Orpheus Music: The Electronic Music Time Machine

Switching-off: A note to our readers

2008-02-12T16:10:00.000Z

This blog has attracted the attention of an "unwanted party" and, as a consequence (to save me from any potential trouble), will be closed and deleted in the next couple of days.

Since April, this blog has developed a substantial and committed readership; many heartfeld thanks to all for supporting us (through uploads, comments, critique etc.), and sorry that it has to close prematurely.

We may return (in the unforseen future) at noseyear. blogspot.com

Once again, thank you for your support.

The Orpheus Records Team

The Sounds and Music of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer [external link]

2008-01-17T21:19:00.000Z

"The Sounds and Music of the RCA Electronic Synthesizer" (RCA Victor, unknown date)
posted at The Reverse Time Page

A while ago our reader Dave pointed us to an exciting link containing a copy of this rare RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer demonstration record, issues in the 50s or 60s on RCA Victor. RCA? Yes, the giant vacuum tube beast even bigger than the TONTO featured here previously (size matters...). Many many thanks Dave!! (also to seasob for offering this record to me recently!!)

Mark from The Reverse Time Page, your trusted source for "early radios, vacuum tubes, electric clocks, and unusual technological debris of the past" (www.uv201.com) posted all eight sides of this obscure record. Many many thanks Mark!

Side 1: The Synthesis of Music-The Physical Characteristics of Musical Sounds (7:13, 3.3 mb)
Side 2: The Synthesis of Music-Synthesis by Parts (Part 1) (5:55, 2.7 mb)
Side 3: The Synthesis of Music-Synthesis by Parts (Part 2) (4:37, 2.1 mb)
Side 4: Excerpts from Musical Selections (Part 1) (6:05, 2.8 mb)
Side 5: Excerpts from Musical Selections (Part 2) (3:28, 1.6 mb)
Side 6: Complete Selections-Bach Fugue No. 2, Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 1 (4:47, 2.2 mb)
Side 7: Complete Selections-Oh Holy Night (Adam), Home Sweet Home (Bishop) (6:42, 3.1 mb)
Side 8: Complete Selections-Stephen Foster Medley, Nola (Arndt), Blue Skies (Berlin) (7:49, 3.6 mb)

Please go to Mark's site to access the music:
http://www.uv201.com/Misc_Pages/rca_synthesizer.htm

You can find more music realised on the RCA synthi here:
Charles Wuorinen: Time's Econium (available as audio stream; CD released on Tzadik)
Also look for early records by Vladimir Ussachevsky, Milton Babbitt, Otto Luening and other members of the Columbia-Prineton Electronic Music Center where the RCA was the main synthesizer for some time.

Here's some substantial information on this mechanical beast:

A million thanks both to Mark for preserving this & to Dave for pointing me to this remarkable resource.

[Switched-on special] Various Artists - Metamorphoses. Electronic Interpretations of Classic and Modern Musical Works (Melodya, 1980)

2007-12-26T11:09:00.000Z

The basic formula of today's post:
Take a regular switched-on xxxx record like Wendy Carlos' Switched-on Bach, play it on an EMS Synthi 100, and you'll get this lost diamond of Russian electronic music, and possibly one of the rarest "switched on" records ever made.

Since the Synthi 100 is perhaps the most versatile synthesizer ever build (at least that's what Karlheinz Stockhausen once said) and given the lack of recordings with it (I remember Stockhausen's Sirius, some early Rolf Gehlhaar stuff and Bruno Spoerri's Toy Planet) this record might also appeal to the vintage gear fetishists.

01 - Edward Artemiev & Yuriy Bogdanov: Claude Debussy's 'Le vent dans la plaine'
02 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Claudio Monteverdi's 'Io mi son giovinetta'
03 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: John Bull's 'Why aske you'
04 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Vladymir Martynov's 'Spring Etude'
05 - Edward Artemiev & Yuriy Bogdanov: Sergey Prokofiev's 'Sarcasms'
06 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Claude Debussy's 'Canope'
07 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Anonymous' 'Summer Cannon'
08 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Vladymir Martynov's 'Morning in the Mountains'
09 - Vladymir Martynov & Yuriy Bogdanov: Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Goldberg Variations Nos. 5 and 8'
10 - Edward Artemiev & Yuriy Bogdanov: Claude Debussy's 'Voiles'
11 - Edward Artemiev & Yuriy Bogdanov: Motion

Sharebee
Vinyl @ highest VBR
No pass

Note: File names are quite long, so it might be necessary to unpack this archive into a low level folder like C:\

Pierre Henry: Les petits métiers (1995)

2007-12-18T01:46:00.001Z

In the 1980s/1990s Pierre Henry (who turned 80 a few days ago) produced a string of simply beautiful lyrical works for the West German Radio's Studio Akustische Kunst (Studio Acoustic Art), then headed by radiophonic pioneer Klaus Schöning. To me these works are among the very best Pierre Henry has ever produced. Most of them are still unavailable on disc (except for La ville, Antagonisme, Une tour de Babel).

La Ville (1982)
Journal de mes sons (1982)
Crystal mémoire I (1988, with Heinz Bennent & Hanna Schygulla)
Crystal mémoire II (1988, with Hanna Schygulla & Elise Caron)
Une maison de sons (1990)
Les petits métiers (1995)
Phrases de Quatuor/Schubertnotizen (1996)
Antagonismen (1996)
Une histoire naturelle (1997)
Une tour de Babel (1999)

Today we present you Les petits métiers from 1995, an anthology of Henry's film works. Henry took 15 of his compositions for film and re-arranged them to a unique sound suite with many unusual particles (e.g. Martin Luther King's voice) for you to enjoy. Please note that this recording was taped from FM radio (stereo/320) and will not necessarily please the audiophiles. But I think the sound quality is still good enough to honor the quality and rarity of Henry's composition.

Sharebee (Part 1)
Sharebee (Part 2)
FM radio (stereo) @ 320

Pass = orpheusmachine (as usual)

Various Artists: Serge Musician's Tape (1983)

2007-12-13T20:58:00.000Z

What would Orpheus be without Eurydice? The law of large numbers has once again made it possible to unearth a remarkable finding of obscure, totally unavailable electronic music. What I'm trying to say in my broken English is that three kind readers responded to my request of the Serge Musician's Tape and submitted copies of the original post by m/n/m/l.
Heartfelt thanks to all of you for your great contributions. This post is dedicated to you (including the original poster m/n/m/l):

Anonymous from The Netherlands - he was the first - many thanks!
Emoc from France - please visit his amazing site with many electronic goodies - thanks!
Segerfalk from Sweden - please visit his upcoming site with vintage analog gear - thanks!

The Serge Musician's Tape is a promo tape from 1983 containing very rare pieces composed on the mighty SERGE MODULAR SYNTHESIZER. It was posted around 2005 by m/n/m/l but became unavailable later. Here's the tracklist (the majority of pieces remain out of print); once again: this was originally preserved from cassette by the musician m/n/m/l (make sure to check out their website for other releases made on the Serge Modular). Many thanks for their outstanding work. The cover is mine.

