19 Jun

17:00

Eye Filmmuseum

IJpromenade 1, Amsterdam

Discover the unsung heroines of electronic music in this documentary portrait. 'Sisters With Transistors' reveals the women who used machines and radical experiments to transform sound.

Film: Sisters with Transistors

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A Documentary Portrait of Electronic Music's Unsung Heroines

Sisters With Transistors tells a new history of electronic music by focusing on the women who used machines and radical experiments to transform music and sound. Narrator Laurie Anderson takes us on a journey past pioneers such as Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Éliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani, and Laurie Spiegel—artists who shaped and changed our way of listening, composing, and thinking about sound.

By weaving together archival material, interviews, and evocative, stimulating soundscapes, the documentary places women at the center of electronic music history, breaking the notion that this history is a 'boys' club'. The result is both a celebration of their creativity and a vivid reminder of the often-forgotten origins of modern music.

A Queer Legacy in Sound

The film prominently features Pauline Oliveros, a legendary composer and an openly lesbian icon who developed the 'Deep Listening' philosophy. Her groundbreaking work is a cornerstone of queer experimental art, making this documentary a vital tribute to the queer and outsider women who pioneered electronic music.