Smithsonian Folkways Record Album Design

Deborah Choi

Student
Graphic Designer
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Auburn University

J.D.ROBB’s RHYTHMANIA

The 7-inch record features J.D. Robb, a classical and electronic composer, arts educator, folk song collector, and preservationist. The songs are composed of natural sounds recorded through a microphone that highlights electronic instruments as soloists in a genre of music. It contains a futuristic sound with an uncommon and mysterious melody created by the iconic Moog synthesizer, a modular synthesizer that alters sound through patch cords. The overall design concept is inspired by the intensity of black-and-white punk zines and emphasizes the wires of the Moog synthesizer. The design includes collages of historic photos and handmade typography.

ARTIST: J. D. Robb

J.D Robb (1892-1989), an American composer, ethnomusicologist, art administrator, and attorney, discovered a whole new medium for his music composition in his 70s. Robb was capable of expressing a very wide range of ideas and emotions. In the summer of 1965, he attended a seminar hosted by a revolutionary new instrument that became known as the Moog Synthesizer. Soon after, he became one of the first to buy a synthesizer and started making new electronic music. Robb composed more than 65 electronic works in total.

Instrument: MOOG SYNTHESIZER

The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and fe was the first commercial synthesizer and was crested with creating the analog synthesizer as it is known today. The Mong synthesizer consists of separate modules that create and shape sounds connected via patch cords. Modules include voltage-controlled oscillators, amplifiers, filters, envelope generators, ring modulators, triggers, and mixers. The synthesizer can be played using controllers or controlled with sequencers. Its oscillators can produce waveforms of different timbres, which can be modulated and filtered to shape their sounds.
Especially, this album includes songs composed of natural sounds recorded through a microphone that highlights electronic instruments as soloists in a genre of music. It contains a futurist sound with an uncommon and mysterious melody.
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