00 - Reference Tape Noise
01 - Warren Burt (1982): You want maybe something a little intense diatonic
02 - Broadscore (=Jill Fraser & Elizabeth Myers): Esso(tm) Commercial
03 - Michael Elliot: #5
04 - Scot Gresham-Lancaster: Suburban Dream Music
05 - Brad Stilley: Official Entry
06 - Roger Powell (1983): Auroramor [excerpt]
07 - Earl Howard: Untitled [excerpt]
08 - Rick Blanchard (1982): Big Mama
09 - Todd Barton (1982): Killer Didgeridoo
10 - Planetary Peace: He is Come
11 - David Vosh & Jack Deckard: Sequence '82
12 - Ivan Tcherepnin: Santur Opera
13 - Kevin Braheny: Papoon for President
14 - Michael Stearns: Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore
15 - Eric Drew Feldman: Butch the Dog
16 - Tom Dill: Untitled
17 - Brad Slocum: Bach Brandenburg Concerto No 5
18 - Darrel Johansen: Moto Perpetuo
19 - Alvin Curran: The Works
20 - John Wiggins: Anagenic
21 - Easy Teeth (=Paul Young & Robert Williams) (1980): Her Blade
22 - John Adams (1983): Meerstille

Sharebee (Part 1)
Sharebee (Part 2)
Pass = orpheusmachine

Synthesizer Demonstration Record: The Serge Synthesizer Volume Two

2007-12-13T14:52:00.000Z

Here's the long promised, hand-made Orpheus Records Synthesizer Demonstration Record "The Serge Synthesizer Volume Two" with rare recordings by Warren Burt and Thomas Hamilton.

The origin of Warren Burt's long-form Serge studies is unknown, ca. 1974 (I found this stuff through obscure sources). Thomas Hamilton's "Formal & Informal Music" from 1980 was originally posted by Waxidermy - I thought reposting this in a new context would be useful. I dropped the idea of adding Keith Fullerton Whitman's Stereo Music for Serge Modular Prototype because it's still in print. Enjoy!

01 - Untitled [by Warren Burt, ca. 1974]
02 - Untitled [by Warren Burt, ca. 1974]
03 - Untitled [by Warren Burt, ca. 1974]
04 - Formal & Informal music [by Thomas Hamilton, 1980] with thanks to Waxidermy

http://sharebee.com/e7b3b23e

Karlheinz Stockhausen dies at 79

2007-12-07T04:40:00.000Z

On Wednesday, electronic music pioneer and one of the last living legend of contemporary music, the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen died at the age of 79.
I met Stockhausen a few times and we were corresponding occassionally. What impressed me most was not his sheer genius (he could have been a university professor in almost any subject; his understand of science, languages and arts was breathtaking) but his total dedication to the exploration of the last remaining secrets through art. His mind didn't stop at the borders of this planet; his imagination and continous, sincere search extended to the universe and into the atoms and smallest particles. I learnt from him not only a new sense of beauty, "alien beauty" as he used to call it, derived by a profound insight into nature's very being and translated into musical language, but his unmatched ability to think beyond existing terms and to open new worlds for us. It is up to us to follow his invitation.

Honoring the universal genius and profound humanity of Stockhausen here are just two of his many invitations that he has made us:
"Leo" & "Virgo", the two parts of the zodiac in between Stockhausen was born (22 August) - from his famous Tierkreis cycle, composed for music boxes.

Karlheinz Stockhausen, may your soul be now where you have taken us so many times with your music.

[Switched-on special] Hans Wurman: Chopin à la Moog (1970)

2007-12-06T15:53:00.000Z

Sorry, my English does not suffice to describe how great this music is. I strongly encourage you to form your own opinion.

Sharebee

vinyl @ VBR

Pass (if any) = orpheusmachine

[Switched-on special] Synthesonic Sounds: Ye Olde Moog (1974)

2007-12-02T04:43:00.000Z

The list of more or less notable composers who dipped into the novelty Moog scene either before they started their "serious careers" or to cash in the moog hype reads like a list of actors/actresses with early secret outings into porn.

Mike Batt (the man behind Synthesonic Sounds) is one example: While his career is peppered with some success stories in mainstream music (most recently he produced the excellent British-Georgian singer Katie Melua) his two Moog albums remain a well-hidden footnote in his biography.

After 1973's Moog at the Movies, an interpretation of famous cinema tunes, Mike now turnes to some prominent entries in the American Songbook: Scarborough Fair, Morning has Broken, Amazing Grace and House of the Rising Sun - all played on the Moog. But this isn't yet another "I was young and needed the money" lp recorded in one day to soothe a profit-hungry record company: it's still quite a nice album to listen to, even after 33 years after its making.

01 - English Country Garden

02 - Riddle Song

03 - Scarborough Fair

04 - Ash Grove

05 - The Drunken Sailor

06 - Danny Boy

07 - Morning has Broken

08 - Oh No John

09 - Strawberry Fair

10 - Streets of Laredo

11 - Amazing Grace

12 - Early One Morning

13 - Greensleeves

14 - Cockles and Mussels

15 - Loch Lomond

16 - House of the Rising Sun

Sharebee

vinyl @ highest vbr

Pass = orpheusmachine

[Switched-on special] Eberhard Schoener: Destruction of Harmony (1971)

2007-11-27T23:48:00.000Z

I recently hoarded a truckload of "switched-on"/"novelty Moog" LPs and will post them from time to time in a special edition. Encoding quality is often medium to low due to different sources (this one is only 128...please feel free to post better versions if you have).

I begin with one my favourites: Eberhard Schoener's much-talked-about-but-rarely-heard, hence legendary 1971 LP Destruction of Harmony. Three years after Wendy Carlos' Switched-on Bach record which started quite a fashion there were already quite a few classical Moog albums on the market, for instance Hans Wurman's Chopin à la Moog & The Moog Strikes Bach (both will be posted here later). Being aware that recording a Moog album with classical stuff wasn't too adventurous anymore in 1971, Eberhard Schoener decided to play a little bit around with the original compositions.... the outcome is actually more pleasant than the eye-catching title suggests....

01 - Overture
02 - Rondeau
03 - Sarabande
04 - Bourree
05 - Polonaise
06 - Menuet
07 - Badinerie
08 - Allegro 1
09 - Largo
10 - Allegro 2

Given the fact that Schoener later recorded with Sting his Wikipedia entry is surprisingly short:

Eberhard Schoener (born May 13, 1938, Stuttgart) is a German composer and conductor.

He crosses borderlines, leaves his past behind just to find his way back to it. He gets down to music without any pre-judgment, surrendering to any foreign or strange influences to create unerring bridges to follow his very personal direction. Eberhard Schoener's work is difficult to describe as there are too many completely diverse compositions and an array of projects and events. Such versatility is reflected in his Biography.

"My message is the music. The goal of my life is to create an original form of contemporary music in which the opera, jazz, ethnical and electronic music melt together. I believe in emotionality."

Sharebee (encoding @ 128; didn't have a better copy)

Pass = orpheusmachine

REQUESTS FOR: The Serge Synthesizer, Volume Three

2007-11-25T18:18:00.001Z

Added 2 December 2007:

A kind reader who preferrs to remain anonymous has sent me the Serge Synthesizer Tape, thanks very much to him. It's the version from http://www.mnmlnoise.com/Serge_Musicians_Tape.html saved before the links were taken down some time ago, and the quality is excellent. It will be posted here soon.

Synthesizer Demonstration Record: The Serge Synthesizer, Volume One

2007-11-25T17:57:00.000Z

This is another handmade Orpheus Records compilation featuring an important protagonist of electronic music: The Serge (Modular) Synthesizer. At least visually this is certainly one of the most attractive synthesizers ever made. But how does it sound like?

Since the SERGE was never as popular as, for instance, the Moog or Buchla synthesizers, one does usually not know specific compositions using it excusively. So I've asked our Orpheus Records Research Department to some research again. They came up with a list of tracks featuring the SERGE Synthesizer (and nothing else) - enough material to fill just about a dozen records. For our first hommage to the mighty Serge Modular System I have chosen some spacy tracks which are quite representative for its ethereal sound. Volume 2 will present experimental Serge compositions by Warren Burt, Thomas Hamilton and Keith Fullerton Whitman. Volume 3 (in the planning phase) will feature extremely rare recordings (with your help).

