In this post I’ll be sharing some unreleased video from a 2019 concert performance. The video is a live performance of my original soundtrack to the book I Am Legend. In this post I’ll give you some background on the event. some notes on the book, notes on my score, links to videos, all followed by some details on my performance rig.
Background on Synthesizer Science Fiction Book Club Concert
Back in 2019 David Soto (Sinemountain), organizer of the Colorado Modular Synth Society, organized a concert event called Synthesizer Science Fiction Book Club which was held at the Mutiny Information Cafe in Denver. I performed along with some other local synthesists. The concept was…
Artists are asked to write a score for their favorite science fiction book using synthesis. A brief explanation of the book and the score to follow after each performance. Book reports have never sounded so good.
About the Book I Am Legend
I selected the amazing 1954 novel “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson for my performance.
I Am Legend is a 1954 science fiction horror novel by American writer Richard Matheson. It was influential in the development of the zombie-vampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It was also an inspiration behind Night of the Living Dead (1968).
The paperback is 159 pages and Audible edition which is very good is around has a running time of 5h20m. This book was an inspiration to Stephen King, George Romero, and the creator of the video game Fallout to name a few.
While the book was adapted into films, the films diverge quite a bit from the essence of the book – and of course the book is much better as is often the case.
One very strong theme in the book while I’ll be incorporating into my score is loneliness.
“… despite having vampires in it, [the novel] is not a novel on vampires, nor even a horror nor sci-fi novel at all, in the deepest sense. Instead, it is perhaps the greatest novel written on human loneliness. It far surpasses Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe in that regard.”
– Dan Schneider from International Writers Magazine: Book Review wrote in 2005.
Concert Video
Here is a link to the convert video.
About My Score
My set was broken into three movements.
Movement 1 – “Alone” – One of the big themes of this book is human loneliness. I felt my song “Alone” from the alien invasion techno album REBOOT (see “Alien Invasion Trilogy Albums” section here https://linktr.ee/MarkMosher) was a perfect fit so I worked up a live arrangement https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/markmosher/reboot.
Movement 2 – “The House, a Gloomy Sepulcher”. This was inspired by the chapters in Part I, Chapter 1 of the book which dealt with “The House” and “Harassment” where the vampires relentlessly harassed him by name.
Movement 3 – “Submerged Into Investigations”. This is inspired by Part II of the book where Neville is conducting investigations and experiments on vampires in an attempt to discover the cause of their disease.
Rig
Rig Instruments: Two #iPad running #kymatic AUM along along with a variety of apps (@samplr, @yonacsoftware Magellan, @sugarbytesofficial Aparillo, @audio.damage Enso looper, Alina String Ensemble), @weareelektron Digitone.
Rig Instrumentalities: I performed using multi-touch on ipad, using a @moogsynthesizers @Etherwave Plus #theremin pitch-to-MIDI to @weareelektron #Digitone, from the Digitone’s keys, @cmepro Xkey Air 25 mapped to iPad, @wizdommusicofficial GeoShred (Midi Mode), airturnsolutions @AirTurn BT-200|S-4 Foot Pedal.Video Post Production: on iPad with @lumatouch Lumafusion
Mark Mosher 