“Subotnick” is the name of a Caribou song, but it is also Morton’s last name, the ninety-year-old composer and pioneer of electronic music best known for the album Silver Apples of the Moon (1967), which continues to be discovered by new generations decades later. Between old records, which explore his extensive career, and conversations in the first (and third) person, we meet a man guided by instinct (and by his arm).
This documentary introduces us to Morton Subotnick, one of the pioneers in the development of electronic music and composer of Silver Apples of the Moon, which is considered to be the first commercially released work of electronic music.
Through interviews and archive videos, his portrait is traced from his childhood, when he revealed himself to be a prodigy on the clarinet, to the present day, when he continues to assert himself as a tireless artist who is always curious and interested in constant aesthetic and technological innovation. This journey, which does not fail to touch on important moments in his life such as his participation in the Korean war, will culminate in the preparation and presentation of his multimedia work, Crowds and Power.
Using revealing testimonies from key figures from his past and present, “Subotnick” will provide an overview of the rich life and uncompromising career of this composer, contemporary with artists such as Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley and Steve Reich, and with an immense curiosity for experimentation in musical forms and processes. (Ricardo Duarte)
