27 Jul 2010:Andrew Collins looks at the history of the Synthesizer.
28 Jul 2010:The series continues with an in depth look at the end of the seventies, the end of punk. Kids who can't play the guitar well enough to get in a punk band start forming synth bands. We hear how The Human League, Heaven 17, Thomas Dolby, Depeche Mode and New Order shaped the sounds of a generation. Synths then are everywhere and ultimately take over the world. The DX7 is the worlds first million selling synth and we hear why? We also discover how synths joined the musical mainstream and paved the way for others to follow and emulate.
29 Jul 2010:As people grew tired of the Soft Cell and The Thompson Twins approach to music the electronic Genie leaped out the bottle to reveal how sampling would change what we hear. In this third programme Andrew Collins explores the sampling boom and the way drum machines could never drive a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool but could redefine the beat of the late 80's. We hear how technology became cheap letting groups like M/A/R/R/S and White Town release singles from their bedrooms turning music into a democracy.
30 Jul 2010:In the final part of the series, Andrew Collins gives us a glimpse of the electronic future as it appeared to him in 2004. As electronic music reaches maturity, new artists are going back to the original synthesisers and mixing them with the most up to date technology to create new fusions. Computers rule the planet and music. You no longer need to be a musician to make music, you can be a programmer. Vintage instruments can be re-created on your laptop. Electronics have become sophisticated in the live environment with bands like radiohead sampling and replaying vocals during a live track. You can buy a software singer and guitarist for under £200 each. Have we finally created Kraftwerk's Man Machine?
