In 1967, percussionist Danny Taylor and a vocalist known professionally only as Simeon formed The Silver Apples. Hailing from New York, the duo recorded two albums for the Kapp label, and became pioneers in the genre of electronic and experimental music through Simeon’s use of an instrument that bore his name. The Simeon, as it was called, consisted of nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual controls, the lead and rhythm oscillators being played with the hands, elbows and knees, and the bass oscillators being played with the feet. The Silver Apples original two albums; “ Silver Apples“ in 1968, and “Contact” in 1969, became touchstones for the later work of artists such as Suicide, Spacemen 3, and Laika.
The Silver Apples seemingly disappeared after the release of those two albums, but interest in them grew along with the electronica movement of the 1990’s, and Simeon resurfaced with a new version of the Silver Apples in 1996 featuring Xian Hawkins on drums, with a single called “Fractal Flow” After touring America and Europe, they released a new album called “Beacon”, followed a year later by another album called “Decatur” and a collaboration with Spectrum called “A Lake of Teardrops”. That was followed by the release of “The Garden”, a rediscovered and previously unreleased album featuring the original line up of The Silver Apples.
On November 1, 1998, returning from a gig in New York with Danny Taylor, the band suffered a van accident that left Simeon with a broken neck and spinal injuries. He retreated to the Gulf of Mexico to recuperate, and Danny Taylor subsequently passed away in 2005. However, Simeon did re-emerge in 2007 performing as a solo version of The Silver Apples, and I had the opportunity to speak with him by phone in February of 2009.
![[PLAY]](http://fluxedojunction.podOmatic.com/img/play_button.gif)
