Oli Freke
Oli Freke is a musician, journalist, artist and author specialising in electronic music, synthesizers and culture.
By day I work at the BBC; here I document the history, technology and culture of electronic instruments – synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers - through writing, archival research and performance.
You’ll find my books, journalism and music here. It all began with hand-drawn art posters of vintage synths, tracing their family trees – and has grown (and continues to grow) into a wider record of how these machines shaped the sound of modern music.
SYNTH EVOLUTION
The original book - a directory of every vintage synth of the 20th century. Each entry is hand-illustrated and accompanied by the key facts and figures of each synth.
JOURNALISM
Check out the Journalism section for articles published by
Sound On Sound, MixMag, The Quietus, and more.
POSTERS
I have created a range of posters covering Synth Evolution, the History of Dance Music, and produced commissions for the Design Museum and The ARP Foundation.
Check out the current range on sale at Synth Evolution.
Contact Me
For commissions of music, articles about music, interviews/podcast invites on any subject from synth history to electronic music culture - drop me a line!