"I built everything from first principles."

November 29, 2013 12:46 PM

In 1979, a 14-year-old called Andy Popplewell started building his own six track mixer from a blueprint in an electronics hobbyist magazine. After it was finished he graduated to constructing his own synth before he turned 17 and then wrote a synth pop album in his mum’s garage and recorded it himself between 1981 and 1983; making one single cassette copy. Then due to a chance meeting with Andy Votel 30 years later in 2012, that cassette - not even a demo really as it never got sent to anyone - has now been released as an album.
posted by ignignokt (17 comments total)

I'm digging this.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:49 PM on November 29, 2013

This is totally checking all my boxes in every possible way. So rad.
posted by Doleful Creature at 12:51 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]

This is great stuff.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:59 PM on November 29, 2013

Sounds like Tubeway Army and Replicas? Well, given that one of the embedded tracks is We Are So Fragile, the B side of Are Friends Electric... Uh, yeah! But oh, I was his age and made tapes of homebrew noises too... So pleased his got out there.
posted by Devonian at 1:09 PM on November 29, 2013

Fuck yeah Andy Votel! Fuck yeah Finders Keepers Records!

Thanks for sharing this, I'm stoked Andy Popplewell found someone to share and appreciate his music.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:20 PM on November 29, 2013

(I wonder if he's related to Cicely Popplewell, one of Alan Turing's two programmers at Manchester University...)
posted by BinaryApe at 2:06 PM on November 29, 2013

Shut up and take my money.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:19 PM on November 29, 2013

It took me a little while to find the purchase and download link, but its here.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:24 PM on November 29, 2013 [2 favorites]

Thanks, really like it. Gets me into a fantasy about my cassette-recorded juvenilia.
posted by larrybob at 3:53 PM on November 29, 2013

It took me a little while to find the purchase and download link, but its here.

And here's the CD on Amazon (UK), with instant MP3s courtesy of AutoRip.
posted by acb at 3:58 PM on November 29, 2013

Dammit, do I seriously have to go dig up my old 4-track noodlings now? Yes.
posted by orme at 4:10 PM on November 29, 2013

Oh man he really nailed that Gary Numan. That is a lot harder than people realize.
posted by charlie don't surf at 6:18 PM on November 29, 2013

What a great story, and coincidentally the music seems to be exactly the kind of retro synth thing the hip kids love these days. How serendipitous.
posted by Hoopo at 7:17 PM on November 29, 2013

I do love first principles wave.
posted by naju at 7:20 PM on November 29, 2013

So... they have MY money.

Worth every cent.

Great find, ignignokt.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 11:34 PM on November 29, 2013

This is really really great. Thanks!
posted by RobertFrost at 9:07 AM on November 30, 2013

This is fucking awesome, thanks for posting.
posted by rubadub at 9:57 AM on November 30, 2013