It’s been said before that there’s nothing new under the sun, and in the field of electronic music, there’s nothing that hasn’t been tried before. In countless instances, there can be found traces of contemporary electronic recording techniques in the body of work produced by Raymond Scott . He’s one of those immensely influential figures who changed everything, although his name doesn’t get a lot of recognition except in the inner circles. In these inner circles, however, he is something like royalty, akin to the Edison of electronic music.

He was born and raised in New York, the city that births so many talented people who often go unrecognized. But it’s not that he wasn’t recognized in his lifetime. After he finished with degrees in technology and a musical pedigree from Julliard, his band, ” The Raymond Scott Quintette ” was wildly successful. His versions of jazz were very popular in the 30s, and his recordings sold like hotcakes. It was here that he started developing his ideas about pre-recorded music. He would edit studio takes himself, re-mixing at a time when no one else would have considered it. He was also at the forefront of Civil Rights, have one of the first integrated jazz bands.

It was in electronic music, however, that he gets the most attention these days. His recordings and performances were famous for his wild sense of humor, and it was heard in the music, too. The Cartoon Network, the Simpsons, and Ren and Stimpy have all used bits and pieces of his songs. They have a feel that is at once classical and futuristic, and reflect a compositional mind that was far ahead of his time.

Today, people visiting New York and relaxing at their boutique Manhattan hotel , may find themselves watching a new cartoon, without realizing that the music is his work. He is also the one who conceived of the first electronic theramin, as well as one of the big sources of inspiration for the moog synthesizer. The world has never been the same, and never been better off.