WIRED Staff
Culture

Slideshow: Is a Moog Renaissance Nigh?

Fans gather at a Moogfest to celebrate the 40th birthday of the Moog synthesizer. Surprisingly, the analog Moog sound -- created by a tub of knobs and wires -- is making a comeback. Noah Shachtman reports from New York.
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Rick Wakeman, from Yes, says of the Moog: "Until Bob Moog came along, we (keyboard players) were hidden in the background. He gave us an instrument that can cut through concrete and frighten guitarists to death."Courtesy of Jessica Paikarouski

See related story: Is a Moog Renaissance Nigh?

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On Tuesday night, some of the Moog's most famous practitioners gathered in Times Square to pay homage to this influential machine at a one-night, one-time "Moogfest." Here, Keith Emerson, from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, rocks out. Like many others, Emerson first discovered the Moog in 1968.

Courtesy of Jessica Paikarouski
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Bernie Worrell, from Parliament, used the Moog for the groups' most enduring hit, the boot-stomping, endlessly descending "Flashlight."

Noah Shachtman