Image: kscherer11

Saturday Synth Porn: Great shot of Keith Emerson rocking out, with his monster modular synth as a backdrop.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

The exhibition, which highlights the inventor’s career and the impact that it had on the world of music, will feature rare vintage synthesizers and other related Moog instruments and memorabilia from the Bob Moog Archives and from various private collections.

A custom video presentation created by Moog historian and exhibit consultant Brian Kehew will form a central part of the exhibit. The exhibit will explore the numerous musicians, engineers and colleagues who played a vital role in the evolution of the Moog sound and the relationship between and the inventor/toolmaker and the musician, as well as the genesis of a variety of musical interfaces.

The instruments featured in the exhibit will trace the history of Moog’s work. The exhibit begins with vintage theremins and a prototype of the first modular synthesizer, which originally belonged to Herb Deutsch, an experimental music composer from Long Island whose 1963 meeting with Dr. Bob Moog would help define the synthesizer as a musical instrument, and set a course for the future of electronic music. Other excellent examples of modular instruments from the late 1960s and early 1970s will be on exhibit, most notably Keith Emerson’s famous “Monster Moog” will be featured for the first time as a part of the museum display.

The exhibition will highlight and explore crucial steps that were taken in the advancement of the Moog synthesizer during the years following the development of the modular system. The display will showcase a sequence of models that led to the emergence of more compact instruments, such as the Minimoog. The main impetus behind this tremendous work was Moog’s vision to create a portable electronic music studio on which musicians could compose and perform.

The opening weekend (August 28 -30) will kick off with a launch of the Moog exhibition featuring intimate musical performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander and talks by Larry Fast and Brian Kehew.

Tickets for the opening weekend events can be purchased on the Museum’s website beginning August 3, 2009. The Museum is planning an array of exciting programming throughout the seven-month exhibition with panel discussions featuring people who collaborated with Moog throughout his lifetime, and concerts featuring top synthesists. The ultimate goal of this exhibition and its programs is to highlight Moog’s career while celebrating synthesis as a whole.

About Bob Moog

Bob Moog (1934-2005) was a pioneer in the field of electronic music, inventing the Moog synthesizer in 1964. His invention made synthesis accessible to musicians for the first time and in doing so provided them with new realms of sonic expression. The instrument revolutionized the face of music and was used by such early synthesists as Wendy Carlos, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jan Hammer, and more.

“Bob Moog was one of the great visionaries of our time. His ideas far transcend just music, and to this day continue to have impact on everything from rock to rap to quantum physics” – Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)

Moog’s career spanned over 50 years and his work left an indelible impact on music, musicians and music-lovers alike. Bob Moog’s unique legacy is one of expanding musical expression through innovation and inspiring musicians to explore the boundaries of sonic reality. Tens of thousands of musicians worldwide were, and continue to be, inspired by Moog’s work, and the sonic palette it provides.

Bob Moog was awarded two GRAMMYs for his work: the NARAS Trustee’s Award in 1970 and Award for Technical Achievement in 2002. He also won the Polar Music prize in 2001 from the King of Sweden and numerous other prizes that recognized his contributions.

Every Sunday, we bring you a sweet Sunday Synth Jam or two.  This week we’ve got a classic synth jam from Keith Emerson.

OK – this is as much of an organ jam as a synth jam, but when you hear Emerson, Lake and Palmer wail on Knife Edge, there will be no quibbles about that sort of thing.

Keith Emerson jams on organ, wails on the synth, engages in onanistic pantomime with a ribbon controller, makes strange electronic mating noises with a spring reverb and then finishes the thing off by playing the organ again, backwards.

Whew!

via iga0125:

from “Emerson, Lake and Palmer”(1970)- Keith Emerson / keyboards – Greg Lake / vocals, bass, electric & acoustic guitar – Carl Palmer / drums, percussion

ELP synth god Keith Emerson is working on a new album, and has a lot to say about it. 

“I can honestly say that my forthcoming album, which has all new compositions, truly defines all that I have worked for, not only in my musical life, but in my entire life!” says Emerson.

“My new album takes in a lot of my past while making a huge departure into the future – hence the OASYS,“ he explains. “Bob Moog’s creation was, for me, the mother of all inventions which allowed great companies, such as Korg, to take it further. The material covers pretty much the history of prog rock and beyond; it is very organic.”

As for album names, after judging his initial ideas as sounding “too contrived,” Keith has gone for the most straightforward option. “ELP’s first album was just called Emerson, Lake and Palmer,” he explains, “therefore my first original studio band album will simply be called The Keith Emerson Band, featuring Marc Bonilla.”

On Why He Needs So Many Keyboards On Stage

Forming the core of Emerson’s current recording and live setup is his beloved Hammond B3 (modified by Al Goff); a large Moog Modular system and an acoustic piano. In addition to these three staple components, Korg’s flagship workstation, the OASYS, has been drafted in to provide all the orchestral textures and Keith’s favorite pipe organ sounds.

“It’s very much like a choreographed performance: I have to choreograph where I go and learn all the moves, regardless of how much my keyboard technician or I program the set list. I also prefer not to split the keyboard for the same reasons.

“For anything that does need altering, I have an off-stage guy called Marc-Andre who operates a rack of Korg stuff and changes patches manually according to the set list. They are basically laid out in sequence. Some of these might communicate with the OASYS via MIDI so that we can alter the acoustics, but my rig is always being torn down and reconstructed depending upon what is necessary to do the job.”

On An Emerson, Lake & Palmer Reunion

Keith has ruled out working with fellow ELP founders Greg Lake and Carl Palmer, saying “there’s no likelihood of an ELP reunion.” 

via Korg

Image: Alimar