Moogfests’ ‘The Global Synthesizer Project’ aims to collect sound from around the world

by | Apr 26, 2016 | MUSIC

Richmond has no shortage of bizarre and intricate sound projects and we have no shortage of love for them.


Richmond has no shortage of bizarre and intricate sound projects and we have no shortage of love for them.

Moogfest, the NC-based music festival which honors and celebrates the 70’s synth-creator Robert Moog, is aiming for a complex new project which aims to also celebrate sound composition and noise from around the world.

That’s where the British sound-art designer Yuri Suzuki and “The Global Synthesizer Project” comes in.

“The Global Synthesizer Project,” aims to be an interactive electronic musical instrument installation where users synthesize environmental sounds from around the world. The final project will premiere at Moogfest, May 19-22 in Durham, NC.

Utilizing an archive of atmospheric field recordings from diverse geographies, “The Global Synthesizer Project” empowers users to create new sonic environments through the manipulation of a diverse collection of source materials.

But the project needs your help to build the library of noises to add to the custom Moog-designed-and-built synth module. “The Global Synthesizer Project” is asking audio adventurers and sonic scouts from across the globe to contribute local sounds from their regions.

Field recordings can be submitted to GlobalModular@moogmusic.com in either .aiff or .wav format.

Check out the video below to help participate in the project, and head over to moogfest.com for more info about the fest, tickets, and more.

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in music

Dispatch from the Lewis Ginter Picket Line

An on-the-ground account of the strike that prompted Jesse Welles and Graham Nash to cancel their Richmond performances. Tensions escalated as Jesse Welles called off his performance at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden yesterday amid an ongoing union fight for higher...

In Plan 9 We Trust

This weekend, Plan 9 Music marks 45 years in Richmond with a party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Over the past four and a half decades, the Richmond institution weathered some of the most turbulent periods in music history. It closed stores, sold its warehouse and...

RVA Pro Wrestling is on a Tear Right Now

Last year, Dogwood Dell was packed out. The hillside was full, the crowd was loud and RVA Pro Wrestling put on one hell of a show. It wasn't just wrestling. It was entertainment built for a Richmond audience, mixing big personalities, over-the-top antics and...

Photos | The Strokes at Allianz Amphitheatre

The Strokes are the most important rock band of the 21st century. In 2001, they changed the dial from grunge to garage, and singlehandedly sent every record label on a scavenger hunt for their sauce. If you weren’t around back then you might think I’m exaggerating....

Good Day RVA is Back and Bringing Friends Along

For four nights this weekend, bands from different generations of Richmond's music scene are taking over Get Tight Lounge. Called Tonal Recall, the series is part reunion show, part showcase and part excuse for a bunch of old friends to get back in the same room. ...

Deau Eyes Returns With New Album ‘To Grow Instead’

Four years is an eternity in today’s music industry, especially when algorithms reward content, not creativity. When streaming services punish silence, at the expense of artistic evolution.  In this disconnect, some artists race against trends, abandoning the...