Music from the Forbidden Planets – The Pioneers of Electronic Sound

Music from the Forbidden Planets is a blog dedicated to the pioneers of electronic sound. Here you will find articles, interviews, and reviews of the latest electronic music.

The Beginnings of Electronic Music

Music from the Forbidden Planets – The Pioneers of Electronic Sound is a new documentary that explores the history of electronic music. The documentary features interviews with some of the most influential and important figures in the world of electronic music, including Giorgio Moroder, Brian Eno, and Jean-Michel Jarre.

The first electronic instruments

Early electronic instruments were developed at the end of the 19th century. The first was the theremin, invented in 1920 by Leon Theremin, a Russian physicist working in the Soviet Union. The theremin is played without physical contact by moving the hands in the air around two metal antennas. The sound is produced by electromagnetic fields that are produced by the movement of the player’s hands.

The theremin was quickly followed by a number of other early electronic instruments, including the ondes martenot (1928), trautonium (1930), and Ondioline (1940). These instruments were all designed to be played manually, using a variety of physical controllers such as keyboards, joysticks, and ribbons.

In the 1950s, new electronic instruments began to appear that were designed to be played with pre-recorded sounds or live sounds processed through electronic circuits. The first of these was the Mellotron, invented in 1954. The Mellotron used pre-recorded sounds stored on magnetic tape strips that were played back when keys on a keyboard were pressed. This allowed for a much wider range of sounds than had previously been possible with traditional acoustic instruments.

The Mellotron was quickly followed by a number of other similar tape-based keyboard instruments, including the Chamberlin (1957), Novatron (1959), and Optigan (1972). These instrument proved to be highly influential on the development of electronic music, particularly in the field of popular music.

The first electronic music composers

The first electronic music was composed in the early 20th century, long before the advent of commercial synthesizers. These early composers used a variety of novel electronic instruments and techniques to create new sounds.

Some of the earliest electronic music was created with theremin-like instruments. These instruments used electrical signals to generate sounds, which could be manipulated by the performer. The Theremin was patented in 1928 by Leon Theremin, and was used in a number of early electronic compositions.

In the 1950s, composers began using commercial analog synthesizers to create new sounds. These new instruments allowed for much more control over the timbre and pitch of the generated sound. Composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Henry were among the first to experiment with these new machines.

Today, electronic music is created with a wide variety of digital and analog synthesizers, as well as computers and other digital audio processors. This allows composers to create any sound they can imagine, limited only by their own imagination and technical skill.

The Birth of the Synthesizer

The first electronic instruments were developed in the early 1900s. These instruments were used in experiments by avant-garde composers such as Edgar Varese and Luigi Russolo. These composers were looking for new ways to create sound. In the 1930s, new electronic instruments were developed that could be played by musicians. These instruments, called theremins, were used in films such as The Lost Horizon and Spellbound.

The first synthesizers

The first synthesizers were created in the early 20th century, and were used primarily for creating sound effects for movies and radio. These early instruments were very simple, and could only create basic tones and noises. In the 1930s, however, new electronic technologies began to be developed that allowed for more complex sounds to be created. These new instruments, known as theremins, were the first true synthesizers.

Theremins were named after their inventor, Leon Theremin, who designed them in the early 1920s. Theremins were played by manipulating two metal rods that stuck out from the instrument’s body; one rod controlled pitch, while the other controlled volume. This made them very difficult to play, but also allowed for a wide range of sounds to be produced.

In the 1940s, another type of synthesizer was developed that used vacuum tubes instead of metal rods. This new instrument, called the Ondes Martenot, was even more complex than the theremin, and could produce a wider range of sounds. The Ondes Martenot was used by a number of famous composers, including Olivier Messiaen and George Gershwin.

By the 1950s, electronic music was becoming more popular, and a number of different types of synthesizers were being developed. In 1955, Robert Moog created one of the first voltage-controlled synthesizers; this type of instrument would go on to become one of the most popular types of synthesisers in use today. In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of different companies began manufacturing synthesizers; some of the most popular brands include Moog, ARP®, and Yamaha®.

The first electronic music albums

The first electronic music albums were released in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when composers such as Louis and Bebe Barron, Daphne Oram, and Edgar Froese began experimenting with emerging electronic technologies. These early works were primarily intended for use in film and television soundtracks, but they soon found their way into the pop culture zeitgeist.

