These Hopeful Machines: http://www.radionz.co.nz/concert/progra ... ulmachines
6 one hour programmes.
Lots of stuff I never knew and some things I did but now better understood due to being nicely linked together and put into context.
Here's the series overview to explain a little better than my babbling:
James Gardner traces a personal path through the evolving world of electronic music – and meets some of the people who made it happen. In six content-rich episodes he looks at over 100 years of recording techniques, electronic instruments and gizmos, and their use in popular music, art music and their position in Western culture.
We have exclusive interviews with BBC Radiophonic Workshop personnel Brian Hodgson and Mark Ayres, EMS pioneers Peter Zinovieff and David Cockerell, American musicians Bernie Krause and Morton Subotnick, jingle, logo and sound-effect maestra Suzanne Ciani, computer music pioneers Barry Vercoe and John Chowning (he also of FM synthesis fame), Fairlight CMI developer Peter Vogel, German keyboardist and composer Irmin Schmidt, and synthesiser programmer Phill Macdonald.
We also hear from several other pioneers along the way including Bebe Barron, Tristram Cary, Robert Moog and Miller Puckette.
Many audio examples have been very kindly given to us for use in these programmes and some are being heard for the first time publicly.
gonna fire up the audio generator this weekend
