Chicago premiere of "Moog" this weekend

This weekend, the Gene Siskel Film Center presents the Chicago premiere of Moog, a documentary about Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. Moog could arguably be called the inventor of electronic music as well, as his invention paved the way for the sonic experimentation of Dark Side of the Moon, the robotic melodies of Kraftwerk and the space- age lounge of Air...and that's just a fraction of the music that his synthesizers made possible. However, Moog isn't just a cult-like figure to techno-music geeks, his influence is everywhere in modern music and it's not an exaggeration to say that he truly changed the way music is played and heard.

According to its promotional website, the documentary "explores Moog's collaborations with musicians over the years, and his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity and spirituality." The film also features appearances by Keith Emerson (of Emerson Lake and Palmer), Walter Sear, Gershon Kinsgley (of "Popcorn" fame), Jean-Jacques Perrey & Luke Vibert (aka Wagon Christ), Rick Wakeman (aka keyboard wanker for Yes), DJ Spooky, Herb Deutsch, Bernie Worrell, Pamelia Kurstin, Tino Corp. with Charlie Clouser, Money Mark (of Beastie Boys fame), Mix Master Mike (of Beastie Boys fame) and more.

The soundtrack ain't half-bad either...A majority of the aforementioned artists are featured in addition to the likes of Tortoise, Stereolab, Meat Beat Manifesto and Moog Cookbook.

The Moog documentary runs tonight, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. For complete show times, visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org.