The theremin or thereminvox is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. It was invented by Russian inventor Léon Theremin in 1919, and it is unique in that it was the first musical instrument designed to be played without being touched. It consists of two radio frequency oscillators and two metal antennae. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.

To play the theremin, the theremin player moves his or her hands around the two metal antennae, which control the instrument's frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume). The theremin is widely associated with "alien", surreal, and eerie-sounding portamento, glissando, tremolo, and vibrato sounds, due to its use in film soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. The theremin is also used in art music (especially avant-garde and 20th-century "new music") and in popular music genres such as rock and pop. [...]

A theremin features at the beginning of the Muse single Invincible, taken from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. However, this is not a standard theremin; it is a pad on Matt Belamy's guitar that uses the movement of his finger or plectrum on the pad to create the sound. More often he uses a delay effect on his guitar and uses a metal slide to create a similar sound. Another Muse song using a theremin is The Gallery off the single Bliss. A theremin solo was featured in live versions of the song "Whole Lotta Love," a hit for English rock band Led Zeppelin, the instrument being played by the band's guitarist, Jimmy Page. Simon and Garfunkel used the theremin on their 2003-2004 "Old Friends Tour" for the instrumental on the song "The Boxer." The instrument was played by keyboardist Rob Schwimmer. Rock band Supergrass uses a Theremin in their song Richard III, off the album In it for the Money. It's even featured in the music video for Richard III, as played by Rob Coombes.

Marilyn Manson uses a theremin, played by band member Madonna Wayne Gacy, in the song "Dope Hat." This can be seen in the video for the song. UK Band Pram also use the theremin extensively in their work. Alison Goldfrapp uses theremins in many of her songs.

Theremins have also been used in live concerts and in the studio by artists such as Pixies, Dan Kelly, The Flaming Lips, Future of Forestry, Tripod, Incubus, An Albatross, Add N to (X), Mark Lanegan Band, The Octopus Project, Chris Funk (The Decemberists), The Polyphonic Spree, Mercury Rev, Rocket Science, Fishbone, Jean Michel Jarre, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), Natalie Naveira (Lendi Vexer), Bill Bailey, Pere Ubu, Gabby La La, Tyson Ritter of The All American Rejects, Neutral Milk Hotel, Street Drum Corps, Keller Williams, Wolf Parade, Lacrimosa, Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, The Cranberries, Ween, Phish, John Otway, System of a Down, Portishead, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Brand New, One Ring Zero, Edan, the Damned (by Dave Vanian), Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and Russian duo Messer Chups, Tom Waits, Radiohead (by Johnny Greenwood, and Guillemots), Green Carnation, Patrick Wolf,Roy Harter and Man or Astroman?.

The theremin is part used in live performances of sci-fi band The Phenomenauts. The British band Half Man Half Biscuit satirised the use of the theremin by art rockers and indie bands in their song Look Dad No Tunes (from the album Trouble Over Bridgwater).

Source: Wikipedia