Radiophonic workshop

hi,
did anyone see the bbc 4 programme last night about the radiophonic workshop? my god those people were ahead of their time and had a lot of patience. building up tunes and themes from tiny bits of tape and strange machinery designed to produce different sounds and effects.
i'd forgotten the scary soundtracks that we were forced to listen to in the 70's, especially the for schools programmes.
a very interesting programme that if it crops up again is well worth catching - especially for the strange bearded man lurking around in the background of most shots very surreal.
cheers


julian

 

Twas good Ju, however Hippy was paid well as that extra, hence his move

 

Dam my secrets out
was certainly an intressting program,anyone here own the ray cathode single?

 

Delia Derbyshire of Radiophonic Workshop fame (she died a year or two ago) was a true pioneer of electronic music. Anyone who likes this kind of stuff should get hold of the album she made in the late 60s with David Voorhaus of White Noise fame, it's called An Electric Storm and it's fantastic:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000761B/ref=lm_lb_3/202-7747605-8203014

-- Ian

 

yeah,
anyone responsible for a track named Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO using looped robots chanting backwards in religeous extasy over a power convertor has got to be worth a listen. trully bonkers but compelling nonetheless.
cheers

julian

 

What was the name of the show it was on?

... so that we who don't get the direct broadcast can listen on the radio 4 website ? Thanks.

 

olny problen stevec it was on bbc tv channel 4,one of the freeview channels,not bbc radio 4,but its on again
Sunday 19 October 2003 9pm-10pm; rpt 1.10am-2.10am; Tuesday 21 October 8.30pm-9.30pm;
Wednesday 22 October 11pm-midnight
more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/alchemists.shtml

 

Thanks! I must dig out my Doctor Who single

 

Ah right, cool! I missed it first time around, but this definitely sounds like the sort of programme that'd really interest me.

Had a look around what was left of the Radiophonic Workshop in 1996 when I was taken on a tour of Meida Vale Studios. By then, the department was just about in its last days and due to cease being in a few months time. It was just a single room with a couple of Apple PCs, a master keyboard, some racks of midi sound modules and a small digital mixing console with flying faders - oh and those ubiqutous LS12/5 oversized standmounter grade 1 monitor speakers.

 

Word has it that at some point they ripped out their beautiful EMS Synthi 100 modular synth and flung it in a skip. BASTARDS. The Synth 100 was about the size of an average room's wall, only a couple were ever made, and if I think about this act of depravity for longer than a few seconds I will start crying. If you haven't seen one check this out: http://www.synthmuseum.com/ems/emssynthi10001.html

Hmmm… [reaches into back pocket for credit card…]

Tony.