"My interest in his new toy, the Theremin, isn't very big. It simply does not fit into my way of playing music. I do not want to fiddle around with my hands in the air"
About this Quote
“I do not want to fiddle around with my hands in the air” isn’t just about ergonomics. It’s an aesthetic boundary. The Theremin demands a visible performance language, a kind of gestural theater where the body becomes the interface. Schulze, a pillar of kosmische and Berlin School electronics, built his identity on the opposite move: disappearing into systems, sequencers, and sustained tones that feel architectural rather than demonstrative. His music often invites you to forget the performer and sink into the environment; the Theremin insists you watch the performer manufacture the sound.
Context matters: in the post-60s electronic boom, new instruments arrived with utopian promises, and musicians were expected to prove their futurism by adopting the latest gadget. Schulze’s line is a quiet rebellion against that narrative. He’s not anti-technology; he’s anti-mismatch. The quote is a reminder that “electronic” isn’t a single ideology. It’s a set of choices about control, touch, and what kind of attention a musician wants from the room.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Schulze, Klaus. (2026, January 17). My interest in his new toy, the Theremin, isn't very big. It simply does not fit into my way of playing music. I do not want to fiddle around with my hands in the air. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-interest-in-his-new-toy-the-theremin-isnt-very-63123/
Chicago Style
Schulze, Klaus. "My interest in his new toy, the Theremin, isn't very big. It simply does not fit into my way of playing music. I do not want to fiddle around with my hands in the air." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-interest-in-his-new-toy-the-theremin-isnt-very-63123/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My interest in his new toy, the Theremin, isn't very big. It simply does not fit into my way of playing music. I do not want to fiddle around with my hands in the air." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-interest-in-his-new-toy-the-theremin-isnt-very-63123/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
