Electro-Acoustic Orchestra
Out-of-the box, no-holes-barred, we-play-any instrument, any genre instrumental music. Pop, rock, hip-hop, classical, ska, blues, jazz, new age, dance, electronic, you-name-it! Guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, synth, violin, cello, strings, harps, woodwinds, horns, brass, percussion, flutes, clarinets, oboes, trumpets, trombones, french horns, violas, saxes, we got 'em all!
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Ever since Switched On Bach, (Wendy Carlos' landmark recording of Bach classics performed on an early Moog synthesizer, a new cd in 1968), electronic instruments have proven themselves capable of handling orchestral challenges. For many years since, composers have given synthesizers and samplers a place alongside guitars and drums, becoming staples of rock, pop, jazz, new age, television and film scores. and dance music. Electronic-acoustic sounds are coming of age. Electronic classical music has spawned its own new genre.
Now, as computers compete with TVs for the family's attention, electronic instruments are much more familiar, especially to young people who have always been exposed to them.
Electronic classical music is still a mystery to many ears. Classical music has been "uncool" in many households, since the days of Elvis. But, electronic instruments add life and style to some very clever music.
What may be less familiar in new cds, are some acoustic sounds that have been hiding from the spotlight since the dawn of rock. More complex styles of earlier composers, such as Rachmaninoff, Copland, even Mozart, are not familiar to younger ears. Many baby-boomers have never heard a full concerto or symphony. Thought to be "long and boring," they are really full of variety, with less repetition.
"Breathing expression" into electronic musical instruments is extremely challenging. Instead of muscle control with a bow or breath, the musician uses subtle moves of the instrument's controls. The result can be just as emotional.
Your musical influences
Copland, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Howard Jones, Chris Spheeris, Carl Stalling, Dave Grusin, Billy Barber, Flim & the BB's, David Benoit, Erasure, Larry Fast.
What equipment do you use?
Korg Z1, Kurzweil K2000R, Roland 5050
Anything else?
Cubase, Canadian Club
