Moog, the new documentary about robert moog, inventor of the modern synthesiser, is a portrait of the legendary figure in music and technology and his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity, spirituality and his collaborations with musicians over the years. moog was directed by hans fjellestad and produced by fjellestad and ryan page, who collaborated on frontier life (2002), a film about tijuana, mexico, and its burgeoning electronic dance music scene.
permanently changing the face of music, the moog synthesiser went from being the centerpiece of a late-60s craze -- appearing on records with such titles as spotlight on the moog, moog power, music to moog by, country moog, moog indigo, exotic moog and countless others -- to an indispendable instrument for progressive rock bands like emerson, lake & palmer and yes to predating the electronic dance music movement of today. moog explains that he can feel what's going on in a piece of electronic equipment... it's something between discovering and witnessing. and he is convinced that many musicians come to feel a circuit in a similar way. in fact, musicians make such strong emotional connections with the electronics inside a moog synthesiser that the inventor himself has reached cult hero status.
born in 1934, robert moog has been inventing and building electronic musical instruments for nearly half a century. still active in his workshop in rural north carolina, moog continues to shape musical culture with some of the most inspiring instruments ever created.
the film was shot on location in asheville, new york, los angeles, san francisco, tokyo and london, featuring appearances by keith emerson, walter sear, gershon kinsgley, jean-jacques perrey & luke vibert, rick wakeman, dj spooky, herb deutsch, bernie worrell, pamelia kurstin, tino corp. with charlie clouser, money mark, mix master mike, and an eclectic mix of performers.
artists such as stereolab, meat beat manifesto, tortoise, money mark, luke vibert & jean-jacques perrey, 33, moog cookbook, plastiq phantom, psilonaut, bernie worrell & bootsy collins, roger o'donnell, the album leaf, pete devriese, bostich, charlie clouser, baiyon, suzanne ciani, gershon kingsley, doug mckechnie, electric skychurch and others contributed original music produced on moog instruments for the soundtrack. the soundtrack album is out now on warner music.