Last week, my friend Richard (who is a fantastic Western landscape photographer), sent me a link to a documentary called Sisters With Transistors, which tells the stories of some of the women who were pioneers in early electronic music. The film came out in 2021 and somehow I completely missed it. I’ve been a fan of electronic music since I first heard Tangerine Dream in high school and have been dabbling in it myself for the last several years using VCV Rack and most recently, the Arturia Mini Freak.
The film presents a fascinating cross-section of artists and includes icons like Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, and Bebe Barron, each of whom made significant contributions to the genre. That said, I did find it a little odd that they basically just glossed over Wendy Carlos. They mentioned Switched-On Bach, but completely ignored the fact that she worked directly with Bob Moog to develop the Moog synthesizer, she won three Grammy Awards, and composed music for A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), and Tron (1982). Instead, they credited Suzanne Ciani as the first woman to compose a Hollywood film score for her work on The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981). I don’t know whether the slight was intentional or had anything to do with the fact that Wendy Carlos was born Walter Carlos, but it definitely felt like a strange omission that so many of Wendy’s accomplishments went unmentioned. Hopefully, it was just that the filmmakers had to make choices around time, since so many artists were represented.
If you’re a fan of electronic music—especially the history of it—I think you’ll really dig the movie. If you’re new to electronic music or would just like to learn more about it, I’ve added a bunch of interesting links, including a few to Lisa Bella Donna, who I’m hoping to record a conversation with in the not too distant future.
QUESTIONS
Is there an artist you think I should feature or have a conversation with? Hit reply, leave a comment, or email me at talkback@jefferysaddoris.com. As always, if you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend or two, and if you’re not yet subscribed, maybe you could do that too.
Thanks for reading.
LINKS
Sisters With Transistors
The Delian Mode - Delia Derbyshire documentary
Wendy Carlos
Switched-On Bach: How a transgender synth pioneer changed music
'She made music jump into 3D': Wendy Carlos, the reclusive synth genius
Wendy Carlos and her Moog Synthesizer | BBC Archive
Suzanne Ciani On Modular Synthesis & The Buchla 200e
Suzanne Ciani: a masterclass in modular synthesis
Interview with designers: Émilie Gillet (Mutable Instruments)
Lisa Bella Donna
Electronic Voyages, by Lisa Bella Donna
Moogmentum (Presented by the Bob Moog Foundation), by Lisa Bella Donna
Constance Demby - Novus Magnificat: Through the Stargate 30th Anniversary
The difference between hearing and listening | Pauline Oliveros
I would suggest Geddy Lee but I think he might be a little hard to get a hold of for an interview.