He would have been 78 today were he still with us.

Maverick electronica explorer, Atomic Shadow, shares the same birthday (May 23rd) as the late, great Dr. Robert “Bob” Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer. In recognition of that coincidence, Hollow Sun Records is releasing the Shadow's first two albums, 'Creatures From Beyond' and 'Project Berna', for a limited time with ALL proceeds from sales going to Moog’s namesake educational venture, the Bob Moog Foundation.

The mission of the Foundation is to ignite the innovator in us all through exposure to interactive educational experiences that draw from Dr. Bob Moog’s legacy of groundbreaking work at the intersection of music, science, and imagination.

Atomic Shadow is at the forefront of modern abstract electronica using as he does true retro equipment from the 50s and 60s ... test oscillators, reel-to-reel tape machines tape delays and feeding in tape loops, etc., with a nod to modernity with MoogerFooger pedals. His music invokes influences from the likes of Tod Dockstader, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and many others. Atomic Shadow's electronica is moody and dark, sometimes chilling, sometimes thrilling, sometimes whimsical, always intriguing and challenging.

He was recently runner up in the London Science Museum's 'Oramix' remix competition judged by Brian Eno, DJ Spooky and The Wire.

He also recently won the ‘I Dream Of Wires’ modular synth award with exemptions and exceptions that although his wall of retro gear isn't exactly a 'modular synth' per se and pre-dates Dr. Moog's classic designs, it represents instead the kind of music laboratories of the early pioneers.


 
The Shadow says of his contribution…

"The futuristic sounds of the early pioneers of electronic music captured my imagination as a child and continues to influence my work to this day. Dr. Bob was one of these pioneers. From his early love of the Theremin to his ground breaking modular instruments, through the innovative keyboards that have appeared on countless classic and modern recordings. This legacy must be preserved for our children and I am happy to give the Bob Moog Foundation my support. Through their efforts, the next generation of music and engineering pioneers may be inspired to dream, innovate and create the sounds for an entirely new world of tomorrow."

Hollow Sun Records is an on-line label dedicated to bringing fine electronica and considered sonic tapestries to discerning listeners. All recordings are available in high quality WAV format.

'Creatures From Beyond' and 'Project Berna' are released today, May 23rd, on Bob's and The Shadow's birthdays, priced at £3 each, for a limited period.

http://www.hollowsunrecords.co.uk/bmf

Even if The Shadow's particular brand of of electronica isn't your mug of Earl Grey, please buy these albums anyway in recognition of a visionary individual and to contribute to a great cause. This is Starbucks latté territory price-wise and you get two great albums of abstract electronica in return as well as knowing that kids will be getting hands-on experience of noise making!!



This fundraiser is done with the full support, approval and co-operation of His Bobnesses' daughter, Michelle, with whom we have been in close contact. By all accounts, she's as delightful as her father who I had the good fortune to meet and chat with on several occasions.

http://www.facebook.com/BobMoogFoundation

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Consider my virtual PayPal credit card well and truly pulled out. I do have a weakness for this sort of thing.

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Gear List: reverse only.

Thanks Dave. You're a good man. I see you've bought both - excellent! The BMF will be happy. I hope you enjoy them.

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Website / Music Lab Machines / Blog

I'm probably not going to get the chance to unzip them until tomorrow morning, bit of a hectic day today, but I will be listing tomorrow . . .

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Gear List: reverse only.

List away, Dave!

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Listened to Project Berna this morning. Very nice, reminds me a bit of a more minimalist early Cluster and, strangely, of Node, who were far more into big modular systems than test gear and tape loops.

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Gear List: reverse only.

Quote Dave Gate:

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Listened to Project Berna this morning. Very nice

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Website / Music Lab Machines / Blog

Now... I'd like more people to stick their hands in their pocket and support the Bob Moog Foundation.

Come on people, the BMF was founded to bring electronic and the physics of sound to young people, to give them hands-on experience of synths through a non-profit organisation to teach and educate future generations with the ultimate intention of having this incorporated in educational curricular.

To adopt a more Bob Geldof approach, I don't care if you like The Shadow's music or not (but it's worth a listen perhaps even if it's not your preferred genre)...

But buy the albums and (to quote St Geldof) "Give us your fooking money".

I've been working closely with Michelle, His Moognesses' daughter, on this and we want to raise as much as we can for the BMF to promote and educate youngsters in electronica and synths and give them an experience they may not otherwise have access to. It all costs money. I've done a few free guest appearances at my daughter's school and it's good to spread real-world knowledge.

But my daughter's lucky. She's an unshabby muso, aged 15 with Grade 8 piano and violin behind her and she can come in here and play with my big modular synth and other gubbins and have a great time. Others aren't so fortunate but the BMF has the possibility of taking this to kids who would otherwise have no access to this stuff so that they can get their hands on it, play with it to educate and enthral them and maybe change their lives for the positive.

That might sound like a ludicrous claim but back in the early 70s, fascinated as a young teenager with these new fangled things called 'synthesisers' as I was, a local arts centre ran an electronic music course. There, I was introduced to playing with and working with and getting all hands on with EMS VCS3s and Synthi-As and Synth-AKSs. It quite literally changed my life and is responsible for what I do now ... and I have made a respectable living from it, met and worked with some bloody fantastic people.

This is what the BMF wants to achieve - to inspire, to teach, to educate, to give hands on.

So come on people - buy these albums. £6 - less than the price of a pack of cigs or a few beers with your mates or a Starmucks and a slice of cake ... for two 12 track albums of (albeit) obscure) electronica. Even if you never listen to the buggers, you can get a nice feeling that your £6 will go towards giving some kid access to play with a real synth and learn and experience something fascinating that might just make a difference to their lives and future.

I am not making a penny from this (ALL proceeds are going to the the BMF) but I have been lucky so time to give a bit back. Please support the BMF and Dr Bob's legacy and innovations by buying these albums. There are a lot of us here who wouldn't/couldn't be doing what we do at whatever level be it hobbyist, semi-pro or pro without Moog's work.

I am not one who subscribes to Moog being the 'inventor' of the synthesiser (others had been making synths at the same time and we had synths before he unveiled his in 1964 ... not least of which was the fully polyphonic Hammond Novachord back in 1939) but he rationalised the voltage controlled synthesiser into something logical and (vaguely) understandable. Then Walter Carlos came along with 'Switched On Bach', sold millions of copies, won several awards and put the synth on the map as a 'serious' instrument.

But, whatever, the BMF is a good enterprise. Please support it and buy the albums.

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