Martin no workshop and recital held at Oxford University this past May

Rick Reid  17:51  
In the July episode of Theremin 30 I interviewed Michelle Moga kusa, the founder and executive director of the bob mo foundation. We talked about the mission of the foundation and about the cool Theremin exhibits at the new museum in Asheville, North Carolina. But we ran out of time. So let's play the rest of that interview now. What do you have lined up for the grand opening celebration?

Michelle Moog-Koussa 18:14  
We are still working on that. But I will let just your listeners know that we have secured a loan of the Moog prototype from the Henry Ford museum. And we will be featuring that and that herb Deutsch will be joining us for two different talks, listening parties and Q and A's and a dinner. And we are working on a couple other events as we speak. So people should check out our Facebook pages and sign up for E newsletters, and they will be able to get some updates then tell people how to find out about that information.

Rick Reid  18:47  
What is your website and Facebook page,

Michelle Moog-Koussa  18:50  
they can go to the Bob Moog Foundation website, which is Moog foundation.org. We've also started a magazine page, but we're still working on it, but they can always check it because it will be growing. And that's magium.org. That's m OGSEUM magium. And we also are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, both as the Bob Moog Foundation and the moseying

Rick Reid  19:14  
and kind of a personal question for you. What are the challenges and the rewards of doing this work about your father?

Michelle Moog-Koussa  19:21  
That's a great question. Let's start with the challenges. The challenges are that it's in a extraordinarily complex and diverse legacy and requiring a lot of attention to detail as far as fully understanding and communicating it. Another challenge would be that people mistakenly think that Bob Moke was a multimillionaire which he most certainly was not, and that he left us millions of dollars to do this work, which is not the case. So people think We're privately funded through that source, when the truth is that we're quite small in our financial resources, and we are donor driven. Another challenge is that people think that we are part of the company mode music, which is also not true. We're completely independent, promote music, and that tends to create its own set of confusion. So we are constantly messaging to people just letting them know that mode, music manufacturers, the instruments, but we are the ones carrying on Bob's legacy through the educational and archival preservation, I would say those are probably the three biggest challenges, the rewards, those are both too many to list. And unmeasurable, Bob's legacy is so rich in not just technology, history, education, but there's a very special spiritual component to his legacy and the way that he and his work, connect with other people and inspire them to do great things on their own. And to be able to witness that through this work has been one of the most rewarding things that's ever happened to me. So just being able to carry on the legacy and continue to help people understand it is quite an immense honor on my part.

Rick Reid  21:23  
That's an experience that I'm sure that very few people get to have with their parents, even though he's not with us anymore. It seems like the relationship you have with him is transformed by the work you're doing.

Michelle Moog-Koussa 21:36  
Yes, it is. And it's been very interesting for me to learn more and more about his professional history, which I knew very little about before I started this job, which was after his passing, because he never really talked about his work. So a lot of what I've learned has been through the work with the foundation. And there will be times when I'm reading about what's happening, often the challenges and you know, even some of the low points in his career, and thinking about what's going on in our family life at that point, maybe how he was, what his stress level was, what other things happened. And it all kind of clicks for me. And that goes for some of the, you know, the positives, as well as not just the hard stuff. But you know, he spent a lot of time away from home. And as a kid, that you interpret that one way, and it might make you feel a certain way about yourself, depending on what kind of kid you are. But the more I read about all these fantastic relationships that my dad had with musicians, how devoted he was to helping them express their craft, and how they were really his beacon, and how deeply inspired they were not only by his work, but by his humility and the ease in which they could connect with him. It really helped me understand and appreciate why he was gone so much because he was gone working with those musicians. And, you know, finally, I would say that running the bob Foundation has not always been an easy to ask. And just about everyone in my family and a few other people have at different points suggested that I give up because it was too hard. And I have said to them, you know how many times in your life you get a chance to do something like this. If you're lucky, you get one chance. So no, I'm not giving up.

