Pioneering British electronic music producer Janet Beat has released her first album at the age of 83.
The synthesist and composer began experimenting with music in the 50s after hearing the sound poems of French musician Pierre Henry. However, she faced difficulty advancing her career after being told that women "simply do not do" music technology," according to MusicRadar.
Embracing the stigma, Beat found herself in the academic realm as a music educator and went on to establish recording studios at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She was able to publish recordings and handwritten music scores through the British Music Collection's archives, but it wasn’t until now that her collection was distributed publicly.
Released via Trunk Records, Pioneering Knob Twiddler comprises seven electroacoustic compositions from Beat’s 70s and 80s recordings. While most electronic music today emphasizes the use of plugins and digitized sounds, her collection pays homage to frequency modulation with sounds created using synthesizers, tape machines, and acoustic instruments.
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After years of adversity as a woman producer in the early 50s, Janet Beat has released her "Pioneering Knob Twiddler" album.