“The most exciting thing is exploring the symbiosis between old and new technology”

The interplay between modern machines and vintage audio equipment can lead musicians down new paths to unexplored soundscapes.

In the summer of 2023, musician Anton Friisgaard participated in a residency at Lydlaboratoriet (The Sound Laboratory), where he explored the musical possibilities offered by a vast collection of original audio equipment from the 1960s, 70s, and beyond.

The Sound Laboratory was a temporary sound studio set up at Musikhuset Copenhagen on Vesterbrogade. It was filled with audio and music equipment, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and mixing consoles from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, donated and loaned by contributors such as Gunner Møller Pedersen, Fuzzy, and DTU.

What does the audio equipment and electronic machines from that era sound like? What can they teach us when revisited with today’s technology? What tones and vibrations lie hidden within them? If we approach them with modern tools and a fresh perspective, could they do things we’ve forgotten or never tried before?

During Strøm Festival’s “Back to the Future” event in late summer 2023 at Musikhuset Copenhagen, a small and highly engaged audience got an up-close look at some of the machines and a glimpse into Anton’s creative processes over the past month and a half.

“What I find most exciting is exploring the symbiosis between old and new technology. I’m investigating how you can control old machines with new technology—and vice versa. The interplay between modern machines and vintage audio equipment can lead me down new paths to unexplored sound worlds,” says musician Anton Friisgaard.

“I explore the machines intuitively, and I may uncover something forgotten or overlooked. That’s what I want to showcase during the event,” he explains.

About the Machines
Amplifiers, vibration meters, response test units. A Heterodyne Analyzer Type 210 from Brüel & Kjær. A Hewlett-Packard 3300a function generator. A Soundcraft audio mixing console from the 70s, as large as a spaceship. And many, many more.

The machines, electronic instruments, and audio equipment were loaned to Strøm and Art Music Denmark by sound pioneer Gunner Møller Pedersen. Additionally, DTU (the Technical University of Denmark) and other contributors donated several musical devices and machines to the collection. The equipment was gathered in collaboration with Maple Pools.

Text: Christina Majcher