Synth historian Oli Freke will spend big on a good bicycle
Synth historian and musician Oli Freke discusses his career, his new book on drum machines, and his personal preferences regarding technology and software. The interview provides insight into the intersection of music history and modern digital production tools.
Why it matters
It offers a cultural perspective on the evolution of electronic music technology and the habits of creative professionals.
Oli Freke is a musician and journalist whose works have appeared in Sound on Sound, The Quietus, and Mixmag. This has included using math to explore the melodic potential of the Western 12-tone scale and deep dives on effects plug-ins. He’s even written a book tracing the evolution of the synthesizer from 1963 through 1995, charting the change from analog to digital and back.
His new project is Beat Gems, a coffee-table visual history of drum machines from publisher Bjooks. Like other Bjooks titles, Beat Gems is loaded with gorgeous photos, fascinating historical tidbits, and practical advice for making the most of your gear, whether it’s a vintage Roland TR-808 or a modern oddity like Erica Synths’ Pērkons.
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