Sonic Seasoning
by Wendy Carlos
If you follow this journey through the electronic music history, which we started some time ago here on hiphopelectronic.com, you have probably noticed a constant presence.
“An instrument that literally changed the history of music and music composition, the Moog.”
The Moog synthesizer was developed in the mid-60s, and it created a massive transformation. We could compare its impact to what mp3s and digital streaming platforms have done in the last two decades.
This is why we find The Moog synthesizer just about everywhere in all of these late 60s and early 70s tracks we're championing. It changed the way people approached and performed music. Its revolutionary role only waned with the development of the new Digital Audio Workstations (DAW).
It's widely known that the Moog synthesizer takes its name from its inventor Robert Moog, but not many people know that someone else helped him develop his new machine, and Walter Carlos was one of them. Carlos gave advice and technical assistance in developing the Moog synthesizer, convincing Moog to add a touch-sensitive device for more significant musical dynamics.
In addition to the transformation that would revolutionize the music world, Carlos was also personally going through a transformation.
Walter Carlos was about to become Wendy Carlos. In 1962, she came across studies of transgender issues for the first time. In 1968, Carlos began hormone replacement treatments under sexologist and pioneering transgender advocate Harry Benjamin, who began altering her appearance.
In the meantime, Carlos won 3 Grammys for Switched-On Bach, an album of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, entirely performed on a Moog. The unexpected success of the album gave a popularity boost to the Moog Synth in the 1970s.
This popularity, however, created uncomfortable truths for Carlos as a result of the changes taking place within her body and outward appearance. She was terrified to appear in public.
Despite these concerns, Carlos's musical career moved ahead, and she composed what's widely considered one of the most iconic soundtracks of the era. Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, released in 1972, combined a unique melding of synthesized and classical music.
Before releasing Kubrik's soundtrack, Carlos recorded her third studio album between 1970 and 1971.
“Initially released in 1972 under her birth name (Walter Carlos), Sonic Seasonings, it’s simply one of the best things I’ve ever heard. ”
The album is divided into four sections, representing the four seasons, Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter, and composed various field recordings with sounds from the Moog synthesizer. It must be heard entirely as one extended musical suite. It is considered the first ambient/new age album.
The album isn't available on streaming platforms, but you can listen to it here.
Wendy Carlos' story is a tale of physical and technological transformation. Isn't this what music is all about?
