Im joined by Matthew Allum (ALM/Busy Circuits) as we discuss the origins of one of the best loved and most popular eurorack modules of all time

Pam’s New Workout (and subsequent PRO form)

How does a person go from having a thought of an afternoon to running one of the worlds most beloved modular synth companies?

All shall be revealed!

For those sensitive to talk of whittling, I must warn you there is mention of carpentry but it’s short lived and most of the chips we linger on are of the silicon and not wooden variety.

This is part of a 2 episode pre super booth special and I’ll be popping a few bit up on the patreon using an ALM based system to rinse it a little 🙂

Who’s coming to the booth!?!?!

This episode is sponsored by the tremendous fabfilter

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yes you can get 30% off Fabfilter plugins until May 1st !!!

Act now as these are some of the very best plugins on the planet.

Here’s the link. Click on y’all

https://www.fabfilter.com/shop

were you the co-developer of ableton live?

ah no

but Mr Henke

very much was.

Think about that for a minute.

It’s easy to forget as he’ll never bring it up without being prompted.

He’s not big on the dwelling and far more interested in his current obsessions.

Special interests (SPINS) as they are called are the things driving the REAL artists of which Robert is most certainly one.

I had one “job” interviewing him at this time. We were supposed to talk about the re-release of a classic monolake (Robert’s musical moniker) LP “Hong Kong” on Field Records.

There was a hint of that here. It loomed in the fog over the hills as we, the ramblers, became fascinated by objects more close at hand.

His tremendous work with the commodore PET platform as a primitive yet potent synth and drum machine for example.

His encounters with the art world (which he is not fond of)

his dislike of the infernal machine reverb ! ha. (also not fond it seems)

His connection to the tonal land of the PPG wave and the Synclavier (yes, he’s fond)

ah yes

I loved reconnecting with him after all these years.

He was always a brilliantly bright mind and continues to probe his passions to deliver wildly unique sound and light shows that stand apart from his peers.

oh and dont forget he’s the co-developer of ableton live!

With 20 albums under his own name and his instrumental group Cosmo, the man knows how to make a record.

He is a wildly accomplished and successful songwriter. For example in 2003 Harris he received the Grammy Award for Song Of The Year for Norah Jones’ breakout hit “Don’t Know Why,” from her debut album, Come Away With Me, which has sold almost 30 million copies worldwide.

Versions of his songs have been sung by artists as diverse as

Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Cat Power, Feist, The Black Keys, M. Ward, Brad Mehldau, Bright Eyes, Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Kandace Springs, and Solomon Burke.

I mean WHAT a list that is!

Songwriting collaborations have included Maya Hawke, John Zorn, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Papooz, and Lana Del Rey.

If you didnt think you knew Jesse, I bet you’ve heard his writing out there in the known universe of sound and by gosh he’s a real potent force. Even after all this success, he is very mild mannered and thoughtful in this nice rambling interview. He’s generous with his knowledge and a very easy guy to get along with.

I must say I hang my pod head slightly when reflecting on how old this interview is. Like a fine wine, I hope it’s benefited from a little time in the digital cellar.

Drink in the wisdoms y’all !