Issue 83 PDF

It's 50 years since the launch of the Minimoog. Our lead feature tells the inside story of this superb machine and our print edition has a very special gold foil cover to celebrate.

The Minimoog wasn't the first portable synthesiser, but it was the most widely adopted and the most successful – both technologically and commercially. It was a prog rock staple during the early 1970s and a regular solo feature of many soul and funk records of the era too, not least because of its ability to sound slinky and sensual. It was also a foundation instrument for Kraftwerk, who used the deep and rounded bass tones to create the rubbery hooks of ‘Autobahn’, and for Gary Numan, who made it the star component of Tubeway Army's ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’. In the years since, of course, the Minimoog has featured on countless other tracks, cementing its place in electronic music history as one of the very greatest synths of all time.

There’s plenty of other good stuff in this month’s magazine, including Clint Mansell on his soundtrack to Ben Wheatley’s new horror film, Mark Radcliffe and Paul Langley talking about their electropop project UNE, and details of this year’s Oram Awards winners. Plus Ian Boddy, Xeno & Oaklander, Efterklang, Humanoid, Richard Fearless, Portico Quartet, Lone, and a whole lot more besides. It’s nearly as phat as three slightly detuned Minimoog oscillators!