ABOUT
Back in the almost mythical era that it is known as the 1970s and early 1980s I was taught classical piano and composition when I was terribly young. Then in the 80s the dread teenage years hit and other things suddenly became more important and music was all but dropped for a few years, although I did keep my hand in doing occasional scores for local choral groups and the odd string quartet now and again.
Then a few short years ago I discovered the wonders of DAW systems and the ability of creating my own electronic music from the comfort of my own sofa without the pesky need for £1000s worth of equipment. And I haven't looked back since.
The first album I bought was Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene in 1977. I'd heard it played on the radio and had never heard anything like that before on popular radio. I was entranced. So armed with pocket-money I started hunting down interesting things to listen to. Since most of the records I discovered weren't played on the radio it was all trial and error. The next album I purchased was Tangerine Dream's Rubycon, based solely on the album cover and description. I was hooked. From there I discovered the delights of Krautrock, prog rock, and artists like Conrad Schnitzler, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, Popol Vuh, Logic System, YMO, Art of Noise, and so on.
I was already familiar with electronic music with Delia Derbyshire (Doctor Who theme), Daphne Oram (BBC Radiophonic Workshop founder), Morton Subotnick (film soundtracks), Stockhausen and the like and I still retain a huge fondness for those early 50s and 60s electronic experimentation.