The first seven volumes on the Tone Science sub-label featured 63 musicians (9 on each album) with varying backgrounds and styles, showcasing the wonderful richness and variety inherent in the world of modular synthesis. The next step was to transfer this concept to a live performance and hence the inaugural Tone Science Live concert, which took place at the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool on the evening of 22nd April 2023.

All five musicians were set up onstage simultaneously and each played solo before joining together at the end. Field Lines Cartographer opened the evening with a beautiful set full of glistening textures and pulsating oscillations. Next came Nigel Mullaney with a more upbeat performance, featuring the famous “Pale Blue Dot” speech from Carl Sagan which seemed very appropriate as the 22nd April was Earth Day. After a short interval, Polypores took to the stage with a breath- taking display of modular synth virtuosity, with him constantly shifting and morphing the myriad sequencer patterns and tones emanating from his modular system. DiN label boss Ian Boddy followed with a sonic trip through four ambient sections, seamlessly mixing minimal ambience with vibrant pulsing sequencers before falling away to a tranquil conclusion. After another short break, Scanner played a stunning set featuring field recordings and disarming vocal samples and building up a monumental industrial rhythm from the simplest of ingredients.

The evening ended in fine style with all five musicians taking to the stage and performing an ambient drone piece inspired by the early American minimalist composers. At the helm was Scanner, mixing and shaping the overall sound of the music as it slowly grew in intensity to fill the hall with a mesmerising wash of tones. A fitting end to what was a fantastic evening of music from five musicians coaxing such varied and beautiful sounds from their small modular systems.