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The Electronic Music of the 1970s series continues with a trip back to 1971. This year was a bit easier to curate than '70 because we have a few more good uses of electronic instruments featured prominently.
For me, the best electronic album of 1971 is "Zero Time" by Tonto's Expanding Head Band. It's very synthetic sounding without being too cheesy. I enjoyed discovering new music for this mix like "The Andromeda Strain" soundtrack and a Tangerine Dream soundtrack for an unreleased movie. I hope you too discover something new in this journey back to 1971.
Tracklist is in the comments.
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Tracklist
Playing tracks by Moog, Tonto's Expanding Head Band, Beaver & Krause, Tangerine Dream, Achim Reichel and more.
Comments
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Thanks for putting this together! I look forward to future years. A lot of pretty experimental things out there, including by artists who would later become more refined in their work. It's interesting to see how it took musicians a little while to get a real sense of what electronic music could do. And, of course, the instruments became a whole lot more sophisticated. Wouldn't it be interesting to see someone cover some of these older tunes on more contemporary synthesizers? Some I don't think would translate too well--they were really composed for the instrument of the time, but others might sound really interesting and different if performed on contemporary synthesizers.
One album that I think should have been included is "Black Mass" by Mort Garson, under the pseudonym "Lucifer". I think he's an underrated electronic composer/performer. I stumbled upon a later work of his back when I was in high school ("Ataraxia: The Unexplained") which swipes a few sections of songs from "Black Mass".
Mort Garson is always a good starting point for many of these old electronic mixes. I've been listening to his recently re-released "Journey to the Moon and Beyond" and it's a fun trip.
Amazing track, thank you!
The first films were not "silent" per se but had musical accompaniment and continued well after the "talkies" became mainstream, then the musical accompaniment became more and more ambient. And here we are today, letting the music itself play the movies directly in our Cortexi(s). (=^ェ^=) purrfect...merci!
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RIP Malcolm Cecil, one of the greats
Indeed!
What do I think? Here's what I think about my mother! (Oh, sorry. Wrong movie.) Great mix! Popol Vuh's "Aguirre" (from the great Werner Herzog film, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God") is a classic and remains one of my very favorite ambient/electronic pieces ever. It also demonstrates that great music doesn't age with time--even given the easily recognizable, "dated" sound of most early electronic music.
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Absolutely superb mix.👍
Thanks for listening!
Enjoyed this very much. I am substituting on a radio show today and would like to replay this selection...any objections and of course your credits?
I'm glad you like the mix! I don't have a problem with you using it as long as it gets credit and a mention of the address - mixcloud.com/lowlight
T R A C K L I S T :
00:00 Moog - Moog demonstration record
00:36 Tonto's Expanding Head Band - Tama (Zero Time)
05:48 Beaver & Krause - Nine Moons In Alaska (Gandharva)
07:30 Tangerine Dream - Sunrise In The Third System (Alpha Centauri)
11:07 Achim Reichel - Einleitung(Invitation) (Echo)
16:00 Deuter - Babylon (D)
19:49 Pat Prilly - Aerolithe Alpha (Moog Sensations)
21:15 Harold Budd - Pastoral Symphony (The Oak Of The Golden Dreams)
22:00 Popol Vuh - Aguirre (In the Gardens of the Pharao | Aguirre)
27:00 Ash Ra Tempel - Traummaschine (Ash Ra Tempel)
33:18 Pat Prilly - Coeur Synthetique (Moog Sensations)
34:12 Tonto's Expanding Head Band - Cybernaut (Zero Time)
38:30 Doug McKechnie - Moving (San Francisco Moog: 1968-72 Vol. 2)
41:10 Jean Michel Jarre - La Cage (La Cage)
44:25 Morton Subotnick - Sidewinder (Sidewinder)
46:15 Gil Mellé - Andromeda (The Andromeda Strain)
47:47 Tangerine Dream - Vampira VI (Vampira)
50:53 W. Merrick Farran & E. Vetter - Sea of Storms (KPM Electronic Music)
52:42 Tonto's Expanding Head Band - Aurora (Zero Time)
59:10 end