Rick Reid  23:20  
While I have you here. Tell me about the documentary film project you're working on.

Michelle Moog-Koussa  23:26  
Electronic wager is a documentary that follows me tracing my dad's footsteps in order to help people understand him well beyond his iconic status. And we've been working on the project for a few years, we have done extensive filming all up and down the East Coast and in Europe, and the director has spent the last four or five months doing some really fascinating editing. And they are hoping to have the editing done by the end of the year, I know that they will be at the grand opening. And they will be doing some additional filming. And Nashville will be doing some voiceover work. And we will be doing an additional set of interviewing and traveling in California, and then the project will wrap up. So we're really excited about it. Because at this point, there are over 100 hours of interviews for the 90 minute documentary and I think it's going to be incredibly interesting and insightful in ways that no other piece of material about Bob mo has been before.

Rick Reid  24:31  
I understand electronic Voyager has been crowdfunded. Is it too late for someone to buy into it or to preorder a copy of the finished film?

Michelle Moog-Koussa 24:39  
I'm not sure but I do know that in the latest Indiegogo campaign they were in a phase that was called something like extended which means you could basically participate after the official deadline. So if any of your listeners are interested they can go to Indiegogo campaign and search electronic Voyager And see if those opportunities are still open. But electronic voyageurs also has a website and they can check there. I know that the crew was looking into accepting donations and there are other ways that people can help. And that help is always welcome because producing a documentary is not only a ton of work, but it requires a lot of finances. So any support there is greatly appreciated. Well, thank

Rick Reid  25:22  
you. I'm curious, are you a Theremin player?

Michelle Moog-Koussa 25:24  
I am not. But I would love to learn how to play the theorem. And if you're only a little bit

Rick Reid  25:30  
so when I I've been at it for 10 years.

Michelle Moog-Koussa  25:34  
Right? And then that's part of it. You know, it's a yes, I would love to learn how to play the Theremin. And I have respectfully not even tried yet because I understand the dedication that it takes. I am in admiration and all of all of the practicing therapists out there.

Rick Reid  25:53  
Well, it sounds like you've got work that you're dedicated to that benefits salt. There are minutes so we really appreciate all you're doing for the electronic music community.

Michelle Moog-Koussa 26:02  
Oh, thank you. Okay, appreciate that. It's my honor.

Rick Reid  26:04  
In the time since I recorded that interview with Michelle, the museum grand opening has been expanded from one day to three days, a full slate of performances, presentations, museum tours, and a banquet have been scheduled for August 13 through the 15th special guests include electronic musicians herb Deutsch, Patrick Moran, Lisa, Bella, Donna and Larry fast you can get all the details online@mobium.org or follow the link on our website. Coming up I'll tell you about next month special guest joining us all the way from Japan. Right now let's go to the UK. Here's B frequency with a brief ambient track called more Dante elephant Oh.

Rick Reid  28:52  
From croxley green England that was beat frequency who many of you may know as Gordon Charlton? I want to thank Gordon alien duet for Theremin and lap steel Robert and Charlie for allowing me to play their music on this podcast and a special thank you goes to my interview guest Michel Moog kusa next month I'm planning to visit with Mario's Giovanna ellia about the Theremin 100 Japan project and the planned attempt to set a new Theremin world record. Also, in this September episode, we'll play some of your original Theremin music, but only if you send it into me, so be sure to contact me through the website to get all the details. Of course, I want to remind you that August is Leon Theremin his birth month. His birthday falls on either August 15 or August 27 depending on which calendar you use. So I'm just going to celebrate for the full two weeks. I hope you do too. 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 threezero.com

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[S01E01] April 2019 - Dan Burns




The inaugural episode of the Theremin 30 podcast features theremin music from the USA, Germany, Peru, England, and France. Rick Reid's interview guest is Dan Burns, the founder of Burns Theremins, a theremin manufacturer based in Conyers, Georgia, USA. 





