(Phantom Limb)
The Soviet-era electronic instrument is often used as an exotic novelty, but the Icelandic musician unleashes its real potential
In the century since Leon Theremin invented his eponymous instrument – as a Lenin-approved symbol of Soviet technological ingenuity – the theremin has been paraded as the human face of electronic technology. From classical musician Clara Rockmore in the 1930s and psych rockers Lothar and the Hand People in the 1960s to the soundtracks of Miklós Rózsa and the jazz-infused solos of Pamelia Kurstin, the theremin is often used as an exotic novelty sound, placed alongside “proper” instruments.
The (literally) frictionless device – you change the pitch by moving one hand further or closer to an antennae, and alter the volume moving the other hand up and down – can sound uncannily like an operatic human voice, a swanee whistle, a violin or an FX-laden electric guitar.
Continue reading...by John Lewis via Electronic music | The Guardian
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