Hear A Young Bob Moog Predict The Future Of Electronic Music In 1970
This radio interview offers a surprising insight inside the mind of a true synthesis pioneer.
Electronic music is everywhere these days. It’s so common that it’s easy to forget that it was once avant-garde. One person who was responsible for bringing electronic music to popular acceptance was Robert Moog. His Moog Music company created many of the synthesizers that would define electronic music as we know it today. Moog was the man behind the synthesizer that Leonard Bernstein used to switch on classical audiences to the potential of electronic Bach. Considering his importance, it’s interesting to hear what Moog had to say about synthesizers back when they were still relatively new.
Case in point is this fantastic interview on Pacifica Radio recorded in 1970. Hosted by Gene Enders at the R.A. Moog Turmansburg facility—the HQ for Moog’s inventions at the time — the interview includes an introduction to the principles of synthesis, and opens up into questions about the possible new horizons for contemporary music introduced by the modular synthesizer. It is divided into two parts, which you can hear below.
Read more: This documentary explains how the Moog modular changed music forever