FEATURED MUSIC*
  • "Pantone" - James Bohn (New Bedford, MA, USA)
  • "Playing Theremin is My Madness" - Everling (Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany)
  • "Anómala" - Veronik (Lima, Peru)
  • "Sue-a-Rat" - Nachtsmeer (Manchester, England)
  • "Angel Wings" - Beat Frequency (Croxley Green, England)
  • "Therexotica" - Voolva (Paris, France)
*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
INTERVIEW
MUSIC EXCERPTS (Fair Use)
CALENDAR OF THEREMIN EVENTS
ON TOUR NOW
MEDIA LINKS
CONTACT
DEDICATION
  • This episode is dedicated to the memory of David Vesel, host and producer of the "Spellbound" streaming radio show for theremin fans and musicians. David is greatly missed in the theremin community.
CREDITS
Copyright 2019 Rick Reid

-----------------------------

TRANSCRIPT

David Brower  00:04

This is Theremin 30. Thirty minutes of theremin music, events, and information, with a new episode about every 30 days. Now here's your host from Denver, Colorado, USA, Rick Reid.

 Rick Reid  00:17

Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of Theremin 30. Every month we'll feature theremin music mostly from unsigned artists around the world who have all graciously provided their recordings to play on this podcast. Hopefully, they'll still be so gracious after they hear my feeble attempts at pronouncing some of their names and song titles. We'll also take a look at upcoming theremin concerts, workshops, and festivals around the world. And we'll chat with a special guest. This month my guest is Dan Burns, the founder of Burns Theremins based in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Now let's get right into the music. Coming up in about six minutes, we've got some mad music by German recording artist Everling. But first, here's a colorful composition called "Pantone" by James Bond from New Bedford, Massachusetts. 

 Rick Reid  10:27
That was Everling from Annenberg-Bucholz, Germany, with "Theremin is My Madness." I think that's an appropriate song for this show. And we started off the set with "Pantone" by James Bond. We have the web links for all of the artists on our website at Theremin30.com, Theremin30.com. If you enjoy what you hear on the podcast, please support the artists by purchasing their music and attending their performances. It's time now for the Theremin 30 calendar of events. There are a bunch of great theremin-related concerts, workshops, and festivals coming up in April and May. Here are just a few you may want to check out. New York-based thereminist Rob Schwimmer is on tour in the UK throughout the month of April with the Mark Morris Dance Group production of Pepperland. It's a modern dance performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sergeant Pepper album by The Beatles. Performances are also scheduled for Brooklyn, New York, in early May, and for Costa Mesa, California, in mid-June. Meanwhile, Carolina Eyck has a busy schedule of concerts and workshops in both Europe and the US this spring. She will also be playing theremin in several performances of The Little Mermaid ballet in San Francisco, beginning April 19. And Dorit Chrysler will be performing once again at Moogfest, which runs April 25 through the 28th in Durham, North Carolina. You can get the details on these events and many more by clicking the calendar of events link at Theremin30.com. Also a brief TV note: you can stream Steven M. Martin's wonderful documentary film Theremin: an Electronic Odyssey this month on Amazon Prime. Our next recording comes to us from Lima, Peru. It's the title track of the Anomala album by Veronik. 

 Rick Reid  15:13
There's more music to come on the Theremin 30 podcast, and we'll visit with the founder of Burns Theremins. So stick around. 

 Rick Reid  15:44
Remember, you can find links to all of the artists featured on this podcast at Theremin30.com. Up next we'll hear the experimental stylings of Nachtsmeer from Manchester, England. This track is called "Sue-a-rat."

 Rick Reid  19:02
Our special guest this month is Dan Burns, founder of Burns Theremins. He joins us via the magic of the internet from Conyers, Georgia. Dan, thanks for being on Theremin 30. Let's start by having you tell us about your company and how it got started.

