EMS-SYNTHI-100-IPEM

IPEM was founded in 1963, as a joint venture between the Belgian Radio and Television broadcasting company (BRT) and Ghent University. The idea was to combine audio engineering with music production, thus building a bridge between scientific research and artistic research. 470 compositions were realised at IPEM between 1963–1987.


'IPEM: Institute For Psychoacoustics And Electronic Music: 50 years of Electronic And Electroacoustic Music At The Ghent University' is published by Metaphon, and comes with 2CDs of music made at the studio between 1963 and 1999.

Lucien Goethals was an important Flemish composer and director of IPEM UGent, who worked also with the EMS Synthi 100


In 1978, IPEM acquired an EMS Synthi 100, and after 40 years it is still fully operational, depite the many times it was moved about, not always in good circumstances. Thanks to the good care by its technician and best friend Ivan Schepers, today the legendary soundmachine is still attracting a wide audience.  The release by Soulwax of an album and book, with new compositions and documentation, as a tribute to the Synthi 100, is certainly illustrating this.


‘DEEWEE Sessions Vol.01’ is a highly collectible package featuring the album on heavyweight 180g vinyl along with a fully-illustrated 48-page book which explores the background behind the album and history of the Synthi 100. The book compiles a foreword from David & Stephen Dewaele; an introduction from 3030, the specific Synthi 100 unit that was used for the album; a history of its creation and an exploration of its sounds; and finally an interview with Ivan Schepers, the IPEM technician who has been 3030’s long-term custodian.

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Lately IPEM and it's Art-Science-Interaction Lab [ASIL] has integrated the artistic heritage within a digital culture and science context of new inventions with new technology, notwithstanding AR/VR/XR approaches. Combining 'living heritage' [Cultural heritage can only persist when there is renewal and interest in it from a younger generation, creative and connecting!] with diverse art-science approaches, a new network developments are offering new immersive experiences.

Within EU there are for the moment 4 EMS Synthi100's located at semi-public places. They are cultural/artistic heritage in a sense that they were made in the period 1971-1979, as a series of original modular synthesizers. Only few are still operational, some in private property (for instance Aphex Twin has one), but some still in the experimental electronic studios of the period. Though they belong to an analog era, the original design by Peter Zinovieff is they are still of high interest to nowadays electronic musicians, contemporary composers, popular festivals and renowned art happenings... Soon we hope to connect the Synthi 100s at The Electronic studio at Radio Belgrade (SR), CMRC KSYME Athens (GR), UCL-Cuenca/Madrid (ESP) and IPEM/ASIL Ugent (BE). Stay tuned for more ...

 

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Meantime enjoy the documentation online:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMS_Synthi_100
https://fylkingen.se/tongues/index.php/may-tongues_/the-ems-synthi-100-dialogues-between-invention-preservation-and-restoration/
http://120years.net/ems-synthesisers-peter-zinovief-united-kingdom-1969/
https://unearthingthemusic.eu/posts/how-radio-belgrades-ems-synthi-100-was-repaired-svetlana-maras/
https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/all-about-ems-part-2