At the suggestion of listener John Toolan, we thought it would be a good idea to explore the wooooo-like sound world of the theremin and some of the other instruments in this musical family. So on this week's show you'll hear theremin performances from Leon Theremin's grand-niece Lydia Kavina, his protege Clara Rockmore as well as two (yes two!) versions of show favourite Caravan on the theremin. We also have a track by Edinburgh-based thereminist Theremin Hero who specialises in playing video game soundtracks on his instrument: what a perfect Moonbase combination!
The show is not all about the theremin, however. There are also examples of musical saw playing (from Natalia Paruz (aka The Saw Lady)) and Paul Tanner playing his own development of the theremin, the tannerin. The tannerin is probably the most often heard member of this family of instruments as it provided the distinctive electronic sounds on the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations.
There's also a chance to hear a track from the latest project by friends of the show, The Simonsound who have recorded a 7" single with Liverpudlian chanteuse Laura J Martin.
Numerological fans of the show and of Douglas Adams will also have noticed that this week's show is episode 42. So we've also sprinkled a few choice selections from the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy throughout the show too.
Listen now:
Embed this player on your website.
Alternatively, download the MP3 directly.
The Music
| 1. | Douglas Adams: In The Beginning from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - 3 |   | ||
| 2. | Celebrate Boston: Hitch Hikers Theme from |  | ||
| 3. | Messer Chups & Lydia Kavina: Import-Export MP3 from Black Black Magic |  |  | |
| 4. | Clara Rockmore: Requiebros from Clara Rockmore's Lost Theremin Album |  | | |
| 5. | Natalia Paruz/Scott Munson: Another Earth from I Saw the Future |  | ||
| 6. | BBC Radio Collection: The Encyclopaedia Galactica from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - 1 | | ||
| 7. | John Keating: Upon Another Earth MP3 from Space Experience, Vol. 1 & 2 |  | | |
| 8. | Laura J Martin and The Simonsound: B Spy (The Simonsound Remix) from | | ||
| 9. | Mable: Caravan from Shokou Mini Album - Matrioshka Shaped Theremin Ensemble | |||
| 10. | Project: Pimento: Caravan from Magical Moods of the Theremin |  | ||
| 11. | Woodshed1: Hitch Hikers Theme on Ukulele from | | ||
| 12. | Paul Tanner: I Wished on the Moon from Music for Heavenly Bodies |  | | |
| 13. | Theremin Hero: Zelda Ocarina of Time from | | ||
| 14. | The Radio Science Orchestra: Aqua Marina from Memories of the Future | |
The Unnecessary News
- Going where man fears to tread: Flying sphere the size of a basketball that travels at 37mph
- Toastman Creates Giant Toast Portrait of Marilyn Monroe
- Daredevils Compete in Annual Bee-Wearing Competition
- Star Wars 'Stormtrooper' Jacob French walking across Australia
- Meet the amazing £200,000 fake croissant scam
- 82 year old Woman, thwarts robbery at jewellers by attacking men with walking stick
It's time to tackle another big topic, namely pet ownership. Or, more specifically for this episode, dog ownership. This was prompted by an unncannily large number of dog news stories so we decided it was about time we let the show go to the dogs. Most of the tracks on the show this week have a doggy connection but we do also have another track from the new Advisory Circle album, a track from the newly-issued collection of Wersi organ demonstrations by Klaus Wunderlich and a new feature: Spotlight on Irrelevance.
