Sisters With Transistors documents the pioneering women of electronic music
Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Clara Rockmore and more feature in the Laurie Anderson-narrated documentary
Image: Sisters With Transistors
Sisters With Transistors, a documentary film on the women pioneers of electronic music, is now available to stream online in the UK and USA.
Sisters With Transistors maps a history of electronic music and the unsung women pioneers who helped build the genre up from its very infancy.
Laurie Spiegel, one of the film’s subjects, explained in an excerpt: “We women were especially drawn to electronic music when the possibility of a woman composing was in itself controversial. Electronics let us make music that could be heard by others without having to be taken seriously by the male dominated establishment.”
Alongside Spiegel, Sisters With Transistors explores the careers of an array of artists, including Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Eliane Radigue and Suzanne Ciani.
The film consists of all-archival footage, with narration from artist Laurie Anderson. A description on the film’s website wrote: “With the wider social, political and cultural context of the 20th century as our backdrop, this all archival documentary reveals a unique emancipation struggle, restoring the central role of women in the history of music and society at large.”
Virtual premieres of the event are happening today, 23 April. On MetroGraph, a live premiere is accompanied by an electronic music panel. Alternatively, UK viewers can support their local cinema theatres by purchasing a virtual screening ticket through ModernFilms.
Learn more at sisterswithtransistors.com.
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