SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS

The advent of electronic music in the 20th century allowed artists to create compositions that were completely divorced from the Western canon, fantasias that were built out of tones that could only be realized through electrical impulses, intricate tape loops, punch cards, or modified samples plucked from the natural world. Narrated by lauded multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, documentarian Lisa Rovner unearths rare interviews and performance footage featuring electronic pioneers Wendy Carlos, Clara Rockmore, Suzanne Ciani, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Maryanne Amacher and Laurie Spiegel — women whose innovative, radical experimentations with machines redefined the boundaries of music composition.

“In this poetic, archival feature documentary narrated by Laurie Anderson, Lisa Rovner uncovers the untold story of the formidable women that helped shape electronic music.For these women, technology acted as a tool for transgression, enabling them to mould and enter a new world of sonic possibilities and freedom.” —Tiwa Odukoya, Doc Weekly 

“...Stimulating on musical, visual and intellectual levels as well as being a necessary corrective to an art form that wrote women out of its history. Electronic music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but understanding the ways women fight to be heard in popular culture should be vital to everyone.” —Marisa Carpico, Pop Break

“...There’s an enthusiasm and a thrill, a nerdy pride as they present their latest inventions through television interviews at the time. They are frequently framed in the archive footage itself as curiosities, outliers, and it’s a rare insight into women working in highly technical, intensely creative ways in the mid-20th century…. There is something incredibly exciting and ‘present day’ about it all.” —Una Mullally, Irish Times