What The Future Sounded Like

Brought to my attention by Matrixsynth, this short film about the Electronic Music Studios (EMS), creators of the Synthi range of analogue synthesizers, The VCS3 & some vocoders to boot, is due to be released this year with screenings in Australia (where the documentary was made) and here in the UK at the Berkshire International Film Festival & the Sheffield Doc/Fest.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Post-war Britain rebuilt itself on a wave of scientific and industrial breakthroughs that culminated in the cultural revolution of the 1960’s. It was a period of sweeping change and experimentation where art and culture participated in and reflected the wider social changes. In this atmosphere was born the Electronic Music Studios (EMS), a radical group of avant-garde electronic musicians who utilized technology and experimentation to compose a futuristic electronic sound-scape for the New Britain.

Comprising of pioneering electronic musicians Peter Zinovieff and Tristram Cary (famed for his work on the Dr Who series) and genius engineer David Cockerell, EMS’s studio was one of the most advanced computer-music facilities in the world. EMS’s great legacy is the VCS3, Britain’s first synthesizer and rival of the American Moog. The VCS3 changed the sounds of some of the most popular artists of this period including Brian Eno, Hawkwind and Pink Floyd. Almost thirty years on the VCS3 is still used by modern electronic artists like The Emperor Machine.

What The Future Sounded Like colours in a lost chapter in music history, uncovering a group of composers and innovators who harnessed technology and new ideas to re-imagine the boundaries of music and sound. Features music from Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Roxy Music and The Emperor Machine.

This looks thoroughly rivetting stuff and I can't wait to get a look at this.

There is a trailer page Here.

Here are some pics...







This should be a hit amongst us synth geeks :)