Alexander Robotnick
‘The Analog Session’ is the new album from the legendary Alexander Robotnick, released on 7th June through This Is Music. Recorded live on vintage gear, it’s a thrilling musical document, the kind only a true master of his art could achieve.
‘The Analog Session’ is refreshing and exciting, a work of art by a man at the height of his powers - not that anyone should be surprised; Robotnick has been at the forefront of electronic music for so long. In his near 30 year career, he has remained as vital, as bold, and as forward-thinking as anyone around, always staying one step ahead and never afraid of trying new things.
‘The Analog Session’ has been made in conjunction with old friend Lapo (Ludas Pinsky). It’s a return to what they see as the heyday of modern dance music, the 70s and 80s, when the true pioneers were first emerging. It recalls early electro and disco, with techno elements. It’s an immense album, one that is another milestone in this incredible career.
Having realized that he couldn’t recreate old Robotnick sounds on current equipment, Alexander went back to 70s gear, as it had a much more natural and fascinating sound than their later equivalents. Improvisation was also appealing, as old synths couldn’t memorize the same note sequences later models could.
Once Robotnick and Lapo, his partner in crime, hit upon the idea of performing an improvised music session, they quickly realized that filming the process would be the best way to document the process, as by nature, the event was unique and unrepeatable.
The computer would pay an analogue clock as a trigger, and a couple of midi sequences which were turned into CV and gates that drove the synths. The session lasted two days, and later the material was edited down into what you hear now.
First emerging in the early 80s, Robotnick is a true pioneer, a legend of dance music. From his first landmark hit ‘Problemes d’Amour’, through his experiments with world music and into the new century.
The album is accompanied by a limited edition DVD, documenting the recording process. Look out for a new improvised analogue session that will be broadcast live later this year.