Optigan Disc - VIBRASCAPE

optigandotcom

New 2011 Optigan Disc - VIBRASCAPE
Now available for Optigan owners, pre-order >> HERE,
along with the three new Vako Orchestron discs: VIBRAPHONE, FLUTE & CELLO.

VIBRASCAPE presents the sound of the vibraphone in a uniquely Optigan fashion. The keyboard tones are arranged as a series of rhythmic patterns that create hypnotic, pulsating soundscapes when chords are played. (This disc is not particularly suited to melodic playing). The chord buttons feature sustained bowed vibraphone chords. The special effects switches help keep the groove going with a selection of rhythms from the Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2, an old-school beatbox and technological contemporary of the Optigan. Optigans equipped with a spring reverb will provide the most haunting sound, which is further enhanced by inserting the disc upside-down for backwards play.

Vibraphone played and recorded by Mark Greenberg (of The Coctails, The Mayfair Workshop) / Music produced, edited, and mastered by Pea Hicks (of Optiganally Yours, formerly of Tit Wrench and Lucas & Friend)

MellotronMovie

MELLODRAMA: Mellotron/Chamberlin Documentary Trailer

"Mellodrama," a documentary by Dianna Dilworth, explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron - the first musical keyboard to "sample" the sounds of other instruments - from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama is a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery.

The film features interviews with Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Mike Pinder (Moody Blues), Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Rod Argent (The Zombies), Jon Brion, Matthew Sweet, Michael Penn, Pea Hicks and many more.