Synth pioneer Don Buchla‘s instruments were grew out of the West Coast counterculture movement of the 1960’s – when electronic music, light shows and psychedelic drugs were intertwined.

Buchla was associated with events like Stewart Brand‘s San Francisco Trips Festival, which described the TRIP, or electronic performance, as a “new medium of communication & entertainment.”

“I just showed up at the places with my instruments, took some acid, played some music,” said Buchla.

Since then, there’s been a legend about a Buchla ‘Red Panel’ module, which was covered with LSD, leading to mind-expanding synth experiences.

KPIX CBS SF Bay Area reports that the stories were true. Their Broadcast Operations Manager Eliot Curtis took an unexpected trip recently, while repairing a vintage Buchla modular synthesizer.

“It felt like I was tripping on LSD,” notes Curtis. In fact, Curtis was tripping on LSD.

 

Source : Synthtopia