History of the Minimoog explored in new book

A new book celebrates the Minimoog synthesiser and its longstanding impact on music. 

Written by journalist and music historian Joe Silva, The Minimoog Book charts the history of the iconic instrument invented by Robert Moog and Bill Hemsath, from the initial prototypes to the first iteration. Originally released in 1970, production of the Model D continued until 1981. It was later reintroduced in 2016, although other designs were available at various points in between.

Trent Reznor, Dr. Dre, Herbie Hancock and Gary Numan are among the best-known artists to have used the effects-enabled keyboard prominently since its inception. Progressive rockers Rush are also well-documented fans, and frontman Geddy Lee has provided a foreword to the book.

“When I started digging into the history of the Minimoog back in 2010 I quickly realised how universal it was,” said Silva. “I was continuously stumbling upon yet artist after artist or another famous piece of music that used it. It was pretty clear right away how important the instrument became once it came out.” 

Over a decade of research has gone into the publication, and featured artists include members of Kraftwerk, Devo, J Dilla, and Air. Prominent studio producers like Tony Viscoti (David Bowie) and Greg Kurstin (Adele) also appear, and in total more than 70 artists are included.

Alongside original and rare photography, the book contains pages on sound engineering, historical promotional material from advertising and marketing campaigns, schematics and illustrated sound patches. 

The Minimoog Book is currently available to pre-order on Kickstarter now.