Dan Burns  19:18
All right, the company is SoundsLikeBurns.com and I started making theremins actually when I was a kid, and later discovered that people were interested in them. That's really how I started making theremins and selling them because I'd make theremins and people wanted them and I'd put one up on eBay and people would buy it and they'd like it. So that kind of got the whole thing going. I think it's well over 15 years that we've been selling theremins.

Rick Reid  19:47
Give me an overview of your product offerings.

 Dan Burns  19:50
Alright, so we have like six different models. It ranges from theremins that just are single antenna, pitch-only theremins to theremins that have both volume and pitch. And they range from a desktop model we call the Great Sounding Theremin, which is a pitch-only theremin. We also have the Zep Theremin, which is the type of theremin Led Zeppelin used. 

Rick Reid  20:14
So the Zep Theremin is a pitch-only? 

Dan Burns  20:16
Yes, it is. It's a pitch-only, and it's in the style that was used by Led Zeppelin. So it, it has a mount on it and mounts on the top of a mic stand. 

Rick Reid  20:25
And so it's really designed for a guitarist to play with one hand. Is that the idea?

 Dan Burns  20:29
That's correct, so the guitarist will often just play it with one hand or swing the neck of the guitar in and out of the theremin field and play it that way. And all of our theremins, I might mention plug into guitar amplifiers. So output levels that are equivalent to the level of an electric guitar, so you can plug our theremins into any electric guitar amplifier and you can also use effects pedals that are used by guitarists to affect the sound of the theremin. 

Rick Reid  21:00
A lot of people want to be able to take a theremin where they don't have a way to plug it in. You have the one handheld battery-operated theremin. 

Dan Burns  21:08
Yes, we have the Handheld Theremin. It has a two-inch built-in speaker so you can take it anywhere and play it. But you must touch it with one hand while you're playing it. Because when you push the button on the front of it, it grounds the theremin through your body. All theremins mostly need a ground of some sort. And this provides the ground capability. So you can take it, hold the theremin in your left hand, let's say, and play it with your right hand and also push the button on and off as you're playing it to accent notes. Then we have the B3 Theremin which is a theremin with pitch and volume antennas which is in a plastic case. And then we also make a model that's in a wooden case that's called the B3 Deluxe, which is a longer case. And then we also make the Pro Theremin which is also in a wooden case with very fine woodworking on it. And that's the theremins we make and sell.

Rick Reid  22:04
Are there any touring acts or recording artists we may have heard of that use your theremins? 

Dan Burns  22:08
Yes, there is quite a number of them. One that comes to mind is Lez Zeppelin which is an all-girl Zeppelin band. Also, Tesla is famous for using one of our theremins on a song about Nikola Tesla. 

Rick Reid  22:31
Where can people learn more about Burns Theremins? 

Dan Burns  22:34
So you can go to SoundsLikeBurns.com or BurnsTheremins.com and look at the complete line of theremins we make and sell. Also, you can go to eBay or Amazon and find our theremins for sale. 

Rick Reid  22:50
Thank you very much. 

Dan Burns  22:51
All right. Bye-bye. 

Rick Reid  22:53
And speaking of Tesla, they are on a US tour throughout the month of April with more dates in the US, Europe, and Canada later in the spring and summer. There's a link to their website on our website, Theremin30.com. Let's get back into the music now with UK experimental thereminist Beat Frequency and an ethereal track called "Angel Wings."

 Rick Reid  29:01
We finished that set with French recording artists Voolva and their appropriately titled recording "Therexotica." And before that, we heard from Beat Frequency, based just outside of London, England. You can find out more about both of these artists and all the musicians featured on this podcast by following the links at Theremin30.com. And be sure to watch for the May episode. It will include the music of Victoria Lundy from her Miss American Vampire album, plus more events and conversation about all things theremin. I'm your host, Rick Reid. Thank you for tuning in.

David Brower  29:48
You've been listening to the Theremin 30 podcast. Visit Theremin 30 on the web at Theremin30.com.


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