Oct 31, 2012 — Morton Subotnick released the first all-electronic album, Silver Apples of the Moon, in 1967. Last Friday, he returned to Moogfest 2012 in Asheville, N.C., to perform the whole thing live. Hear the performance in its entirety.
n p r n e w s
on:
NCPR is supported by:
This is a Visitor-Supported website.
More from NPR
May 25, 2013 — As the nation prepares to mark Memorial Day, outrage has been building on Capitol Hill and beyond over the military's failure to repair a system that has placed service members in more danger of sexual assault than of battlefield injury.
May 25, 2013 — Income and wealth inequality is just about as American as baseball and apple pie. And although the economy has improved in the last few years, the unemployment rate for black Americans is about double that for whites.
May 25, 2013 — President Obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques, but he's largely avoided discussing whether the tactic ever produced valuable information. He might not be able to avoid it forever: The CIA is preparing an official response to a report that concluded the techniques were worthless.
May 25, 2013 — With rising economic power, a new generation of Indian women is giving matchmaking a modern twist. While most Indian marriages are still arranged, single women are increasingly making their own choices, meeting potential mates via marriage-focused websites and companies that organize group outings.
May 25, 2013 — The contentious little creatures were allowed in the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in its 100-year history. Their presence has been hotly debated, but celebrity-decorated gnomes will be sold for a cause.
Morton Subotnick performs his legendary album Silver Apples of the Moon in its entirety 45 years after it was first released. (Adam Kissick for NPR)
Morton Subotnick In Concert: Moogfest 2012
by Bob Boilen
Oct 31, 2012 — Morton Subotnick released the first all-electronic album, Silver Apples of the Moon, in 1967. Last Friday, he returned to Moogfest 2012 in Asheville, N.C., to perform the whole thing live. Hear the performance in its entirety.Morton Subotnick released the first all-electronic album, Silver Apples of the Moon, in 1967. Last Friday, he returned to Moogfest 2012 in Asheville, N.C., to perform the whole thing live.
I can still remember the first time I first heard that record in the late 1960s. It felt revolutionary in the way it changed the nature of electronic music from science-fiction gimmicks to a major cultural and musical force. The music was commissioned by Nonesuch Records, which offered Subotnick $1,000 to create the work. (That was a lot of money back then.) Subotnick worked with electronic wizard Don Buchla, using oscillators, filters, touch-sensitive keyboards and early sequencers to create the album.
It was fascinating to hear Morton Subotnick re-create Silver Apples of the Moon 45 years later against the backdrop of Moogfest and so many other young, innovative players. I trust some of today's electronic artists showed up and delighted in what Subotnick did all those years ago.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.9(MDAxNzgwMTg5MDEyMTQ4Nzc4MjdiNWVmMw004))
Missing some content? Check the source: NPR
Copyright(c) 2013, NPR