This is what you'll get today (for the records: I have added short fade in's/out's to tracks 3, 4, 6 and 8):

01 - In the Beginning... [by Michael Stearns, 1980] - from "Planetary Unfolding"
02 - Intergalactic Space [by Kevin Braheny, 1988] - from "Galaxies"
03 - Timelapse [by Telomere, aka Chris MacDonald, 1998] - from "Astral Currents"
04 - Departure [by Telomere, aka Chris MacDonald, 1998] - from "Astral Currrents"
05 - Seven [by Michael Stearns, 1998] from "Within"
06 - Ancient Uplift [by Telomere, aka ChrisMacDonald, 2001] - from "Zoetosis"
07 - Morning [by Michael Stearns, 1979] - from "Morning Jewel"
08 - Visitation [by Telomere, aka Chris MacDonald, 1998] - from Astral Currents"

It's in YOUR hands to help releasing the third volume. Please read the notes in the following post and help with some of my requests, if you can. Thanks very much in advance.

Sharbee (Part 1)
Sharbee (Part 2)
Pass = orpheusmachine

Various Artists: Music from Mathematics (1962)

2007-11-23T00:08:00.000Z

This comes in addition to our series of Early Computer Music last month:
A great (out of print; vinyl-only) compilation of tracks played on the IBM 7090 Computer, released in 1962 (sic!). Get ready for some ancient switched-on folk songs (Frère Jacques) & great HAL 9000 type smashits (Bicyle Built for Two).

01 - Anonymous: Frère Jacques
02 - Orlando Gibbons: Fantasia
03 - Max Mathews: Bicycle Built For Two
04 - John Robinson Pierce: Molto Amoroso
05 - John Robinson Pierce: Variations In Timbre And Attack
06 - John Robinson Pierce: Stochatta
07 - John Robinson Pierce: Five Against Seven (Random Canon)
08 - John Robinson Pierce: Beat Canon
09 - John Robinson Pierce: Melodie
10 - Max Mathews: Numerology
11 - Max Mathews: The Second Law
12 - Max Mathews: May Carol
13 - S.D. Speeth: Theme And Variations
14 - David Lewin: Study No.1
15 - David Lewin: Study No.2
16 - Newman Guttman: Pitch Variations
17 - James Tenney: Noise Study
18 - Max Mathews: Joy To The World

This is what our History Department came up with:
The IBM 7090, announced in 1958, was a transistorized version of the vacuum-tube-logic 709 and the first commercial computer with transistor logic (the first such computing device, according to [53], was the IBM 608, but that was not a general-purpose stored-program computer). The 7090, like the 700 series it superseded, was intended mainly for scientific computing, but it was also suitable for business and administrative use.

These folks are composing a 2 sek ritardando:

Sharebee
Pass (I'm not sure if I set any, just in case) = orpheusmachine

TONTO's Expanding Head Band: A Synthesizer the Size of Nebraska

2007-11-22T20:57:00.000Z

The alternate cover taken from an old Synapse cover (refused by our internal graphics department; they said the quality was too lousy...).

I really LOVE TONTO's Expanding Head Band. Really. But I'm just happy that they produced just two original records (plus two compilations; that's one compilation for each of their regular LPs...). Otherwise my plan to come up with a complete anthology of their officially released output would have driven me mad (I might have looked like Malcolm Cecil on our alternate cover artwork).

Their discography is so funny:

The first lp, Zero Time from 1971 was re-released twice on different compilations (Tonto Rides Again from 1996, and Featuring Malcolm Cecil from 2006, which is also known as the "Collector's Album"), using original titles and durations. So far so good. No problems here.
Then came the second album, It's About Time (1974). A great album indeed. Also re-released twice on said compilations. BUT without the first track ("Beautiful You"). AND, sadly, using different names and a new order of tracks. PLUS, three of the seven re-released original tracks were used in abridged versions (missing between 20-90 secs) (it should also be mentioned that the second compilation came up with a bonus track).

[At this point I'll skip debating about TONTO's proper spelling...is it TONTO's like on their official website, T.O.N.T.O's....or Tonto's...]

It took a while to collect, compare and compile all available tracks and to come up with this, hopefully, (almost) complete anthology of Tonto's officially published music. Plus a few gimmicks like two short youtube clips, an interview, some cool pictures, & two bonus tracks with Stevie Wonder (sic!). But given Tonto's chaotic discography I'm quite sure that I've unintentionally added yet another strange mishap (typos, omissions) to make things even more confusing. Let me know.

So, this is was you'll get:
From "Zero Time", 1971 (using remastered versions from "Featuring Malcolm Cecil"):
1.01 - Cybernaut (remastered)
1.02 - Jetsex (remastered)
1.03 - Timewhys (remastered)
1.04 - Aurora (remastered)
1.05 - Riversong (remastered)
1.06 - Tama (remastered)

From "It's About Time", 1974 (partly using remastered versions from "Featuring Malcolm Cecil"):
1.07 - Beautiful You
1.08 - Tonto's Travels [=Tontomotion] (complete)
2.01 - Tontomotion [=Tonto's Travels] (remastered, abridged)
2.02 - Tranquilium [=Nil Desperandum] (remastered)
2.03 - Ferryboat [=The Boatman] (remastered)
2.04 - Building the Pyramid [=Pyramodal] (complete)
2.05 - Pyramodal [=Building the Pyramid] (remastered, abridged)
2.06 - Journey to the West [=Cameltrain] (complete)
2.07 - Cameltrain [=Journey to the West] (remastered, abridged)
2.08 - Judgementor [=Forty-Nine Judges] (remastered)
2.09 - Freeflight [=Bird Flies Free] (remastered)

Bons track from "Featuring Malcolm Cecil", previously unreleased:
2.10 - Bittersweet (remastered)

Bonus tracks produced by Tonto's Expanding Head Band:
2.11 - Living for the City [by Stevie Wonder]
2.12 - Superstition [by Stevie Wonder]

Ah, and I should maybe add visiual evidence for why I titled this compilation ...the Size of Nebraska. Judge yourself (I think this this is just half of the actual beast):

Added 6 December 2007
I received an email from "TONTO" notiyfing me that their collector's album is still in print and available at Amazon. I am sorry for my mistake and have therefore deleted the links to "A Synthesizer the Size of Nebraksa". As my mission statement is to preserve commercially neglected electronic music classics it was clearly not my intention to publish music which is still available.

Six copies of Tonto's Collector's album (cover says "Featuring Malcolm Cecil") are available from these sources:

Another nine copies can be found at Amazon.uk (ranging from 10 to 100 Pounds):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tonto%27s+expanding+head

I do highly recommend to buy these CDs as TONTO's music is simply great. TONTO's "It's about time" remains still out of print, so those looking for the complete Tonto oeuvre should look out for this LP at Ebay or other dealers.

György Ligeti: Complete Electronic Works (1957/58)

2007-11-14T00:51:00.000Z

Although György Ligeti has composed less than 14 minutes of electronic music it is impossible to find his electronic oeuvre on a single release. Until now. This generic, self-made Orpheus Records compilation brings you both electronic miniatures that Ligeti composed during his stay at the Electronic Music Studio of the West German Radio (WDR) in 1957/58 - on invitation by Karlheinz Stockhausen. His third electronic piece, the mythical Pièce électronique no. 3 was composed/sketched in 1958 but could not been realized at that time - remember that the age of affordable and actually useful computers was still to come. Pièce électronique no. 3 was finally realized by the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 1996. And voilà, here we have György Ligeti's complete anthology of electronic works. It's so easy. Just three tracks, 14 minutes. I felt that this was a bit short, so I added the quasi-electronic pieces Volumina for organ and Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes (sic!) from following years (1961/62) which transfer the quest for unconventional timbres and rhythms to non-electronic instruments. Please also find attached a high-resolution version of the graphic score of Artikulationen, one of Ligeti's electronic pieces. Try to read it while listening to the piece, it is useful.

