Erik Satie’s ‘Gnossienne No 1’ On Buchla Music Easel (Scanner)

Synthesist Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) shared his take on Erik Satie‘s classic Gnossienne No 1, arranged for Buchla Music Easel.

Here’s what Rimbaud has to say about the cover:

“Sometimes life can certainly throw challenges at you, but today the sun is shining and I was able to tease out something elegant from the Buchla Music Easel. It’s a little version of the classic Erik Satie: Gnossienne No 1.

I’ve always loved these minimal and simple works by Satie as they are highly experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure, rather like the Buchla Music Easel itself. It’s very much a way to rethink the familiar.

Ease yourself into four minutes of gentle electronics. Happy listening…”

9 thoughts on “Erik Satie’s ‘Gnossienne No 1’ On Buchla Music Easel (Scanner)

  1. Well, honestly it s nice, but it lacks a huge ammount of dynamic,, much more than polyphony. If you listen to the original piece, you can feel the real yearning

    1. I understand where you’re coming from, but don’t you think the point of arranging a piano piece for a Buchla is to explore very different qualities than the original?

      On the piano, you’re limited by timbre. Here, he’s limited it polyphonically.

      If you wanted to get closer to typical piano version, it seems like you’d want to just play it on a polyphonic synth. There’s a great album of Rameau arrangements for DX7 by Bob James that takes that approach.

      1. I m a techno producer, and sound designer, not a gradueted culture vulture. I m totally open to explorations and breaking boundaries.
        My humble point of view was just: Nice timbre interpretation, but without dinamic it sound a bit flat

  2. Fascinating to hear it played monophonically and how the “essentials” of the mood come through.

    I like how most of the grace notes don’t arrive to their “destinations” — but just become these little suggestive blips interrupted by the LH ostinato pattern. My very thorough memory of the piece fills in all the blanks.

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