Episode 172

Chapter 31, ARP Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music 

Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes.

This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text.

The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings.

There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast.

Let’s get started with the listening guide to Chapter 31, ARP Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music.

Playlist: MUSIC MADE WITH ARP ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS

Time

Track Time

Start

Introduction –Thom Holmes

01:34

00:00

1.     Elias Tanenbaum, “Contrasts” (1971) from ARP Art. Used the ARP Odyssey.

05:03

01:40

2.     ARP demonstration. Roger Powell and Harry Coon, The ARP 2500—How it Sounds, side 2 from The Electronic Sounds Of The Arp Synthesizer 2600 And 2500 (1972 ARP Instruments). Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM. Music by Harry Coon and an improvisation by Roger Powell.

06:19

06:46

3.     ARP demonstration. Roger Powell and Harry Coon, The ARP 2600—How it Works, side 1 from The Electronic Sounds Of The Arp Synthesizer 2600 And 2500 (1972 ARP Instruments). Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM. Narrated and all music by Roger Powell.

07:38

13:02

4.     Roger Powell, “Ictus: Primordial Pulse,” (4:57), “Lumia: Dance Of The Nebulae” (5:14), “Fourneau Cosmique: The Alchemical Furnace Of Cleopatra,” (7:42) (1973) from Cosmic Furnace. Featured the ARP 2500, ARP Soloist, ARP 2600, and ARP Odyssey.

17:50

20:40

5.     Bobbi Humphrey, “My Little Girl” (1974) from Satin Doll. Featured Larry Mizell on ARP synthesizers.

06:38

38:32

6.     Herbie Hancock, “Palm Grease” (1974) from Thrust. Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP 2600, and ARP String synthesizer.

10:35

45:16

7.     John Keating, “Starcluster” (1975) from Space Experience 2.  Featured the ARP 2600 and Pro- Soloist.

03:44

55:50

8.     Joseph Byrd, “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1976) from Yankee Transcendoodle. Featured the ARP Odyssey.

03:22

59:34

9.     Charles Earland, “Sons of the Gods” (1976) from Odyssey. Featured the ARP Pro- Soloist, ARP Axe, ARP String Ensemble, Clavinet and organ.

05:44

01:02:58

10.   Jean Michel Jarre, “Oxygene, Parts I, II, and III” (1976) from Oxygene. Used ARP and other synthesizers.

18:40

01:08:39

11.   Michel Magne, “Trip Psychiatrique” (1978) from Elements, La Terre(1978). Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Omni Polyphonique, and ARP 2600.

04:35

01:27:22

12.   Mike Mandel, “Pyramids” from Sky Music (1978). Featured the ARP Odyssey, ARP Pro Soloist, and ARP Omni II.

05:59

01:36:51

13.   Eliane Radigue, “Triptych Part 2” (1978) from Triptypch. Composed and performed on the ARP 2500 modular synthesizer.

11:56

01:37:52

Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.

My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022.

See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.

For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.