Sharebee

Alchemists of Sound (2003) [Documentary film]

2007-11-13T18:56:00.000Z

Fifth and last edition of our small Electronic Music Cinemathèque:
The rather popular & high quality BBC documentary Alchemists of Sound from 2003 (again) about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Why aren't there any movies about communities like the GRM, the WDR's Studio für Elektronische Musik, RAI Milan, MEV etc. out there?

List of composers/musicians featured in Alchemists of Sound:

Mark Ayres
Milton Babbitt
John Baker
Desmond Briscoe
David Cain
Wendy Carlos
Malcolm Clarke
Delia Derbyshire
Maddalena Fagandini
Brian Hodgson
Peter Kember
Paddy Kingsland
Roger Limb
Dick Mills
Robert Popper
Peter Serafinowicz
Adrian Utley

Download it here (1) (2) or preview it right now:

The Electric Music Machine. Five Days at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop [Video, 1987-88]

2007-11-12T18:37:00.000Z

Electronic Music Cinema, movie no. 4: an interesting documentary about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (much better than the previous Music Arcade programme), although from their later period (late 80ies, so not too much vintage analog gear around). Another Youtube finding.

Download it here or preview it now:

The Music Arcade - BBC Radiophonic Workshop Special [Educational film]

2007-11-11T14:01:00.000Z

Prologue: Had I known pHinnWeb's amazing post on electronic music film earlier I could have saved myself a lot of research. Make sure to have a look at this post as it mentiones a few other essential movies, eg on Bruce Haack or the Finnish inventor/composer Erkki Kurenniemi (no online footage though).

Today our Electronic Music Cinema screens yet another silly Youtube finding: a special feature about the glorious BBC Radiophonic Workshop from the British children's programme The Music Arcade from the early 1980s (presumably). The first two parts were included for the completists, they are really silly (at least the second), so you can safely skip them. But do make sure to get Peter Howell's Fairlight demonstration with a bunch of vocal twists.

Excursus: My favourite Fairlight demonstration for kids is still Herbie Hancock's appearance at the Sesame Street, where Herbie gives the kids quite a horrorshow by manipulating their voices into Freddy Krueger-style sounds from outer space. This is a much funnier show than Peter Howell's one because he includes the children and makes sure they're having a good time, instead of just showing off some preconceived features. Download it here or watch it right now:

Back to the Music Arcade. Download the complete series here (requires an flv player). Or see a sample here (Peter Howell's Fairlight vs. a bunch of littleones):

Electronic Music Cartoons (1977)

2007-11-10T23:10:00.000Z

OK, are you up for some more educational stuff? Visual Art Week @ Orpheus Records.

Note: Just click the images for larger versions.

Nick Rossi: Pathways to Music (1971) [Documentary film]

2007-11-09T02:46:00.000Z

I'm not sure if this one is a hoax. But even if it is, it's a useful one.
"Nick Rossi's" "Pathways to Music" from "1971" is basically just a slideshow of rare pictures of very early electronic instruments (1900-1950) with narration. There are plenty of trashy slideshow "videos" on Youtube, but this one was credited to a "Nick Rossi" from "1971" - and it wasn't posted on Youtube. Anyway, the narration is quite professional, and the overall approach is more or less serious, which makes this one a useful, yet not too exciting watch (especially given the lack of alternative footage on this early era).

Sharebee

Bernard Wilets: Discovering Electronic Music (1983) [Documentary film]

2007-11-08T03:27:00.001Z

Welcome to our Electronic Music Cinema Week:

Watching gigantic, flickering, wired modular synths in action (best: in black and white) can be as much fun as actually listening to vintage electronic music. It's all part of this mysterious, sci-fi-like aura that we all like so much (did I mention that I feel in love with electronic music after seeing the TONTO synth beast for the first time...).
Although there's isn't much footage around, a few really useful documentaries can now be found on Youtube (from where I took the movies shown here, but prepared for offline consumption). You'll need an flv player (just google it) to watch it offline.

We're starting with Bernard Wilet's Discovering Electronic Music documentary in three parts from 1983 ; it's really fun to watch it, so make sure to get it.
The original Youtube post aptly says:
"This is an educational film from 1983 describing a little bit of the history and tools of electronic music. The best thing about it is that it is behind the times for 1983, and seems more like a 1970s film. Frequently featured is a Moog modular! Also featured is a Fairlight, but as an analog obsessive, I'm less interested in that. You'll love this film if you love analog synthesizers, electronic music (historic, not electronica), or music geeks. : ) Lots of cool oscilloscope shots, primitive sequencers, etc. ".

Many thanks to the original taper & uploader!! We need more of that stuff.

Download it here (flv player required).

Here's a sample:

30 years ago...

2007-10-30T00:10:00.001Z

..."now with 2 note memory" (wow!)

NB: No music in this post

Oskar Sala: Sound Effects from 'The Birds' (1963)

2007-10-28T14:44:00.000Z

Halloween special at The Electronic Music Time Machine.
Although Oskar Sala's electronic sound effects for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (made in 1963 on his trademark Trautonium beast; see Mr Hitchcock himself trying to get some sounds of it - or is he just posing?) have gained a lot of fame I never managed to find a release of the isolated cues (please let me know if I have missed something and this post is a duplicate). Until I joined Soulseek last week. There I found these creepy, frightening signature sounds from this legendary movie, apparently edited/cut by an anymous person (many thanks to her/him). I have added my usual kind of "wannabe artwork" - and here you have your soundtrack for nocturnal nightmares. So if a flock of birds is passing you these days, remember what may happen to you...

Sharebee

Jan Boerman: The complete tape music of Jan Boerman

2007-10-26T14:44:00.000Z

Besides Germany, France and to some extend Sweden, the Netherlands were probably the most active European country in the formation of electronic music (c.1950-80). The Dutch vintage electronic music scene comprises such notable names like Dick Raaijmakers, Ton Bruynèl, Tom Dissevelt (aka Kid Beltran) and the exiled trio Roland Kayn-Konrad Boehmer-Gottfried Michael Koenig (all three originally from Germany, but living in Holland for many years). Jan Boerman, whose complete electronic works we are featuring here today, is probably the most difficult one to find, as his 5CD box originally released on Donemus remains out of print/deleted.

Some basic links to further explore the Dutch electronic music scene:

Nederlands Elektro-Akoestisch Repertoirecentrum (NEAR)
Instituut voor Sonologie (Utrecht)
Basta Music [=record label]
In 2005, the icelandic retro label Creel Pone has re-released the long out of print quadrouple LP set Anthology of Dutch Electronic Tape Music 1955-1977.

(1 of 6) http://sharebee.com/ab0d00c2
(2 of 6) http://sharebee.com/271a1955
(3 of 6) http://sharebee.com/f1080294
(4 of 6) http://sharebee.com/c04fcb61
(5 of 6) http://sharebee.com/43befb4b
(6 of 6) http://sharebee.com/9c59b596

NB: This upload took me a week at the nternet caffee and was a major invest of my time and money, and there won't be any other larger posts like this - especially given the unfortunate fact that, judged from the lack of comments to previous posts, I'm doing it for a bunch of "hit and run" freeriders who failed to understand the basic ideas of interactive web 2.0.

