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From: abh@ccivax.UUCP (A. Hudson)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Larry Fast as "Synthesist to the Stars"
Message-ID: <153@ccivax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Jun-84 13:39:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccivax.153
Posted: Wed Jun  6 13:39:27 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Jun-84 19:40:43 EDT
References: <723@pyuxn.UUCP>
Organization: CCI Telephony Systems Group,  Roch, NY
Lines: 34



THE WAY IT USUALLY WORKS: 
An experimenter comes up with an original idea,
    in this case new synthetic timbres, textures, circuits, techniques.
Examples: Moog with vco oscillators, Fast with computer/synthesizer
interfaces (not the first but rather widely used), Jeff Beck with
the 'talking guitar' effect. 
The original idea is then applied to a more 'accessable' (this descriptor
is used by that musical traitor, John Wetton, to describe the mindless
schlep of Asia), commercial medium. 
And of course there are fairly popular bands that reap the benefit of
the previous works: J. Geils (Love Stinks), Van Halen, "Jump", Thomas
Dolby and his Fourier driven, real-time wave synthesizer, etc...

In the case where someone brings a 'new sound' to a musical force
there are two opposing viewpoints one can take. One can be viewed as
a Marco Polo bringing new goods, or as a revisionist in the act of
degrading the art form. These views are of course pretty heavily
dependent upon whether 1) you like the music, 2) you like the
band, 3) you like the direction. A lot of people were upset when Dylan
went electric at Monterey, but even more turned on to it when they got over
the initial fright. 

"Synthesist of the stars" - I'll reserve personal comment on Dolby's
current direction in his commercial medium. If you're interested,
reply via mail.


-- 
					Andrew
	...{rlgvax | decvax | ucbvax!allegra}!rochester!ritcv!ccivax!abh

"From the ever cycling epicenter of Rochester...."