Music
Learn About The History Of Modular Synthesis From Morton Subotnick
The pioneering electronic musician opens up about his first encounters with the mighty Buchla modular system.
There are some musicians who have played a singularly important role in music history. Morton Subotnick is undoubtedly one of those figures. Co-founder of the San Francisco Tape Music Center—which boasted Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros and Steve Reich among its ranks—Subotnick subsequently ushered in a new form of recorded and performed electronic music as a result of his role in helping to develop the first Buchla modular. As Subotnick detailed to Electronic Beats in a brilliant interview two years ago, his work in conceiving a new mode of electronic music production ultimately lead to the recording of his cult LP Silver Apples Of The Moon. From there, as they say, the rest is history.
Subotnick sat down with the Art + Music + Technology podcast for a candid and free-wheeling discussion about his history, the world’s contemporary artistic climate and his current musical output. You can check it out in full below.
Read more: Check out the very first Buchla 100 modular system in action