Lejaren Hiller: Computer Music Retrospective (1957-1985)

2007-10-25T01:01:00.000Z

Vintage Computer Music Week at the Electronic Music Time Machine. Today we're exhuming an out of print/deleted Wergo CD with historically important computer music by American composer Lejaren Hiller. Read his biography here. The music contained here is, well historically important, but probably not something you'd want to play on your wedding day. It's a little boring (but that's just my opinion). Anyway, check out one of the earliest computer music pieces ever conceived (Illiac Suite from 1957 - but don't expect any proto Sci-Fi stuff one Pietro Grossi's "Computer Music" for IBM; this is "just" a modified string quartet).

Sharebee

John Chowning: Interview, KFCJ, 2006

2007-10-21T20:57:00.000Z

In conjunction with my previous post (Nonesuch's Computer Music), here's an interview with composer John Chowning, a leading pioneer of digital music. The interview was recorded in 2006 at KFCJ Radio.

From Wikipedia:
Born in Salem, New Jersey, John M. Chowning is known for having discovered the FM synthesis algorithm in 1967. In FM synthesis, also known as frequency modulation, both the carrier frequency and the modulation frequency are within the audio band. In essence, the amplitude and frequency of one waveform modulates the frequency of another waveform producing a resultant waveform that can be periodic or non-periodic depending upon the ratio of the two frequencies.

Chowning's breakthrough allowed for simple yet rich sounding timbres, which synthesized 'metal striking' or 'bell like' sounds, and which seemed incredibly similar to real percussion. (Chowning was also a skilled drummer.) He spent six years turning his breakthrough into a system of musical importance and eventually was able to simulate a large number of musical sounds, including the singing voice. In 1973 Stanford University licensed the discovery to Yamaha in Japan, with whom Chowning worked in developing a family of synthesizers and electronic organs. This patent was Stanford's most lucrative patent at one time, eclipsing many in electronics, computer science, and biotechnology.

The first product to incorporate the FM algorithm was Yamaha's GS1, a digital synthesizer that first shipped in 1981. Some thought it too expensive at the time, Chowning included. Soon after, in 1983, Yamaha made their first commercially successful digital FM synthesizer, the DX7.

Sharebee

Various Artists - Electroacoustic Music Volume IV. Archive Tapes Synthesiser ANS 1964-1971

2007-10-20T15:31:00.000Z

The Soviets did not only invest in sophisticated rocket technology & space stations...no, they also invented three incredibly unique synthesizers: (a) The Theremin (which has become pretty popular by now), (b) the Polivoks (sorry, don't know any recording of it, but it can perhaps be described as the Minimoog's wild brother) and (c) the ANS. You wouldn't recognise it as a synth even if you stood right in front of it. It looks like a baroque drawer/cupboard.

The ANS beast is probably one of the most unique synths ever made. Sound-synthesis is made with photosensitive sensors, and it sounds somewhat like a liquid cosmic nebular. Strange stuff. What's equally strange is that the ANS has attracted renowned classical composers like Alfred Schnittke & Sofia Gubaidulina. There's just a handful of known ANS recordings: Edward Artemiev's original Solaris & Stalker soundtracks (Solaris can be found here), Coil's three CD/one DVD set CoilANS, and Stanislav Kreichi's Anisana. For a better description check Wikipedia.

This recording featured here is probably the most essential, as (unlike the others) it is quite diverse in sound and includes some extremely rare electronic excursions by Schnittke & Gubaidulina. It's now impossible to get (even if you'd sell your mother's soul).

Oleg Buloshkin - Sacrament [3:34]
Sofia Gubaidulina - Vivente-Non Vivente ("Alive & Dead") [10:44]
Edward Artemiev - Mosaic [4:00]
Edward Artemiev - 12 looks at the world of sound [12:52]
Edison Denisov - Birds singing [5:05]
Alfred Schnittke - Steam [5:50]
Alexander Nemtin - Tears [4:41]
Alexander Nemtin - I.S. Bach: Choral Prelude C-Dur [2:30]
Schandor Kallosh - Northern Tale [5:38]
Stanislav Kreitchi - Voices of the west [2:00]
Edward Artemiev & Stanislav Kreitchi - Music from the motion picture "Cosmos" [12:15]
Stanislav Kreitchi - Intermezzo [2:00]

Sharebee #1
Sharebee #2

Various Artists: Computer Music [Nonesuch]

2007-10-19T15:00:00.000Z

Most people think that the age of "computer" music has begun with the introduction of the Synclavier (1975), Crumar's GDS (1979), the Fairlight CMI (1978-80), Yamaha's GS 1 (1981) or even it's DX 7 (1983). All wrong. Although I'm a complete hillbilly in this matter, I can trace the age of digital music to the late Fifties (yes, the decade when Sputnik was launched). Some of the early computer pieces I know:

Newman Gutman: The Silver Scale (1957) - reportedly the first computer piece ever
John Pierce: Stochata (1959)
Max Mathews: Several computer pieces since the early Sixties (e.g. "Numerology")
Pietro Grossi: Computer Music (ca. 1967)
Jean-Claude Rissett: Several works beginning with "Mutations" (1969)
Vladimir Ussachevsky: Two Sketches for a Computer Piece (1971)
Iannis Xenakis: works for UPIC since 1971 (like La Legend d'Eer, Persepolis, Polytope de Cluny)
John Chowning: A few pieces 1970+
Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson: La Jolla Good Friday (1975)
Herbert Brün: Sawdust (1976-)

etc.

Here's some more. Nonesuch's out-of-print vinyl-only release Computer Music. It feature the following tracks/artists:

J.K. Randall: Quartets in Paris / Quartersines / Mudgett: Monologues By A Mass Murderer
Barry Vercoe: Synthesism
Charles Dodge: Changes

Tracks realised in the Columbia/Princeton Computer Centres.

Sharebee

Some new features

2007-10-18T22:55:00.000Z

I added some features to my site: (a) a massive directory of links to artists, record labels/shops, and other blogs. (b) "RockIt: The Audioblog Search Engine". It sounds cooler than it actually is, but it's perhaps still worth a look.
I just set up a Google Custom Search Engine and added my 160 favourite sharity blogs. "RockIt" now searches through these 160 blogs, so there's some likelihood to come up with a downloadable source of the music you're looking for. It's basically like Google's Blog Search, just with a little better precision in terms of sharity/non-mainstream music.

If you like to build your own custom search engine, just do the following:
1. Set up a Google account (if you haven't yet).
2. Log onto http://www.google.com/coop/
3. Create a new search engine
4. Add the URLs you'd like to be indexed.
5. To add the search box to your site, just use the "get code" function, go to your blog account, add html content, and paste the code.
6. Done. Took me 45 minutes for 160 links/sources.

My new side project: Radio Schwingungen

2007-10-18T19:26:00.000Z

After some initial technical work I can finally launch my new blog: Radio Schwingungen. It's basically a virtual rescue mission to preserve the legacy of the once popular (and now defunct) German radio show "Schwingungen" which ran between 1984 and 95 on WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk).

It's not a place of musical innovation or rare, overlooked treasures. It's just a nostalgic attempt to publicize some of my cherished childhood memories and to give this incredible (yet low-brow) radio show a virtual memorial. Actually I pretty much hate this kitsch mutation of electronic music by now I still find it (somehow) necessary to give it a place to survive.

If you're - like me - more into the Henry/Stockhausen/Kayn/Oliveros/Pousseur/Mumma/Tudor/Gaburo etc. side of electronic than this blog will not be for you.

Although our bandwidth problems are not entirely solved yet (I'm uploading larger stuff at the internet cafe) our Electronic Music Time Machine is going to continue to publish lost treasures from the "right side" of electronic music. Stay tuned - there will be updates from time to time, whenever I have the chance to.

Yours as always

Adam Eleven

Alvin Curran: On the Roads (2007, radio recording)

2007-10-09T15:15:00.000Z

Premiered just four days ago on DeutschlandRadio Berlin Alvin Curran's latest radiophonic piece probably doesn't qualify as "vintage" electronic music - but I hope that you'll still appreciate this occassional detour of our Electronic Music Time Machine.

In this 50+ minute piece Roman-based Alvin Curran discovers the sound of ancient Roman roads (so there's still some vintage element in this post). Be prepared though: Sound quality isn't very good (it's an FM recording, mono, with constant background hiss...). But tt's still a rewarding hour to listen to, with Alvin Curran's typical, slowly evolving aural magic.

The amateurish artwork is mine and features a pavement on Piazza San Pietro shot on recent trip to Rome.

Link in comments.

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Wendy Carlos in conversation with Frank J. Oteri [Interview January 2007, Quicktime movie]

2007-09-30T23:44:00.000Z

Wendy Carlos in conversation with Frank J. Oteri

Recorded on January 18th 2007 in Wendy's studio in New York. It's a .mov file, so you will need Apple's Quicktime or an alternative player to view it (Windows Media Player will probably not work).

http://sharebee.com/898bb4d4
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Robert Schroeder: Galaxie Cygnus A (1982) [uploaded by "mialee" - thanks!!!]

2007-09-21T19:31:00.000Z

Thanks to fellow blogger mialee [who left a comment with this important content a few days ago] you're now finally able to listen to Robert Schroeder's lost "astral musique concrete" (it isn't really musique concrete, but I just love this buzzword...) piece Galaxie Cygnus A which hasn't been put onto CD yet. The piece blends Schroeder's popular space electronics with star sounds recorded from a radio telescope - the whole thing was premiered in 1982 at the ARS Electronica in Linz, Austria.

http://rapidshare.com/files/55321908/Galaxie-Cygnus-A.rar.html [recording]
http://www.aec.at/de/archives/festival_archive/festival_catalogs/festival_artikel.asp?iProjectID=9386 [comprehensive info in German from ARS Electronica's official site]

The piece is basically a single long-form space piece (hence the rip was done into a single track) but for the records here are the individual track lenghts (you may wish to use a programme like mp3cut or something like that).

1. Part-1... 4'35
2. Part-2... 8'32
3. Part-3....3'13
4. Part-4 ...2`50
5. Part-5 ..10'05
6. Part-6 ...6'38
7. Part-7 ...2'32

Hurray & thanks again to our friend mialee for taking the time, energy & expertise to rip this important piece of vintage electronic music and for sharing with us. That's real blog spirit! Thanks again, mialee.

Adam

NB: No news yet from the dial up front - I'm still on this megaslow rural connection and haven't been able to upload anything recently. I might come back one day though, so stay tuned (RSS). Can't wait to share the electronic/EMS Synthi 100 track of Stockhausen's Sirius megapiece from 1976/77 (4 hours of cruel vintage electronics).
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The End: Possibly Maybe?

2007-07-28T10:41:00.000Z

Bloggerland is like a meadow; flowers come and go every day. I have to switch this short-lived blog into (permanent?) hibernation.

Our Electronic Music Time Machine is running out of plutonium: I recently moved to a remote area and only have a stone age dial up connection at hand. With this bush telegraph it takes ages uploading new music (the recent files took me several days, including a good number of failed upload attempts). That's really no fun. Others may have better patience than me. Sorry for that and thanks to all who commented so far (very few, by the way: Pierre Henry's Machine Danse, for instance, was downloaded 334 persons but only one of them left a comment. Excursus: Blogging is part of the "social" web 2.0 because it's supposed to be interactive - but I've always tolerated the free riders and would have continued this blog anyway, with a faster connection).

I might upload new posts whenever I come across a faster connection (see please keep my RSS feed, just in case).

The good news: I updated all posts, so get everything while it lasts.

Good Bye or see you soon.

Luc Ferrari: Interview (1972)

2007-07-27T11:20:00.000Z

I don't have to say a lot about Luc Ferrari, have I? This is another audio stream to MP3 conversion from www.archive.org/www.radiom.org.

Original Liner Notes:

Host of KPFA-FM's Ode to Gravity series Charles Amirkhanian,interviewed French composer Luc Ferrari at his home in Paris in Juneof 1972. The night before the interview, Ferrari had a world premiereperformance of his "Monologos I" at the Opera Comique. Ferraridiscusses his compositional practices and experiments in voice andtape delay that developed into Monologos I. The two also talk aboutFerrari's activities since 1970 which included the writing of his book"Les réalisable et le journal d'un autobiographe", a work of textcompositions and part autobiography; and creating the first sonicchapter of his "ecological" series in observation, "Allô ici la terre". Theinterview also takes a philosophical turn as Ferrari describes the nonexistenceof "truth" or any correct "system", political or otherwise, andhow we must devise many different ways of going about the act ofliving.

Musical selections during the program include:

Monologos I [live recording]Performers: Luc Ferrari, electronics; Elise Ross, voice
Music Promenade
Presque Rien, 1

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George Russell: Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature (1968)

2007-07-26T10:19:00.000Z

Thanks to American pianist George Russell Jazz turned electr(on)ic before the much talked about wah-wah organ of Miles Davis. In this REAL milestone recording Russell hooked up with young jazz prodigies Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Manfred Schoof, Jon Christensen and Red Mitchell, and also went to the Electronic Music Studio of the Swedish Radio to produce musique concrete sound scenes that link the improvised jazz parts...jazz concrete, you may say. Complete liner notes included, so I stop waffling here.
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Terry Riley: You're No Good (1967 or 68)

2007-07-25T14:55:00.000Z

Saturday Night Fever at Orpheus Music. That's why our mighty Electronic Music Time Machine travels back to the summer before the summer of love (=1967 or was it 68?) and materialises in this obscure North American discotheque which had just commissioned this weirdo tape manipulation by Terry Riley. The sexy original by Harvey Averne is included too. Super duper disco dance, poppy like no other. Move your ass - and then check out the wonderful label Cortical Foundation, where you can find more rare Terry Riley releases.
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Rüdiger Rüfer: Musik aus Urklang (1971-1985)

2007-07-25T13:53:00.000Z

Rüdiger Rüfer, born 1933 in Berlin was sound engineer at the Electronic Studio of the Technische Universtität Berlin (where he assisted e.g. Boris Blacher) and later (from 1974) professor for electroacoustic Media at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover (Germany). This largely unknown CD compiles some of his tape pieces composed between 1971 and 1985, and probably the only electronic music available from the Electronic Music Studio in Hannover. Complete liner notes (in German) included.

Technical note (added 11/2007): Please rename the second part [Rufer2.part2] to Rufer1.part2 before unpacking.
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Tom Zahuranec: Radio Event No. 13 (1971)

2007-07-24T13:33:00.000Z

OK, you probably knew already that the San Francisco Tape Music Center aka the Mills College Electronic Tape Music Center were among the very best sources of psycho mutant tape experiments (much more interesting IMHO for example than the much better known WDR Studio Cologne) . Unfortunately very little of their output has been released commercially so far (just a few Pauline Oliveros and two Ramon Sender LPs). So it's indeed high time to bring to you Tom Zahuranec's Radio Event No. 13: Bucket - Ful [sic] Mercury Walk from 1971 as presented by US-American composer/moderator Charles Amirkhanian on http://www.radiom.org/ (audio stream recorded from http://www.archive.org/). Never heard of Tom Zahuranec? Me neither. Do it now.

