Welcome to the Guide to the Week of Music, a round-up of music news, media and releases from the wide musical world. This week, our repeat listen is Fire records’ reissue of The Groundhogs’ 1969 LP Blues Obituary, we look ahead to the J to Z broadcast of Charlie Hunter & Carter McLean material recorded here at Band on the Wall and soak up new music and visuals from the likes of Connan Mockasin, Mr Twin Sister, Wargirl and more.
Charlie Hunter and Carter McLean to Appear on J to Z
An excerpt of Charlie Hunter and Carter McLean’s breathtakingperformance here at Band on the Wall last month is to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s J to Z,tomorrow. If you missed the show, we highly recommend tuning in to hear Hunter’s uncanny, contrapuntal guitar playing style, which when unleashed upon a seven or eight string axe, allows him to play bass and lead lines simultaneously with mind-being accuracy. Host Jumoké Fashola also celebrates the vibrant Manchester jazz scene with a mix of classic tracks and recent releases. Tune in at 5pm tomorrow!
Moog Release their first new Polyphonic Analogue Synth in 35 Years
The analog polysynth has been an instrument family vital to the progression of electronic music. When models such as the Oberheim VFS-1 and Yamaha CS80 were introduced c. 1975, they enabled users to achieve polyphony (the simultaneous production of two or more notes) for the first time, meaning that more expressive musical ideas could be achieved with synthesized sound, rather than having to revert to pre-existing electric keyboards or pianos for more complex compositions. This at first enabled the likes of Vangelis, Princeand Edgar Froeseto expressively use of synths in soundtrack, RnB and electronic music, but later appealed to the likes of 808 Stateand Peter Namlook, who reverted to the technology for its unique analogue character.
This week, Moog announced their first analog polysynth to be release in 35 years, sharing a mouth-watering meditation on listening, featuring Suzanne Cianni, Robert Glasperand Ryuichi Sakamotoamong others. You’ll need a few spare pennies if you wish to bag a Moog One, but you can enjoy the cool 20-minute film about it for free! As Robert Glaspersuccinctly puts it, “normally the Moog is for the ‘other’ hand…but the Moog One is for both hands.”