From Aural Innovations #37 (Sep 2007)
The Theremin, for those who don’t know, is a unique electronic musical
instrument invented by Léon Theremin way back in 1919. Its uniqueness
comes from the fact that the musician doesn’t actually touch the instrument
while playing it, but waves his or her hands around two antennas to produce
the sounds. It found favour with composers like Bernard Hermann in the 1950’s
for its ability to bring a very alien feel to sci-fi movie scores like the one
he composed for The Day the Earth Stood Still, and has since been associated
with all things freaky and alien in nature. Today, you can purchase ‘build
your own’ Theremin kits and even download virtual Theremins to play on
your computer, both of which Wisconsin’s Richard Wixner has done.
Using a homemade PAIA Theremax with a modified oscillator coupling, and adding
several virtual Theremins along with synths, effects and other software, Wixner,
under the name Alien Tech, explores a strange world of weird and haunting electronic
music. Blending the swooping tones of the Theremins with sequences, atmospheres
and strange effects, he creates sonic landscapes that you could just imagine
Robbie the Robot or Klaatu and Gort walking through while blinking flying saucers
hover overhead and silver cities rise in the distance. The music is undeniably
electronic, but varying in tone from mellow and soothing, to dark and foreboding,
to just simply strange and out there. Occasionally the music borders on a new
age kind of feel, as with the gentle sequences floating in the background of
the opening cut, Thereminoid, but the weird sliding tones of the Theremin always
add a freaky, dissonant feel to it, keeping it well within alien realms. Wixner
goes out on a limb too with the opposite extreme and sometimes adds distortion,
as on the short track Howls Alive, turning the Theremin into some kind of cosmic
rock n’ roll doomsday machine. But most of the tracks explore a strangely
spooky, ethereal retro-futuristic dimension of sound and space that is both
relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.
The Theremin is an instrument that has always fascinated me, so this album is
a welcome addition to my collection. For enthusiasts of this unique instrument’s
sound, or those who are just curious, you can’t do much better than Alien
Tech’s Theremin Fantasies for an exploration of the Theremin’s possibilities.
For more info, visit: http://www.anotherplanerecords.com
Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald