How the dawn of modern pop music began in Flushing

Robert Moog adjusting his Moog Synthesizer in August of 1969. AP Photo/John Lent.

By Victoria Merlino

Ever jammed out to Donna Summer’s classic “I Feel Love?” How about Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here?” What about Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road?”

You have the Moog Synthesizer to thank. With its glittering, cutting edge sounds, the Moog ushered in the beginning of the modern synth — and the start of modern music as we know it. But before electronic music titans like Kraftwerk, mega producers like J Dilla and today’s pop and rap stars, there was Flushing. 

The creator of the synth that would change music was named Robert Moog, and he was born in Flushing in 1934, according to the Bob Moog Foundation. As a child, Moog would work with his father — who was a Con Edison electrical engineer — in their garage, building radios, simple organs and other similar projects. 

He eventually attended Bronx High School of Science, and received a dual degree in electrical engineering and physics from Columbia University and Queens College programs. 

However, he was always tinkering with the idea of electronic instruments, building his first theremin, a type of electric instrument that operates without the player touching it, when he was 14. With his father, he opened his own business selling commercial theremins when he was 19.

While pursuing a doctoral degree at Cornell, Moog developed an idea for a new electronic instrument with composer and collaborator Herbert Deutsch: voltage-controlled modular electronic music equipment. As he continued to develop the idea throughout the ‘60s, eventually dubbing them synthesizers, Moog began to market the new module equipment and introduce them to musicians. 

The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors and more artists began to pick up on the synth, which became revered for its compact size — thanks to the introduction of the MiniMoog in 1970 — experimental sound and elegant design. The Beatles would even utilize it for their classic 1969 album “Abbey Road” on songs like “Here Comes the Sun.” 

Though Moog died in 2005, the Moog synth’s sound still echoes through today’s music, whether it's in the production of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, LCD Soundsystem or the many acts who still use the Moog for its unique, futuristic sound.