Author: Jim Allen

Premiere: Will Magid – Set Me Free

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willmagid

Bay Area musician Will Magid wears a lot of hats. In addition to being a producer and an electronic musician, he’s also a trumpeter, composer and an ethnomusicologist. All of these roles have informed Magid’s second album, Alligator Spacewalk, which is due out May 13. But the last-named might have had the biggest effect of all. Inspired by discoveries he’s made during his studies, of disparate cultures coming together in one big musical melting pot, Magid has crafted his new album with a strikingly diverse set of sonic references.

Not only do the styles that come into play on the album include everything from Cuban rhythms to New Orleans influences and slippery electro-funk—even the aural textures themselves are all over the map. Strings and horns share space with synths and guitars, but the whole thing hangs together. On “Set Me Free,” which you can stream below for a sneak peek at the Alligator Spacewalk sound, some of the funkiest Moog bass lines you’ve ever heard rub elbows with an elegant string section and Magid’s own sleek trumpet lines for a sound as resonant as it is singular. If you’re near the Bay Area, you can catch the debut party for the album at The Mezzanine on May 13, but if not, “Set Me Free” will still get you off to a good start.

Help Make Electronic Voyager, A Movie About Robert Moog

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moog doc Electronic Voyager

Without Dr. Robert Moog and the instruments he created, electronic music would sound very different today — if it even existed at all. There has already been a documentary made to document the impact Moog synthesizers have had on the world (2004’s aptly titled Moog), but nobody has ever made a film that follows the story of the man behind the music, at least not until now. Bob Moog’s daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa, is at work on a movie that will tell the tale of her father’s personal journey, showing not only what he’s done and what his work has meant, but also who he is and how he did it.

Robert Fantinatto and Jason Amm, the directors responsible for the excellent modular synth documentary I Dream of Wires, are working with Moog-Koussa to make Electronic Voyager a reality. Besides digging into the details of Bob Moog’s life, the film is set to include interviews with everyone from Moby and Portishead’s Adrian Utley to Moog’s peers like Tom Oberheim and Roger Linn. But like any movie, this one costs money to make, so if you’ve got any interest in expanding on the Moog legacy, pitch in a couple of bucks to the film’s Kickstarter fund and help make it happen. You can earn some cool rewards in the process too.

Premiere: Klienfeld & Malt – “Believe”

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klienfeld

As soon as you hear the propulsive, pared-down sound of Klienfeld & Malt’s “Believe,” you know that the New Yorker is a man with techno in his bones. Klienfeld refers to his own approach as a “stripped down Detroit” kind of feel. In fact, that’s part of what drew Alexander Technique—whose Drop Ready Records is releasing the three-track Believe EP on May 9—to Klienfeld in the first place. “I first saw Klienfeld DJing at an after-hours warehouse party and he was playing the sickest techno,” he recalls. “I went up to him when he was playing ‘Strike’ by Jimmy Edgar and we became friends instantly. I asked if he made music and when he said yes, I had to put him on my label.”

In that spirit, “Believe” is all about the beat, but it also offers no shortage of sonic atmosphere. Klienfeld’s blend of texture and momentum is probably what’s gotten him the admiration of DJ icons like Danny Tenaglia and Todd Terry. But you don’t really need to hear anybody else’s opinion of Klienfeld in order to get into “Believe.” All you have to do is listen and let the track take over.

Moog’s Modular Classic Model 15? There’s An App For That

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moog15

The original Moog Model 15 was a mighty modular beast, offering anyone who was willing to navigate its patch bays some of the thickest, richest, most versatile sounds in the world of modular synthesis. But up until now, if you wanted to experience the power of the 15 for yourself, the closest you were likely to come was the limited-edition reissue, and even that would send you back 10,000 big ones. That has changed with the arrival of Moog’s Model 15 Modular App, which retails for a nicer price at $30.

Moog has gone to great pains to recreate all the classic features that made the original version of the 15 so special, from its celebrated 921-series oscillators and 904A low pass filter to its 907 fixed filter bank. There are also advantages the original machine’s users never had, besides the ability to carry it in one’s pocket. There are tutorial presets that walk you through the creation of patches and show you how the signals flow. And when your first patch point has been picked, all other possible patch destinations are highlighted to make your moves less complicated. The app offers complete MIDI integration, including dedicated audio bridge and MIDI bridge modules, and it supports current iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad technology.

In the video below, you can see legendary electronic musician Suzanne Ciani exploring the app’s possibilities. The sounds she has created on it are available as an expansion pack from the in-app store.