This list contains much of the music I’ve been listening to for past few months. I’ve never been very good at keeping a record of this, but I’m curious at how my musical decisions are informed by what I’m listening to. I’m sure this music works on me in ways I can’t imagine, but I also seek this music, so there’s an element choosing how I will be influenced, what artists or sounds I will be referencing or aping, consciously or unconsciously…
I’ve had a thing for big thick analog polys, Vangelis on the CS80 synth, Sakamoto on the Moog One. Then there’s the late 80s mostly digital synth trip, which both Wunjo and The Windham Hill comp are examples of, but you could kind of lump in the Pulse Emitter tape, as that music is clearly coming out of that era, maybe more into the 90s. I’m loving Daryl’s work these days – and that he doesn’t shy away from using software DAW synths, synths for iPads, etc.
I’m a sucker for computer music (especially if on tape format). The Mads Kjeldgaard release is by far the best thing I’ve heard on Conditional, very odd/off textures smooshed together and made malleable. The sound quality becomes hard on my ears after awhile, especially headphones, the the recommended way to listen to this. The first couple tracks on the MSU comp are ridiculously good and showcase an era of computer music tech that are somewhat ear-boggling. Ron Herrema’s ‘On A Lark’ and Paul Schreiber’s ‘Fallout 319’ – which if you search hard you can find both floating around. The Schreiber track is very similar to Chandra’s work – gritty, brittle Brun-like textures and gestures. Brass Cultures came to my attn via recommendation from RM Francis, and I can’t say I’ve had enough time to digest, but it’s already made an impression. It employs physically modeled synthesis created using software by the Next Generation Sound Synthesis project http://www.ness.music.ed.ac.uk/ The EVOL-related mixes are not computer music, but they are meticulous in the way that computer music can be; they’re DJ sets consisting of hard-pakt techno, crammed and condensed into pummeling mixes. Their funny, at times super shreddy, and they are excellent to move to w 3 yr old. Parmegiani is in there, and David Berhrman – both highly documented and championed makers of classic works of electronic music – I just keep coming back to it until I play it too much.
States of Emergency by Mads Kjeldgaard, Conditional
Blade Runner 2002 Esper Edition by Vangelis, bootleg
Through the Portal by Pulse Emitter, Phinery/Expansive
Wunjo by Giles Reaves, MCA Records (1986)
Soul Of The Machine, The Windham Hill Sampler Of New Electronic Music, Various Artists (1987)
Alliance of Michigan State University Composers Presents: Riot: A Compositional Device (1999 compilation CD) *tracks 1 and 2!
Music of Arun Chandra https://sites.evergreen.edu/arunchandra/compositions/
EVOL mixes http://vivapunani.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mixes
De Natura Sonorum by Bernard Parmegiani
Ryuichi Sakamoto playing the Moog One in Moog One promo videos
Brass Cultures by Tom Mudd, fancyyyyy
On the Other Ocean & Leapday Night by David Behrman