Inside The Moog Room at Rough Trade NYC

A disorienting blend of whirrs, beeps, hisses, sirens, and the occasional chord stab inundates the open, concrete warehouse of New York’s recently opened Rough Trade record store. In an elevated boxcar just past the building entrance, the legendary synthesizer company Moog has installed several rigs of modular synthesizers, open to the public for play, experimentation, and discovery. Comprising several rack-mounted Moog modules, including the Slim Phatty, Sub Phatty, Moogerfooger, and discontinued Voyager models, the synths are connected to a variety of controllers, including keyboards, drum machines, a guitar, a proprietary theremin synth, and Moog’s own Little Phatty.

The exhibition encourages musicians and non-musicians alike to explore the hands-on possibilities of modular synthesis, opening up a world of production and engineering that seems very complex from afar. Fortunately, the reps from Moog and Main Drag music are always on hand to provide instruction and insight on how the machines work for any eager enthusiasts. The sounds generated by these modules are other-wordly, ethereal, and often spooky, but the real weight is in how tactile the controls are. For example, slowly turning the dial of a filter’s cutoff frequency opens up a waveform’s character and grit, and when implemented on an electronic drum kit (connected via MIDI hub) the possibilities for adding expression to rhythmic compositions is infinite. The same goes for guitars, keyboards, and the standalone mounted modules.

In addition to the open installation, the Moog Room will host a live performance tomorrow, March 20th, on the analog systems featuring Kiran Gandhi, Suzi Analogue, Léah Lazonick, FonLin Nyeu, and more. Hosted in collaboration with Tom Tom Magazine, the event will go from 8-11PM.