 "A techno cantata" Sally Cragin The Noise magazine "We laughed until we were crying" Japanese semiconductor equipment executive |
The Semicon/West 2006 song, now available! Throughout modern history, musicians have written songs about the products of industrial technology, especially those that touch everyday life. The American songbook includes classics about riverboats, telephones, automobiles, radios, and the steam hammer, to name a few. And yet, semiconductors, the mighty chips that power our information society, remain inexplicably neglected. To remedy this cultural lacuna, I began writing songs about silicon chips in 1989, when I was a newspaper reporter covering the electronics industry. I started distributing the songs at a big chipmaking conference in San Francisco, where they became an annual tradition. The complete collection now includes a dozen works that explore the culture, science, and impact of chip fabrication - the astounding process that puts billions of transistors on a sliver of silicon. The Silicon Songs are full of humor and puns on industry terms, commentary about life on Planet Silicon, and tributes to the people who transform sand into sophisticated electronics. In each tune - from the brooding "(They Call Me) Mr. X" to the geeky exuberence of "Clean Room Love" - I aim for technological accuracy and a good beat. And, thanks to the very technology that my music explores, selections from the Silicon Songbook are available for download. Have a listen, let me know what you think, and thanks for visiting. |