Liner notes from http://www.archive.org/:

Broadcasted live from the Mills College Electronic Tape Music Center via a remote portable transmitter, Tom Zahuranec's "Bucket-Ful Mercury Walk" invited listeners at home to drive to Mills and assist in creating sounds using various electronic equipment including Moog and Buchla synthesizers. Guests discovered and experimented with their manipulated voices while others helped turn nobs on the instruments. Charles Amirkhanian reports live from the event where over two hundred people attended, as well as Don Buchla who brought in one of his new model synthesizers of the time. The program features over 45 minutes of analog sounds for listeners to bathe themselves in. From a series of audience participation radio programs in which artists were given air time to create situations that physically involved the listening audience.

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John Adams: Heavy Metal (1970)

2007-07-23T13:26:00.000Z

Yep, this early piece for two-channel tape has indeed been electronically created by American maverick "minimal" composer John Adams, whom you may know from such chartbusters as Harmonium or Nixon in China. Here, Adams indulges in a heavy metal oscillator/tape feast. I found this rare (and yet unpublished?) tape blast as audio stream on on www.archive.org (courtesy of www.radiom.org) and recorded it 1:1 by using Replay Media Catcher.

NB: The Klaus Schulze & Thomas Hamilton links are finally up (still owe you the Steve Reich & Frank Zappa ones). Sorry for my slow release schedule, I recently had to switch from University super LAN to dial up. Each upload takes several hours and this way it's really no fun continuing this blog.

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Next releases in the pipeline

2007-07-05T17:02:00.000Z

Rüdiger Rüfer: Musik aus Urklang
George Russell: Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1968)
Terry Riley: You're No Good
Tonto's Expanding Head Band: Feat. Malcom Cecil
Various Artists: Electroacoustic Music Vol. IV: Archive Tapes. Synthesiser ANS (1964-1971)
Luc Ferrari: Interview (1973)

Coming in the next couple of weeks - as soon as we've fixed our upload problems.

Thomas Hamilton: Pieces for Kohn (1976)

2007-07-04T17:02:00.000Z

Added: 23 July 07: Link in comments

One of my all-time favourites of spaced out electronic music. Recorded at the Washington University Electronic Music/Recording Studio in 1976 and never officially released on CD. The inofficial CD-R re-release on Creel Pone was stopped after just a few copies (10 or so) were sold. Luckily I managed to get one of them.

From the liner notes:
Thomas Hamilton is the director of the washington university electronic music/recording studio. he was born in 1946 and received early musical training from thelma taglin and thom davis mason. he attended the university of wisconsin and studied there with john downey. he holds an m.a. from washington university and studied composition with robert wykes. his favorite food is cheese.

Bill Kohn is a ainter and printmaker who teaches at the washington university school
of fine arts. the original tapes were performed at the opening of bill kohn’s exhibit at the terry
moore gallery in st. louis, in january, 1976. the recording was supported by a research grant from washington university. bill schulenburg assisted the re-mix and did the mastering.

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Klaus Schulze: Das grosse Identifikationsspiel (1973)

2007-07-03T17:02:00.000Z

Link in comments (added 23 July 07).

Klaus Schulze has not always been the mainstream electronica sunnyboy (forgive my blasphemy) who's repeating his one and only d minor Minimoog chord & eight step sequence for more than 30 years now. In his formative years he's shown a bit more explorative and daring approach, as can be witnessed in this EMS Synthi A tour de force from 1973. It's a weird, noisy journey into the possibilities of synthesized sound, and even 34 years after its making it is big fun listening to this beast in one go, on headphones. Go and do it. NB: The piece has been composed for a German radio play by Alfred Behrens, which features an equally weird Sci-Fi plot. Worth to learn German for it!

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Frank Zappa: Reel Zappa

2007-07-02T17:02:00.000Z

Update 26 July 07: http://sharebee.com/a4f97e03

Notoriously hyperactive Frank Zappa has left his footprints in a whole bunch of musical styles, be it Contemporary Classical, Jazz, Blues, and even Pop. This generic Orpheus Music release (put together by myself) pays tribute to Zappa's relatively uncommon journeys into electronic music/musique concrete. As I'm not a Zappa expert I'm sure I've missed some of his electronic oeuvre. Anyway, Reel Zappa (glad I found this matching pic) is an invitation to explore some of his electronic endeavours, and should not be mistaken as a complete and properly curated anthology. Sources: The first two tracks have been taken from two common albums (Freak Out & Weasals Ripped My Flesh), the third is an unreleased studio (?) bootleg that appeared on an unknown music blog a while ago (sorry that I can't properly credit the author as I forgot from where I downloaded it - was hidden inside a 300MB chunk of Zappa bootlegs).

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Steve Reich: Lost Pieces 1966-2002 / Updated 25 July

2007-06-08T15:20:00.000Z

Update 25 July 2007 (link in comments):

I've added the sensationally rare tape beast My Name Is as performed 1970 in Berkeley (original source: web stream on http://www.archive.org/ courtesy of http://www.radiom.org/ - I've used Replay Media Catcher to record the audio stream 1:1 to MP3). I never thought I would ever be able to listen to this track as it lis isted as "manuscript only" in Reich's official list of works. It's a little bit too casual for my taste but it definitely has its moments as its speech samples were recorded and transformed live in concert.

Also added, from the same session in Berkeley, are two unusual performances of Violin Phase and Phase Patterns. Technically speaking these two bonus tracks are not "lost" pieces as you can find them on regular ECM/Wergo releases, but these previously unreleased performances are interesting and historically important nonetheless.

Original post 8 June 2007:

This generic release (which is assembled from several sources and not commercially available) unearthes some "lost" pieces by fabulous American "minimalist" Steve Reich. 1st Piece: Melodica is Reich's legendary "lost" tape piece from 1966, featuring heavy tape phasing for, yes, a melodica. It has only been released on the 3 LP release Music from Mills - which, in my opinion, is justified, as it is certainly not among Reich's better works. The second piece, Reed Phase (1967), though being available on CD (Ulrich Krieger: Walls of Sound II) is, surprisingly, not part of Reich's official work list (the reasons for which are not known to me). The third piece is the DVD-audio track from Act I: Hindenburg from Reich's video opera Three Tales (released 2002). Ulrich Krieger's heavy version of Pendulum Music from 1968 is added as bonus track.
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Various Artists: Greek Electronic Music-2

2007-06-07T13:03:00.000Z

Reminiscent of the long out of print LP Greek Electronic Music-1 (featuring Michael Adamis, Dmitris Terzakis, Stephanos Vassiliadis, Nikos Mamangakis, Charis Xanthoudakis & Yannis Vlachopolous; get the re-release on Creel Pone) I have put together this ecclectic unofficial follow-up. It contains extremely rare, mostly never before released electronic music by Takis Veliantis, Nikiforos Rotas, Kostas Mantzoros, Giorgios Filippis, Stefanos Vassiliadis, Dimitris Kamarotos & Anestis Logothetis plus a bonus track from Logothetis' super-rare Fantasmata LP. This package should give you a nice overview of Greek Electronic Music, which has unfortunately been totally neglected by the music industry so far. Sincere thanks goes to autov3rs3 which provided most of the tracks (originally contained in an obscure promotional package given away by the Athens Music House).

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Pierre Henry: Machine Danse (1972)

2007-06-06T13:03:00.000Z

Machine Danse simply contains some of the finest music ever composed by Pierre Henry, even by his very own high standards. The late Sixties/early Seventies deserve to be called his golden era, with releases such as the two Cortical Arts (find them on Creel Prone), his collaboration with Urban Sax, and, well, Machine Danse. Here, Henry displays a yet unmatched sense for rhythmic sound/language, e.g. on Exorcisme or on the second half of Erotica. I can't think of any music which so excitingly blends introspection & extroversion. Pierre Henry's music is complex and never boring.

