Electronic Sound - Issue 35 2017

English | 100 Pages | True PDF | 11 Nov 2017 | 21.1MB
What is a music producer? Is their role that of technical expert, able to place microphones in just the right place? Is it their deep knowledge of EQ and effects and signal-to-noise ratios that qualifies them to be in charge of a recording session? Or are they some kind vibe master who creates the atmosphere needed to coax the finest performances from temperamental artistes? Or are they strangely skilled in the arcane knowledge of The Song, constructing with unerring accuracy the necessary key changes, bridges, until it is a piece of art worthy of pressing into vinyl.

Psychologist, accountant, drug hoover, disciplinarian, visionary, electronics wizard, radical experimenter, experienced parental figure, midwife, hand-holder, host, lover, pal, sound obsessive, music lover, deal maker… Conny Plank was all of the above.

With this issue of Electronic Sound, we place Conny centrestage and celebrate his work, and we scarcely mention Kraftwerk. Plank’s contribution to music is almost immeasurable, and although we’ve devoted the cover story to him, and talked to several key players in his life, including his son Stephan, whose new documentary about his dad got this month’s ball rolling, we feel we’ve hardly scratched the surface.