Architecture & Morality - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

It's easy to forget in this age, where music can be created on a phone at the touch of a button, just how ground-breaking the early pioneers of electronic music were. No such thing existed for them; no PC based sequencers, multi-track digital recording or hard disc space. Instead they relied upon ingenuity, creativity and a fair amount of experimentation, verging on Heath Robinson contraptions, to get the sound they craved.

It is still staggering to think that this album was released in 1981. I'd just turned eleven and the sound of OMD (for those who are into brevity), to my ears, was the equivalent of hearing a message from the depths of space. I'd heard nothing like it. And loved it. It was also a contributing factor in cementing my love of anything technological. Gadgets. Thingamyjigs. Wotimacallits. Stuff that I didn't even know I needed. Certainly to be a the bleeding edge has cost me an absolute fortune, relatively speaking, over the years but there is no greater buzz than trying something that is new, shiny and different. Laserdisc player? I bought one of those with my first overtime pay from site. How about a DVD player? My first one cost £750. Ouch! Sick of portable CDs? The only answer was Mini Disc. Well the only answer for a few years anyway. The iPod solved the problem of having to carry around discs. Kerrching! My this laptop is cumbersome. Ahh the iPad is the perfect answer. Oh look there's an iPad2. Why did I bother? Well I didn't want to be left in the dark ages obviously!

It's a sobering thought to think that the moon landings were achieved with technology that would fit into most modern smart phones. But I can't help but think that with each technological step we are losing little pieces of originality. Maybe it's far too easy? It certainly wasn't in 1981. It is a minor miracle then that anything as beautiful of 'Maid of Orleans' made into the world. Imagine a place without 'Souvenir' or 'Joan of Arc'? No me neither. Imagine a place without an iPhone. Yes I probably could......maybe.