Back in 1968, Wendy Carlos released her platinum-selling debut album Switched-On Bach through Columbia Records, bringing the Moog synthesizer to the Billboard charts with the help of Moog designer Robert Moog and fellow composer Rachel Elkind. Carlos would come out as transgender a decade later, with her name amended in subsequent re-releases of the album.
Today, March 31, marks the 17th annual Transgender Day of Visibility, and, taking a break from his ongoing Synthetic quadruple album — Season 4 is currently in the works — Canadian musician Rich Aucoin is honouring today's event by releasing Rich on Bach via We Are Busy Bodies, in tribute to Carlos and Johann Sebastian Bach (who would be celebrating his 340th birthday today, as well). The EP contains two compositions, "Cello Suite No. 1" and "Prelude No. 1," which you can hear below.
The EP continues a thread of material from Aucoin's stint at Calgary's National Music Centre, where he has had access to the world's largest analogue synthesizer, TONTO, which has called Canada home for more than a decade.
The record was engineered by Jason Tawkin, mixed by Gordon Huntley, and mastered by Noah Mintz.