SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS

Rating:

Dur: 84min

Director: Lisa Royner

Stars: Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Pauline Oliveros, Wendy Carlos, Eliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani, and Laurie Spiegel

Think of early electronic music and you’ll likely see men pushing buttons, knobs, and boundaries. While electronic music is often perceived as a boys club, the truth is from the very beginning women have been integral in inventing the devices, techniques and tropes that would de- fine the shape of sound for years to come.

The history of women has been a history of silence. Recent protests calling for greater
recognition of women’s achievements have swept across politics, business, even Hollywood. The world of music is no exception.

As one of the film’s subjects, Laurie Spiegel explains: “We women were especially drawn to electronic music when the possibility of a woman composing was in itself controversial. Electronics let us make music that could be heard by others without having to be taken seriously by the male dominated Establishment.”

This film is presented in conjunction with Castlemaine Documentary Festival