Moog (film)
Encyclopedia
Moog is a 2004
documentary film
by Hans Fjellestad
about electronic instrument
pioneer Dr. Robert Moog
. The film features scenes of Dr. Moog interacting with various musical artists who view Moog as an influential figure in the history of electronic music
.
Moog is not a comprehensive history of electronic music nor does it serve as a chronological history of the development of the Moog synthesizer
. There is no narration, rather the scenes feature candid conversation and interviews that serve more as a tribute to Moog than a documentary.
The film was shot on location in Hollywood, New York
, Tokyo
, and Asheville, North Carolina
where Moog's company is based. Additional concert performances were filmed in London
and San Francisco.
The film's 2004 release was designed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Moog Music
, Robert Moog's company that was founded as R.A. Moog Co. in 1954.
features 17 original songs by different artists produced on Moog instruments:
The double
CD soundtrack album
also features seven songs that prominently feature Moog instruments that were not recorded for or used in the film:
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Hans Fjellestad
Hans Fjellestad
Hans Jorgen Fjellestad is a musician and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Fjellestad co-founded the Trummerflora Collective, and has worked as a curator/producer for the international art initiative, inSite 05. A classically trained pianist, he studied music composition and improvisation at...
about electronic instrument
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
pioneer Dr. Robert Moog
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
. The film features scenes of Dr. Moog interacting with various musical artists who view Moog as an influential figure in the history of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
Moog is not a comprehensive history of electronic music nor does it serve as a chronological history of the development of the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
. There is no narration, rather the scenes feature candid conversation and interviews that serve more as a tribute to Moog than a documentary.
The film was shot on location in Hollywood, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
where Moog's company is based. Additional concert performances were filmed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and San Francisco.
The film's 2004 release was designed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
, Robert Moog's company that was founded as R.A. Moog Co. in 1954.
Soundtrack
The soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
features 17 original songs by different artists produced on Moog instruments:
- "Abominatron" (33)
- "Variation One" (StereolabStereolabStereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
) - "Bob's Funk" (The Moog CookbookThe Moog CookbookThe Moog Cookbook is the name of an electronica band made up of Brian Kehew and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. as a parody/tribute to the novelty "Moog records" of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The duo performs exclusively on analog synthesizers, especially Moog synthesizers...
) - "You Moog Me" (Jean-Jacques PerreyJean-Jacques PerreyJean-Jacques Perrey is a French electronic music producer and was an early pioneer in the genre. He is best known within the sphere of popular music as a member of the influential electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and for his unusually light-hearted style of music.-Biography:Perrey was...
& Luke VibertLuke VibertLuke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
) - "The Sentinel" (Psilonaut)
- "Unavailable Memory" (Meat Beat ManifestoMeat Beat ManifestoMeat Beat Manifesto, often shortened to Meat Beat or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens formed in 1987 in Swindon, UK...
) - "When Bernie Speaks" (Bernie Worrell & Bootsy CollinsBootsy CollinsWilliam Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
) - "Endless Horizon (I Love Bob Mix)" (Electric SkychurchElectric SkychurchElectric Skychurch is an electronic or acid trance band based in Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 1991 by composer and producer James Lumb, who initially involved vocalist Roxanne Morganstern and percussionist Alex Spurkel in the project. Over time, Electric Skychurch has also included...
) - "Micro Melodies" (The Album LeafThe Album LeafThe Album Leaf is an American solo musical project founded in San Diego, California in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer and Rhodes piano...
) - "I Am a Spaceman" (Charlie ClouserCharlie ClouserCharles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine...
) - "Sqeeble" (Plastiq PhantomPlastiq PhantomPlastiq Phantom is the musical alias of qp who records music ranging a wide variety of genres. Plastiq Phantom first began releasing music in 1999 with the self-released CD-R Select Imputor? EP , which became the impetus for the formation of his own record label imputor?.His debut full-length...
) - "Realistic Source" (Bostich)
- "You Have Been Selected" (Pete Devriese)
- "Nanobot Highway" (Money MarkMoney MarkMark Ramos-Nishita aka Money Mark is a producer and musician who has collaborated with the Beastie Boys many times. He also appears on the first Banyan album in 1997 as the "Freeway Keyboardist".-Career:...
) - "Mixed Waste 4.2" (BaiyonBaiyonBaiyon is a Japanese multimedia artist from Kyoto, Japan.Baiyon, Real name Tomohisa Kuramitsu, has an artistic vision which links his own graphical designs and music.In 1998, Kuramitsu began painting and making music, and later founded the label....
) - "Beautiful Love" (TortoiseTortoise (band)Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
) - "Another Year Away" (Roger O'DonnellRoger O'DonnellRoger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in the Psychedelic Furs, the Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.- Background :...
)
The double
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
CD soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
also features seven songs that prominently feature Moog instruments that were not recorded for or used in the film:
- "Lucky ManLucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer song)"Lucky Man" is a song by the English progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer, from the group's 1970 self-titled debut album. Written by Greg Lake when he was 12 years old and recorded by the trio using improvised arrangements,...
" (Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
) - "CarsCars (song)Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
" (Gary NumanGary NumanGary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
) - "E.V.A." (Jean-Jacques Perrey)
- "Mongoloid" (DevoDevoDevo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
) - "Blue MondayBlue Monday (New Order song)"Blue Monday" is a single released in 1983 by British band New Order, and later remixed in 1988 and 1995. The song has been widely remixed and covered since its original release, and became a popular anthem in the dance club scene.-Background:...
" (New OrderNew OrderNew Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
) - "Baroque HoedownBaroque Hoedown"Baroque Hoedown" was created by early synthesizer pioneers Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley in 1966. The composition was once described as being a "harpsichord gone country". It later became the theme song for Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade and for a time, the Electrical Water...
" (They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
) - "Close to the EdgeClose to the Edge (song)"Close to the Edge" is the title track to progressive rock band Yes's album of the same name. The song is over 18 minutes in length and takes up the entire first side of the album. It consists of four movements.- Movements :-I...
" (YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
)