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Arne Nordheim: Selected Electroacoustic Works (1963-1987)

2007-06-05T13:03:00.000Z

You may know Arne Nordheim's powerful electronic works (recorded back in the 1960s and 70s in Warsaw, Stockholm and Utrecht) from two releases on Rune Grammofon (where you can also find the amazing electronic/jazz supergroup Supersilent). If you, like me, have fallen in love with Nordheim's electronic music, you will have certainly wondered if there are any other electronic/electroacoustic works available by him. Yes, there are, but they are well hidden on the expensive/hard to find box Listen to the Art of Arne Nordheim. There you'll find those pieces presented here. Unfortunately it doesn't contain any purely electronic works, but a few hybrid orchestral/electronic pieces. Hence, I have labelled this generic release Selected Electroacoustic Works, which will hopefully find some old & new friends of Arne Nordheim.
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José Luis de Délas: Eilanden (1968)

2007-06-04T13:03:00.000Z

Spanish avantgarde composer José Luis de Délas is virtually unknown to the general public, and even to the contemporary connoisseur. This little contribution, his hybrid piece Eilanden for ensemble and tape will hopefully change this pityful situation a little bit. Luckily, the fantastic German musicologists Heinz-Klaus Metzger and Rainer Riehn have published a book about de Délas (Musik-Konzepte Vol./Bd. 78) which is still pretty much the only public information available about him.
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Pierre Henry: Maléfices (1962)

2007-06-03T18:49:00.000Z

Pierre Henry - the legend, the wizard, the hermit, the guru, the best of the best. It is a shame that there is so little music available by the father of musique concrete and an even bigger shame that most of it are vinyl-only releases. Such as this short yet wonderful musique concrete soundtrack Maléfices, composed in 1962 at his Studio Apsome (if I'm not mistaken). Sorry, no tracklist is available here - we have to accept this little shortcoming in exchange for some simply amazing timbres, almost an electronic lullaby...

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Luigi Nono: Musica-manifesto (1969)

2007-06-02T22:19:00.000Z

Today we are discussing a great tapework by Luigi Nono which is (to my knowledge) not available yet on disc:

Musica-manifesto per nastro magnetico a quattro canali/for 4-channel magnetic tape (1969)

Part 1: Un volto, del mare [Text by Cesare Pavese]

Part 2: Non consumiamo Marx [based on documentary texts]

It was recorded on April 24, 2004 at the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik (Soprano: Petra Hoffmann; Speaker: Isis Krüger; Sound supervision: Bryan J. Wolf - who is, by the way, Karlheinz Stockhausen's assistant). Sorry for the short mobile phone distortion in the first track!
E.g. like Vangelis' "Fais Que Ton Rêve Soit Plus Long Que La Nuit" this piece is dealing with the student riots in Paris in 1968. Like most of Nono's tape pieces this is wonderful, ethereal musique concrete, using a lot of pre-recorded elements. Make sure to also get Nono's recently released "Complete Works for Solo Tape".

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Günter Schickert: Somnambul (1980-94)

2007-06-01T22:19:00.000Z

Do you need to know Günter Schickert? Yes, you do! His 1974 electro/guitar album Samtvogel (which still hasn't been published on CD; get it from Mutant Sounds by the way) is probably on of the milestones of early trippy electronics (and, I think, even a little better than Manuel Göttsching's Inventions for Electric Guitar). Schickert's CD Somnambul, released on the German label Musique Intemporelle is now out of print (and really hard to find) and compiles some previously unreleased works from 1980-94, some of which is of ethereal beauty (and some of which isn't). In an interview from 1995, Schickert described his "Somnambul" method like this: He was sleeping next to his equipment (some electronics, tape machines, conch shells etc.) and whenever he woke up after a dream he played his music straight onto tape, which gives it a spacey touch.

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Walter/Wendy Carlos - Moog 900 Series Electronic Music Systems Demonstration Record (1967)

2007-05-24T14:35:00.000Z

OK, one last for May. Thought you might be interested in a rare & unpublished demonstration of an early Moog Modular system that Wendy Carlos (at the time when she was still Walter) made for Bob Moog in 1967. Find it, well hidden, on Roger Luther's "Moog Archives" site: http://www.moogarchives.com/moogdemo.htm. Unfortunately, audio quality is low (22 kbps) which however isn't that painful as most of the recording is made of speech (speaker is Ed Stokes).
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Roland Kayn: Elektroakustische Projekte (1966-1975)

2007-05-13T19:35:00.002Z

The third link in our Orpheus series (="avantgarde" electronics) goes to a digital world premiere, ie. a recording that has previously only been available on vinyl. Roland Kayn is a less known German composer living in The Netherlands. Since the Sixties he is focussing on what he calls cybernetic music: Kayn just sets the basic parameters and then lets his equipment play alone...not unlike David Tudor's live electronic music, which reminds more of a living garden of electronic circuits rathen than conventional compositions. Take your time to get into this one, it's certainly not as easy as your typical Britney Spears, but more rewarding...

Next releases in June 2007: Günter Schickert: Somnambul (1980-94) & Luigi Nono: Musica-Manifesto n.1

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Rolf Trostel: Narrow Gate To Life (1983)

2007-05-13T19:35:00.000Z

Rolf Trostel's calm & beautiful electronic improvisation Narrow Gate To Life, based on the Book of Hiob, was recorded in a church somewhere in Spain back in 1983. Listening to this non-stop composition will certainly be a very good investment of your time, especially if you are into ambient, Berlin school and things like that.

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Edward Artemiev - Solaris [Toei Music]

2007-05-11T19:18:00.000Z

The second edition of Orpheus Records features some of the most beautiful music ever: Edward Artemiev's original electronic soundrack of Tarkovsky's legendary Science Ficion movie SOLARIS (1972). The music is composed entirely on the ancient Russian ANS Synthesizer and simply gorgeous. Its rough beauty is a perfect match of Tarkovsky's sparse, intense images. Despite the relative success and fame of the movie the soundtrack is - officially - still unavailable. What you get here is the CD bootleg release on the Japanese Toei Music label, which sometimes pops up on Ebay. Unless you're into painfully mellow new age easy listening, avoid the re-recorded release on Electroshock, labelled Solaris-The Mirror-Stalker.

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Jean Michel Jarre: Music for Supermarkets (1983)

2007-05-04T13:46:00.000Z

Harmonia's first link is goes to an album, which, appropriately, has only been pressed ONCE. Yes, here we have Jean Michel Jarre's famous and ultra-rare Music for Supermarkets. Only one vinyl copy exists; the mastertape was destroyed. But: Before the single existing album was auctioned, it was played once on Radio Luxemburg (I think it's a short wave station) - hence, recording quality is bad, but you won't probabyl find any better copy. If you do, let me know.
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Jean Michel Jarre: La Cage/Erosmachine (1969)

2007-05-03T22:44:00.000Z

At last, our Electronic Music Time Machine is ready to travel back to Paris of the late Sixties, to discover this rare gem of Jean Michel Jarre which has not yet seen the digital light of the day. There is no better way of starting our rediscovery of lost electronic music than with this superb example of electronic crossover. Jarre, later popularised through his timeless Oxygene chart breaker, is still carrying a sense of experimentation here, after just coming from the hallowed halls of the Parisian GRM.
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2007-03-28T17:30:00.001Z

Welcome to Orpheus Music!

This blog is dedicated to early electronic music in various forms: be it Elektronische Musik, musique concrete or acoustic art, from April '07 onwards our Orpheus Records department will feature rare out-of-print releases and radio recordings that have never been published before. Radio Orpheus, the second stream of this project, will cover the history of electronic music in weekly, downloadable installments.

Stay tuned!
Adam Eleven
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