Saturday 3 April 2010

Wee Have Also Sound Houses - BBC Radiophonic Workshop Documentary - 1979.



Ok, this isn't the Radiophonic appreciation society (although it easily could be), but I couldn't resist sharing this gem which was first broadcast on April 1st 1979.
This is so much more than just a documentary, and I prefer to think of it as a Radiophonic album in it's own right. Listen to this late at night with your favorite 'relaxant' and you will be transported to another universe, I promise.
Rather than concentrating on the marvelous Delia Derbyshire, this 'documentary' also focuses on the life and work of workshop co-founder Daphne Oram, inventer of the mind-bending "Oramics" machine, which produced pure electronic sound.
It was about the size of a chest of drawers and was constructed from metal shelving materials. Electric motors pulled eight parallel tracks of clear 35mm film stock across scanners that operated like TV sets in reverse. On the film she drew curving black lines, squiggles and dots, all converted into sound. It looked and sounded strikingly modern.
This programme sounds like a cross between a dream and a freaky educational broadcast.

Download it here.