RADIOPHONIA celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop featuring a rare UK Performance by Electronic Music Pioneer & the Inventor of Sampling, Jean-Jacques Perrey
Radiophonia
featuring Dick Mills, Jean-Jacques
Perrey, Dana Countryman, Brian Duffy
and Broadcast
Concert at The Sage Gateshead, Saturday 1st March 13:00 onwards (talks) and 19:30 concert as part of AV Festival 08 (28 February - 8 March)
In 1963 a groundbreaking TV signature tune was first aired and a generation of young viewers dived behind the sofa. Fifty years later the 'Doctor Who' theme is still the most famous product of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, who celebrate their 50th Anniversary at a special concert on Saturday 1st March at The Sage, Gateshead - 'Radiophonia' - as part of AV Festival 08 Festival.
Original Workshop member Dick Mills will also give an illustrated talk about their work (at 13:00). Dick was chief sound effects producer on 'Doctor Who' for almost 20 years.
Founded by the BBC in 1958 the Workshop was a pioneer of weird and wonderful electronic sounds in the days before synthesizers, samplers and multitrack tape recorders, and it was staffed by a bunch of non conformist innovators. Members include Delia Derbyshire, Dick Mills, John Baker, David Cain, Malcolm Clarke, Roger Limb and Elizabeth Parker.
The techniques initially used by the Radiophonic Workshop were closely related to those used in 'musique concrete' where new sounds were created by using recordings of everyday sounds such as voices, bells or gravel as raw material, or 'radiophonic' manipulations. In these manipulations audio tape could be played back at different speeds, altering a sound's pitch, reversed, cut and joined, or processed using 'reverb equalisation'.
The workshop's groundbreaking work became significant not just in broadcasting circles and are now considered important pioneers of UK electro-acoustic composition. Their compositions also inspired a new generation of musicians in the 1960s and 70s who also used new sounds including the legendary French composer and musician Jean-Jacques Perrey.
Jean-Jacques Perrey - now nearly 80 years old, but still incredibly prolific - is best known for his work with electronic music, in particular the space age pop sounds that became his signature which were created by using the Ondioline instrument, magnetic tape and Moog synthesizers.
He has been described as a 'living legend in the history of 20th Century electronic music, whose influence as a composer and scientist has shaped the future of every electronic musician in the World today'. He is also credited with inventing sampling and for bringing tape loop technologies into the mainstream, and his work has influenced generations of musicians since his first groundbreaking compositions in the 1950s.
Jean-Jacques will give an illustrated talk (at 16:00) followed by a rare live performance with collaborator Dana Countryman at part of the Radiophonia concert. There will also be a screening of 'Life, Laughter and Loops' a documentary about the pioneering developments of Jean-Jacques Perrey and his work with Bob Moog and others.
Also on the Radiophonia bill is an exclusive radiophonic DJ set by the UK band Broadcast and a live performance by electronic artist Brian Duffy in collaboration with a participation group from The Sage Gateshead.