The Barrons’ score for the 1948 science fiction film Forbidden Planet is often credited as being the first true electronic music album. The Barrons used a variety of electronic instruments, including theremin, to create their eerie and otherworldly soundscapes. Oram’s 1956 album The Blast of the Bomb was likewise influenced by her work in film and television; it featured her own original compositions as well as sound effects recordings from various war films.

Froese’s 1968 album Electronic Meditation was a milestone for electronic music; it was the first album by German group Tangerine Dream, and it helped to define the genre of “kosmische musik,” or cosmic music. Electronic Meditation combined psychedelic rock with longer, more hypnotic electronic passages, paving the way for subsequent Tangerine Dream albums like Phaedra (1974) and Rubycon (1975). These albums would go on to have a profound influence on subsequent generations of electronic musicians.

The Pioneers of Electronic Sound

Music from the Forbidden Planets is a documentary about the pioneers of electronic sound. This documentary features interviews with some of the most influential electronic musicians of our time. These artists discuss the origins of electronic music and its influence on popular culture. Music from the Forbidden Planets is a must-see for any fan of electronic music.

The first electronic music festivals

Although the first electronic music festivals date back to the early 1950s, it was really in the 1960s and 1970s when they began to take off. With the growing popularity of electronic music, these festivals became increasingly popular, attracting some of the biggest names in the genre.

Some of the most famous electronic music festivals include:

-The Berlin Love Parade: This annual festival began in 1989 and quickly became one of the most popular electronic music events in the world. It attracts over 1 million people each year and features some of the biggest names in electronic music.
-The Electric Daisy Carnival: This festival began in 1997 and has since become one of the most popular electronic music events in North America. It attracts over 300,000 people each year and features multiple stages with different genres of electronic music.
-The Tomorrowland Music Festival: This Belgian festival is one of the biggest and most popular electronic music festivals in the world. It attracts over 400,000 people each year and features some of the biggest names in electronic music.

The first electronic music clubs

The first electronic music clubs began to appear in the early 1990s, when rave culture was in full swing. These clubs were typically located in warehouse spaces or converted industrial buildings, and they quickly became hotspots for new and innovative music. Many of the early pioneers of electronic music got their start playing at these clubs, and they continued to play a major role in the development of the genre.

Some of the most famous early electronic music clubs include:

The Orbit Room in London, which was one of the first clubs to focus exclusively on electronic music.
The Hacienda in Manchester, which was one of the most influential clubs of the early rave scene.
The Warehouse in Chicago, which was one of the first American clubs to embrace electronic music.

These clubs helped to shape the sound of electronic music and launched the careers of many influential artists. They also served as a meeting place for like-minded people to come together and enjoy this new type of music.

The Future of Electronic Music

Electronic music has been around for almost a century, with the first electronic musical instruments being invented in the early 1900s. In the years since, electronic music has evolved and changed drastically, with new genres and subgenres being created all the time. Today, electronic music is more popular than ever, and it shows no signs of slowing down. With the advancements in technology, the possibilities for electronic music are endless. So what does the future hold for this ever-growing genre?

The next generation of electronic music composers

As technology advances, so does the music composed with it. The next generation of electronic music composers are building on the foundations laid by their predecessors to create new and exciting sounds.

By harnessing the power of computers, they are able to create music that was once impossible to imagine. By making use of new and innovative software, they are pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Although the tools available to them are constantly evolving, the one constant is the creativity of the people using them. The future of electronic music is in safe hands.

The next generation of electronic music festivals

The electronic music festival scene has exploded in recent years, with new festivals popping up all over the world. But what does the future hold for these events?

There are a few trends that suggest where the electronic music festival scene is headed. First, there is a growing trend for festivals to move away from traditional concert venues and into more natural settings. This is partly due to the increasing popularity of camping festivals, but also because many electronic music fans prefer to experience the music in a more natural setting.

Second, there is a trend towards smaller, more intimate festivals. This is likely due to the growing popularity of niche genres within the electronic music umbrella, such as chillout and downtempo. Fans of these genres often prefer smaller festivals that offer a more intimate experience.

Finally, there is a trend towards sustainability and eco-friendly festivals. This is partly due to the increasing awareness of environmental issues among young people, but also because sustainable practices can often lead to cheaper ticket prices and a better overall experience for festival-goers.

As you can see, the future of electronic music looks bright. The scene is growing and evolving, and new trends are emerging all the time. So whether you’re into big camping festivals or small chillout gatherings, there’s sure to be an event that’s perfect for you.