Dead Wax: We Want to See The Monkey

Sunday, July 23, 2023

We Want to See The Monkey

Uncle Rude

Shvengitz Records

wr. Kenny Fine, Orange Bear Music
produced by Walt Kahn
1972

Uncle Rude is Kenny Fine.

Ken remembers growing up surrounded by artists in his family. Most were entertainers in some way, always trying to find that balance between art and business. He was primarily a piano player, who then studied at the Philadelphia Musical Academy in the early 1970s. He recalled finding a Moog IIIc in the school's Music department, where students were using it to record compositions. And as an undergrad he had access. Ken was already fascinated with, as he put it, "the crazy electronic stuff". He became influenced by many electronic artists and their music of the day, including Isao Tomita's Snowflakes are Dancing.

Upon graduation from music school in roughly 1973, he ended up working at an electronics company called Components in Minneapolis, and that's when he started to go out and visit synthesizer factories like Moog and EML. He visited the Moog factory in Buffalo, and it was around this time that he realized he really wanted to sell synthesizers. He began speaking with others in the synthesizer industry like ARP owner Alan R. Perlman (Ken recalls having an ARP synthesizer back then) and this solidified his resolve to get into the business. And after only a year in Minneapolis, he moved back to PA to get to work on that plan.

Vibronic

Finding himself back in PA, he soon found his 23-year-old-self with a new bank loan and a new business partner - Marc Paterka. They had met at the electronic store in Minneapolis, and at the time Marc was a church organist who had been playing in a lot of big cathedrals at the time.

Opening that store in their first location was a busy but fun time. Ken recalls the "high" he felt when buying all those amazing synthesizers for the store. The direct access to a wide variety of rather rare keyboards got him started doing Moog rentals sessions for studios like Sigma Sound, who were always looking for the latest sounds for their R&B artists. And soon the store expanded to offer Moog service and modifications.