Collection
Sonic Explorers
Sonic Explorers brings together a unique mix of experimental music and sound exploration from the archives of Minnesota Public Radio. It features audio recordings that capture artists who push the boundaries of music—using unusual sounds and creative techniques to explore what listening can be.
From early electronic experiments to profiles, live performances and soundscapes, these recordings offer a glimpse into the vibrant world of music experimentation. Whether you're a curious listener, a fan of the unusual, or someone on a journey to discover new music, this collection invites you to experience rich and creative artists that have pushed music-making in bold new ways.
29 Collection Items
- Composers Datebook: Symphonic Penderecki
In 1961, a new and difficult work for strings announced the arrival of a composer with a new and difficult name for non-Polish speakers to pronounce…Krzysztof Penderecki. This episode of Composers Datebook looks back at the unique music figure.
- Behind the Scenes of DJs: Women Setting the Vibe
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two women local professional DJs, Brittany Wright and YASMEENAH. Companies, sports teams, families, and non-profit leaders hire them to plan music for events and get the party going. The program goes behind the scenes of the DJ world, from the gear they use to the secrets of reading the crowd.
- Forever Ago: How the synthesizer changed music forever
Synthesizers are revolutionary instruments, using knobs, buttons, and sliders to make different sound. You can hear them in all sorts of music, from pop to hip-hop. But that wasn’t always the case. APM’s Forever Ago explores the history of these electronic devices.
- Composers Datebook: Leon Theremin's good vibrations
When a flying saucer circled over Washington, DC, in the classic 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still, it did so to music played on an electronic instrument known as the “Theremin.” On this episode of Composer’s Datebook, a look back at its Russian inventor, Leon Theremin.
- Composers Datebook: Wendy Carlos synthesizes Purcell and Bach
Composers Notebook host John Zech highlights composer Wendy Carlos’ musical development for Stanley Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange. As in his earlier hit, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick used classical music. This time, however, in keeping with the film's futuristic storyline, the classics were adapted and arranged for Moog synthesizer by Carlos.
- Laurie Anderson continues a life of musical experimentation
MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews experimental composer and musician Laurie Anderson, who has been on the forefront of musical experimentation in the U.S. for more than 40 years. The two discuss the sounds, imagery, and juxtaposition.
- Helado Negro collaboration breaks boundaries of electronic music
MPR’s Euan Kerr reports on a group of internationally acclaimed rock artists visiting St. Paul for a unique new music collaboration sponsored by Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series. The musicians are coming to perform with Helado Negro, an electronic music group led by Roberto Carlos Lange.
- Golden Valley's Craig Taborn has a homecoming at the Walker
MPR’s David Cazares profiles acclaimed pianist, composer, and Golden Valley native Craig Taborn. In the jazz world, some listeners might yearn for tradition, while others listen for signs of authenticity. Taborn doesn't worry about such hang-ups. Whether on solo piano, in a trio, or experimenting with electronic music, he tries to reflect an evolving culture.
- Extremes drive Iceland-based musician Ben Frost's new work
Australian guitarist Ben Frost lives and draws inspiration from his home in Iceland, where he creates ambient music. The result is a visceral listening experience.
- Composer brings talent to Minnesota woods
MPR’s Mark Sanchez meets up with composer and Bloomington native Ryan Ingebritsen in Minnesota's White Water State Park, an area that Ingebritsen has fond memories of when hiking as a kid. With help from the American Composers Forum, he was awarded a McKnight fellowship for a project that returns him to those same woods.