Film teaser for the documentary What The Future Sounded Like - the story of the Electronic Music Studios and their impact on music history. www.myspace.com/whatthefuturesoundedlike
The Beginning
Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. was formed in 1969 by Dr. Peter Zinovieff to market innovative ideas arising from his private studio and interest in musical applications of computers. Over the next ten years many seminal products were released and many talented designers worked for the company. EMS had its own peculiar brand of British eccentricity which could be both endearing and annoying, but should be viewed in the context of true pioneering. It is easy to copy and follow others, but not to think up new ideas in the first place and EMS had no shortage of originality. The EMS influence was significant and can be traced into many contemporary products.
It may be difficult for a generation brought up with 32-bit computers and digital signal processors as consumer items to appreciate just how revolutionary Peter Zinovieff's projects were. In the 1960s to have access to a 12-bit computer with 1K of memory outside the academic or military establishment, let alone have two personal ones and then use them for music, was completely unheard of. To have a video screen as well when most people programmed with punched cards was beyond belief. Today there is a huge worldwide market for electronic music equipment, but there is little that was not envisioned by the EMS team before 1970 ten to twenty years ahead of their time.
synth 100
The demise of EMS has many parallels with that of ARP. Both companies succumbed to the lure of the guitar market, ARP with the Avatar and EMS with the Hi-Fli. Both put a large amount of R&D effort into ambitious projects that were never completed. Had they both stayed within the markets they excelled in history could be quite different. After gearing up to make large quantities of the Hi-Fli, for which there was not actually a corresponding demand, EMS incurred burdening debts. Diversification with the International Voice Movement and falling victims to a financial fraud made the collapse of EMS in 1979 inevitable.
Interest in EMS and particularly the VCS3 has now reached cult proportions and its products have become rare collectors items. The fact that VCS3s exchange hands for up to £2000 while a DX7 is lucky to scrape £250 is testimony to how they are appreciated. Unfortunately there is much misinformation and many inaccurate websites and press articles, even when they plagiarise this site without due credit they still cannot get the facts right. This page is intended to provide a definitive record and insight by people who were actually there.
EMS at The Putney Studio (1970)
more history here
The Users
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop
David Vorhaus - White Noise I, II & III
Pink Floyd - Meddle, Obscured by Clouds, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, Wish You Were Here
Brian Eno/Roxy Music
Pete Townsend/The Who - Who's Next
Edgar Froese/Tangerine Dream - all early albums
Klaus Schulze
Gorgio Moroder
Kraftwerk
Malcolm Cecil/TONTO - Zero Time, It's About Time
Hawkwind
Note; This post is just a brief summary and incomplete as to the effect of EMS Studios on all music.
You can hear the bloodline of EMS through the acts that have been there.
