It was sequenced electronic music like this that inspired me to develop Meander in 1988. My first iteration was a 16 note MIDI sequencer for sequencing my Roland Alpha Juno 2 and my Ensoniq Mirage. Under Windows, the Meander “MiniSeq” became reasonably sophisticated for the time. I supported more or less an unlimited number of 16 step pages or bars. For each step I could specify MIDI note, channel, patch, note-on volume, note-off volume and note length. The sequence could evolve on a note or bar basis according to the Meander time correlated noise functions (just exponentially smoothed pseudo random numbers of the Perlin type at that time).
As you might have noticed, I still prefer to create sequenced music, but since Meander for Rack does not include the sequencer or the drum machine of Meander for Windows, I use a lot of other folks sequencers and sequential switches to which I apply the Meander music theory expert system rules.
I just now grabbed this image from an executing Meander for Windows window. After so many iterations of Windows, the GUI text does not all line up correctly.
My city has produced a number of well known artists such as Buddy Holly, Mac Davis and John Denver. Also a lot of outlaw country rock, several from my high school.
This following music does not fall into any category I know. This is “Paralyized” by Norman Odam aka “The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.” from about 1968. Some point out that the initials for his name are LSD. But, as strange as it is, David Bowie was inspired to take the name as the basis for his Ziggy Stardust character. I was watching a David Bowie documentary over the weekend, and it mentioned this although they got they city wrong. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy was several years older than me, but he was still the talk (or outrage) of my high school when I was there.
For the moon landing mission of 1969, NASA decided to play Paralyzed to wake up the astronauts. Factually, that became the first and probably only song to be banned from being played in space since it freaked the astronauts into a panic.
But they are dyslectic, 'cause that would be LSC , had it been The Legendary Stardust Dildo, they would be right, but I think Steely Dan beat them to it.
It’s all contrived, but it was short for Legendary Star Dust Cowboy, or the LSD Cowboy. Norman says he used the name before LSD was a thing, but he sure would have been young.
Speaking of contrived associations, my middle name is Norman and my best friend in high school’s last name was Odom. The Stardust cowboy was 4 years older than us, but several nuts thought that my friend and I must surely be associated with the infamous legend, based on our names . Any chance to pick on an outsider… My friend and I were just nerds.
Why did I post this yesterday? Because this community topic is all about “legends” and personal experiences, now and then. I like to think about the power of music to change the world, or at the very least change the future in some gigantic way or some very small way. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy is a very good example of “what lasts?” and “why does that last?”. The music of a Texas flatland teenager and young adult influenced the world and is still being talked about. His music breaks every expectation of what sounds “good”. Music theory is essentially meaningless in this context.
As I get older, I participate in the perpetuation of legends, of others as well as of my own. It is fun to be able to tell a story “I was there.” but I enjoy telling the stories of “I was then.”. I was not there the day the music died (Buddy Holly), but I was then. I was not there at Woodstock, but I was then. I was not there when Robert Moog launched a revolution, but I was then. I still vividly remember the day I learned about “The Mood Synthesizer”
I love the What’s In Your Bag YT vids, so many great recommendations. This one was from one of the Linda Lindas, who should be cherished dearly themselves. I feel the future is safe in their hands.
Still listening to Dengue Fever. They have a great back story as well as a cool sound.
In the late 1990s, keyboardist Ethan Holtzman discovered Cambodian psychedelic rock music while traveling in that country. Coincidentally, his guitarist brother Zac Holtzman (then with the band Dieselhed) had discovered the same music while working at a record store. The brothers formed Dengue Fever in 2001 to perform songs recorded by Cambodian artists like Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ran, and others, most of whom died or disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime.
. Any chance to pick on an outsider… My friend and I were just nerds.
