On Version History: using your voice as an instrument, with assistance from Chromeo.
The vocoder was never intended to revolutionize music. Originally, it wasn’t meant for music at all. A century ago, an engineer at Bell Labs named Homer Dudley sought to streamline the process of transmitting phone calls over copper telephone lines. He developed remarkable technology that could capture and synthesize human speech.
As often happens with groundbreaking tech, the vocoder quickly found new applications. During World War II, it was key to secure transatlantic communications. A few years later, it emerged as a musical sensation. Initially, only a few artists explored this instrument’s vocal capabilities, but soon it became widespread and integral to the music industry.
In this episode of Version History, we dive into the rich history of the vocoder. David Pierce is joined by Switched on Pop co-host and music journalist Charlie Harding, along with Dave 1 and P-Thugg from the iconic electro-funk duo Chromeo. The group delves into the vocoder’s rise, as well as similar technologies like Auto-Tune and the Talkbox. Chromeo brings a vocoder and talkbox to the studio for a live demonstration.
This is the third episode of the third season of Version History. Here’s how to receive every episode and more:
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To discover Charlie’s and Chromeo’s top vocoder tracks, explore this playlist:
If you’re curious about the vocoder’s journey from Bell Labs to its global influence in music, start with these resources: