Robert Margouleff is an American

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, recording engineer,

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

pioneer, audio expert, and film producer.

Career

The Birth of TONTO

Margouleff was an early customer, friend and collaborator of fellow New Yorker and music instrument pioneer

Robert Moog Robert Arthur Moog ( ; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthes ...

, contributing early insight toward Moog's musical instrument development for artists to routinely program and use

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

s. He also was an early creative resource at

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

's "factory", eventually co-producing '' Ciao! Manhattan'' (1972), a semi-biographical

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

tale of 1960s counterculture film actress and socialite Edie Sedgwick, one of Warhol's "

superstars A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity. Superstar or superstars may also refer to: People * Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol * WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler * Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...

". In 1968, Robert Margouleff purchased a Moog Series IIIc, which was intended to be the "first orchestra of synthesizers". He soon went on to meet well-known bassist Malcolm Cecil, who approached him to learn more about this synthesizer. In exchange for Cecil teaching Margouleff how to use the recording console, Margouleff taught Cecil how to use the Moog. In just two weeks, the duo set to build the largest synthesizer in the world. A few weeks later, they jointly formed a group known as TONTO's Expanding Head Band, through which they explored the nearly unlimited capabilities of their machine. They recorded the album ''Zero Time'' (1971), attracting attention from many other leading artists of that era to the newly emerging music technology.

Stevie Wonder

Beginning in 1972, Margouleff and Cecil worked with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

on a string of award-winning albums, including '' Music of My Mind'' (1972), '' Talking Book'' (1972), '' Innervisions'' (1973) and '' Fulfillingness' First Finale'' (1974), all of which featured Margouleff and Cecil as associate producers, engineers and synthesizer programmers. TONTO was pivotal in the duo's relationship with Wonder because it allowed him to arrange his own tracks and to be involved in each step of the recording process. Over a three day stretch, the trio recorded 17 songs together for their first release. After '' Fulfillingness' First Finale'', Margouleff and Moog ceased collaboration with Wonder, due to unfair business relations and a changed relationship with him. Margouleff described the relationship between himself, Cecil and Wonder as "like three meteors in the sky and they're all flying towards one another. For one brief second there's this huge bright light when all three meteors cross paths at the same time and there's just this brilliant flash... and it just goes away. That's how it was with me, Steve, and Malcolm."

Post-Wonder

In 1975, TONTO's Expanding Head Band resumed with ''It's About Time'' and the pair collaborated on

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he b ...

's album '' It's My Pleasure''. Margouleff went on to produce music with Jeff Beck,

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trowe ...

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental Pop music, pop and R&B. He released his first solo ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

, Oingo Boingo, the Doobie Brothers,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, Bobby Womack,

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

, Gil Scott-Heron,

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and voca ...

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, Dave Mason, Little Feat,

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

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, Paul Rodgers, GWAR and many others. In 1980, Margouleff produced the '' Freedom of Choice'' album for American new wave band Devo. On working with Margouleff, Devo's co-founder and principal songwriter Gerald Casale said, "He just brought the right kind of tone and energy to the fact that we ereusing mini-Moogs". In an interview for Rhino Records, Casale described how Devo's demos for the album, which featured extensive usage of the Moog Bass, convinced Margouleff to work with them.

1995–present

Margouleff is currently a partner in Safe Harbor Pictures LLC. in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, where he has developed a fully tape-less 2D / 3D High definition production workflow, from shooting to editing. As an avid sailor and documentary filmmaker, Margouleff is producing ''Tall Ships of the World'', a 13-episode series about America's greatest sailing ships, which will be available on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...

in 3D. In 1997, Margouleff was a principal founder of Mi Casa Multimedia in Hollywood, California, a leading boutique

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...

(multi-channel audio) mixing studio specializing in home theatre DTS and DVD /

HD DVD HD DVD (short for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc) is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to ...

releases for major motion picture studios. Mi Casa Multimedia studios is located in a former home of actor Béla Lugosi. Margouleff was invited to present as the Keynote Speaker for the 129th

AES AES may refer to: Businesses and organizations Companies * AES Corporation, an American electricity company * AES Data, former owner of Daisy Systems Holland * AES Eletropaulo, a former Brazilian electricity company * AES Andes, formerly AES Gener ...

Convention on November 4, 2010, at the

Moscone Center The George R. Moscone Convention Center (pronounced ), popularly known as the Moscone Center, is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. The complex consists of three main halls spread out across three blocks ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California. His lecture was titled "What the Hell Happened?", which examined the influence of fast-paced technological developments on creativity in the music industry and the recording arts. In 2013, the National Music Centre acquired TONTO.

Personal life

Margouleff is the son of Great Neck Estates Mayor Jean Margouleff and Ruth Margouleff. He also has one sister.

Discography

With Malcolm Cecil * 1971: ''Zero Time'' – Tonto's Expanding Head Band * 1975: ''It's About Time'' – Tonto's Expanding Head Band Engineering, production, programming credits with Cecil * 1970: ''A Moog Mass'' – Caldara * 1971: ''The Great Blind Degree'' – Richie Havens * 1972: '' Music of My Mind'' –

* 1972: '' Talking Book'' – Stevie Wonder * 1973: '' Innervisions'' – Stevie Wonder * 1973: '' The Captain and Me'' – The Doobie Brothers * 1973: ''

3+3 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

'' –

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

* 1973: '' Kindling'' – Gene Parsons * 1974: '' Fulfillingness' First Finale'' – Stevie Wonder * 1974: '' Good Old Boys'' –

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

* 1974: '' Live It Up'' – The Isley Brothers * 1974: ''

Shankar Family & Friends ''Shankar Family & Friends'' (stylised as ''Shankar Family Friends'' on the album cover) is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar, recorded primarily in Los Angeles during the spring of 1973, but not released until late 1974. It was produc ...

'' –

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

* 1975: '' It's My Pleasure'' –

* 1975: '' The Heat Is On'' – The Isley Brothers * 1975: ''Join Me and Let's Be Free'' – Wilson Pickett * 1975: '' Tale Spinnin''' –

* 1977: '' Motivation Radio'' –

Credits with other artists
^{(''see also'' Malcolm Cecil Discography, Margouleff and Cecil (together) Discography)} * 1966/1985: ''Original Television Soundtrack

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

From the Original Pilots " The Cage" & " Where No Man Has Gone Before"'' –

Alexander Courage Alexander Mair Courage Jr. (December 10, 1919May 15, 2008) familiarly known as "Sandy" Courage, was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme musi ...

* 1968: ''Presenting...'' – Lothar and the Hand People * 1973: ''

Hat Trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

'' –

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

(synth programming) * 1976: ''

'' –

* 1976: ''2nd Resurrection'' – The Stairsteps * 1977: ''Ready for the World'' – Inner Circle * 1978: ''Introducing the ARP Avatar'' – Ned Liben * 1980: ''Minimum Wage Rock & Roll'' – The BusBoys * 1980: '' Freedom of Choice'' – Devo * 1982: '' As We Speak'' –

* 1982: ''The Innocents'' – The Innocents * 1983: '' Good for Your Soul'' – Oingo Boingo * 1986: "All I Need" – The Manhattans (additional producer, remix) * 1986: "But Not Tonight" –

(additional producer, remix) * 1987: ''Renaissance'' – Branford Marsalis * 1987: ''American Soul Man'' – Wilson Pickett * 1990: ''The Odd Get Even'' – Shadowfax * 1991: ''Live in Concert'' –

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luke Campbell, Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and ...

* 1992: ''

Freedom to Fly ''Freedom to Fly'' is the third studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released in 1992 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe).Tony MacAlpine * 1994: ''Alternative NRG'' – various artists * 1995: '' Conversation Peace'' – Stevie Wonder (mixing) * Unknown: ''Rumor Has It'' EP – Avalon

Awards and recognition

* Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical –

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

** Malcolm Cecil & Robert Margouleff (engineers) for '' Innervisions'' performed by

References

External links

Mi Casa Multimedia

Tonto's Expanding Head Band

Safe Harbor Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margouleff, Robert Living people Record producers from New York (state) Grammy Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)