The Overlooked San Francisco Synth Revolution — And Why Controllerism Came From DJs (by DJ Buddy Holly)
When most people think of San Francisco in the 1960s and 70s, they picture the psychedelic counterculture — Haight‑Ashbury, rock bands, posters, protests, and the entire hippie explosion. But beneath that loud, colorful surface, another revolution was taking place. A quieter one. A more technical one. A movement that shaped the future of electronic sound design but never received the spotlight it deserved.
I first learned about this hidden lineage at Duquesne, digging into the early history of electronic music. What I found was a world far more innovative — and far more important — than the mainstream narrative ever acknowledged.
This is the story of the San Francisco synth revolution. And it’s also the story of what controllerism didn’t come from — and what it did.
The Real Innovators: San Francisco’s Electronic Pioneers
Don Buchla — Architect of the West Coast Sound
Don Buchla founded Buchla & Associates in Berkeley in 1962 and became one of the two independent inventors of the modular synthesizer.¹ He was commissioned by composers Morton Subotnick and Ramon Sender of the San Francisco Tape Music Center to create a new kind of electronic instrument — one that didn’t rely on keyboards or traditional musical interfaces.²
The result was the Buchla 100 Modular Electronic Music System, completed in 1965.³ It became the foundation of what we now call West Coast synthesis.
The San Francisco Tape Music Center — A Laboratory for Experimentation
Founded in 1962 by Ramon Sender and Morton Subotnick, the San Francisco Tape Music Center (SFTMC) was a collaborative studio and performance space dedicated to experimental electronic music.⁴ It served as a hub for composers such as Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, and became a birthplace for multimedia performance and avant‑garde experimentation.⁵
The Tape Music Center’s open, interdisciplinary environment directly inspired the creation of the Buchla synthesizer.⁶
Morton Subotnick — The Composer Who Made History
Subotnick not only co‑founded the Tape Music Center — he also commissioned and helped design the Buchla 100.⁷ His 1967 composition Silver Apples of the Moon was the first electronic work commissioned specifically for record release, and it became a landmark in electronic music history.⁸
The Library of Congress now preserves Subotnick’s original Buchla 100 system as a historic instrument.⁹
Dave Smith — The Prophet of Polyphony
In 1974, Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in the Bay Area.¹⁰ By 1977 he had designed the Prophet‑5, the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer.¹¹ This innovation transformed electronic music by allowing musicians to store and recall patches — a breakthrough that changed live performance and studio production forever.
Smith later co‑invented MIDI, one of the most influential technologies in modern music.¹²
John Chowning — Stanford’s Digital Visionary
At Stanford University, composer John Chowning discovered FM synthesis in 1967, a technique that allowed for the creation of complex, evolving timbres using simple waveforms.¹³ Stanford licensed the patent to Yamaha in 1973, leading to the DX‑series synthesizers that defined the sound of the 1980s.¹⁴
Chowning also co‑founded CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics), which became one of the world’s leading institutions for computer music research.¹⁵
A Revolution Hidden in Plain Sight
So why doesn’t the average person know about this movement?
Because the psychedelic counterculture was louder. Because rock bands sold more records. Because modular synths weren’t mainstream. Because the world wasn’t ready for voltage‑controlled sound design.
The San Francisco synth revolution was overshadowed — but it was real, and it was foundational.
But it was not the origin of controllerism.
Controllerism Came From DJs — And the Proof Is in the Gear
Controllerism didn’t emerge from modular synth labs, tape‑loop collectives, or academic sound design. It wasn’t an extension of the 1970s West Coast aesthetic, nor was it a continuation of the Buchla‑Subotnick tradition of voltage‑controlled composition.
Controllerism came from DJs — and the evidence is visible on a grand scale.
1. DJ Controllers Were Built to Emulate Turntables
The earliest DJ controllers were designed around:
jog wheels
pitch faders
crossfaders
cue buttons
transport controls
platter‑style performance
These features exist because the goal was to emulate the feel of DJing, not modular synthesis.
Manufacturers weren’t trying to recreate Buchla panels — they were recreating Technics 1200s and CDJs.
2. The Performance Vocabulary Is Pure DJ Technique
Controllerism routines rely on:
cue‑point drumming
beat juggling logic
scratch‑inspired phrasing
rhythmic sample triggering
crossfader‑based articulation
DJ timing and muscle memory
These are DJ concepts, not synth concepts.
A Buchla 100 doesn’t have:
cue points
jog wheels
quantized triggering
platter emulation
fader‑based phrasing
Controllerism’s language is unmistakably DJ‑centric.
3. The Earliest Documented Performances Were DJ Sets
Long before the word “controllerism” existed, DJs were already:
chopping samples live
remixing on the fly
using digital decks as instruments
blending DJ technique with original composition
Your own documented sets — including the Pretty Picture sessions and the 2002 Santa Barbara performance — show:
CDJ‑based sample performance
turntablist phrasing applied to digital tools
original material performed live
a DJ using controllers as instruments
This is controllerism in its embryonic form.
And it predates the branding by years.
4. Early Controller Performers Worked Outside the DJ Scene — Not Against It
In the early 2000s, many controller‑based performers operated in:
laptop‑music circles
experimental electronic communities
live‑PA environments
hybrid DJ/producer spaces
This wasn’t avoidance — it was simply where the technology fit at the time.
Traditional DJ booths weren’t yet equipped for:
MIDI controllers
laptops
USB audio interfaces
custom mappings
non‑turntable workflows
So controller performers built their own spaces. They weren’t hiding — they were pioneering.
5. The Timeline Makes the Truth Clear
The San Francisco synth revolution peaked in the 60s and 70s. Controllerism emerged in the early 2000s.
There is no direct lineage, no shared tools, no shared techniques, and no shared community. The only connection is that both movements were innovative — but innovation alone does not create ancestry.
Controllerism is a DJ invention. It always was. It always will be.
And now that the documentation is public, the timeline is finally clear.
Two Important Histories — Each With Its Own Origin
The San Francisco synth revolution deserves recognition. It shaped electronic music, sound design, and the culture of experimentation.
Controllerism deserves recognition too. It evolved from DJ culture, digital decks, and performance technique.
Both are valid. Both are important. Both changed music.
But they are not the same story.
And now, with the historical record clearer than ever, we can finally honor each movement for what it truly was.
Notes
Don Buchla biography, Wikipedia
Ibid.
Ibid.
San Francisco Tape Music Center history, Wikipedia
FoundSF historical essay on SFTMC
Ibid.
Morton Subotnick biography, Wikipedia
Ibid.
Library of Congress: “Reunited: Morton Subotnick and the Buchla 100”
Sequential: “50 Years of Sequential”
Prophet‑5 history, Wikipedia
Sequential: “50 Years of Sequential”
John Chowning biography, CCRMA Stanford
John Chowning biography, Wikipedia
CCRMA Stanford history
Bibliography
“Don Buchla.” Wikipedia.
“San Francisco Tape Music Center.” Wikipedia.
“San Francisco Tape Music Center.” FoundSF.
“Reunited: Morton Subotnick and the Buchla 100.” Library of Congress.
“Morton Subotnick.” Wikipedia.
“Prophet‑5.” Wikipedia.
“50 Years of Sequential.” Sequential.com.
“John Chowning.” CCRMA, Stanford University.
“John Chowning.” Wikipedia.
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