I will be the first to admit it. I am a bit of a gear head. I like little knobs that can be turned, exotic instruments bought at garage sales, and dusty machines that alternate between snappy pings and lush voluuuuupps.
I salute the Moog, the Big Muff, the Theremin, the LoopStation, the Vocoder, the Wah. Well...maybe not the Wah so much anymore. But you get my point. Electronics are here to stay and I for one welcome our new transistor-based musical overlords. Bring on the strange sounds; assault my ears with pretty little fuzzy notes.
I am not alone in this. CBC Radio 3 host Tariq Hussain is perhaps even more obsessed with this stuff than me. As a matter of fact, going to shows with Tariq can be on the lonesome side. He instantly plants himself at the front right of the stage in order to properly watch the feet of the guitar player. I am not even remotely joking. Lonely perhaps, but there is a good side - when I want to know how a band gets a peculiar sound - he's a pretty good guy to ask. He recently helped me when Edmonton's Shout Out Out Out Out came to our Studio to do a session.
If anyone reading this wants to know how a Canadian band gets a certain sound, feel free to write me at feedback@cbcradio3.com. I am perfectly willing to send Tariq to do our dirty work.
