Having discovered space as a tangible medium, English performance artist Peter Dockley developed a multimedia theatre piece in 1969. Gymnasts, kendo fighters and dancers create a dynamic energy zone full of colours, light and excitement. The soundtrack, recorded by Canterbury rock band Soft Machine, was inspired by techniques of musique concrète, laying the foundation for experimental industrial ambient music.
With 10k+ archived releases, Sounds Central's proprietor, Paul Paulun, tells a personal history of music and sound art.
In the media age, imagination has come under attack. However, the interface between the unknown and the self needs to be triggered as a source of inspiration for art and science. Listening can be a key to activating one's own imagination. Jazz musician Brother Ah discovered this technique at the age of five in his family’s fifth-floor flat in Harlem, New York.
C.C. Hennix has been involved with trance-like states for decades. The Swedish-born artist uses sound as a psychotropic guide to heighten the audience's receptivity and transport them into an immersive experience. Sound, environment and the self merge together, conveying a sense of being in touch with infinity.
A mix of ethnological recordings, found sounds and pirated material formed the basis for the performances of the radical theatre group Magazzini Criminali from Florence. In 1980, they used ambient music by Jon Hassell without permission. The composer was impressed – and collaborated with the group on an adaptation of Jack Kerouac's iconic beat novel ‘On the Road.‘
‘I want to put as many aspects of myself into music as I can, as much as possible of being alive, intensely conscious on all levels.‘ With this attitude, American composer Laurie Spiegel developed her concept of Slow Change Music in the mid-1970s at Bell Labs in New Jersey, using the prototype of a computer system to control synthesizers.
After years of increasing intensity on the dance floor, culminating in gabber, around 1992 it was time for friendlier climes. Fifty-five minutes from the advent of personal computers and the internet for everyone – with Acid Jesus, The Black Dog, Cylob, Like A Tim and others.
During the 1970s, musical traditions are being rediscovered in Japan. By blending them with their own preferences, artists create new sound worlds. 46 minutes with Akio Suzuki, Haruomi Hosono, Jun Togawa Unit, Toshi Ichiyanagi and others.
In the late 1960s, women composers began mixing different types of sound material. Their concept of intermedia art often had a connection to human life. 88 minutes with Christina Kubisch, Eliane Radigue, Frankie Mann, Ruth Anderson and others.
Aware of musical traditions and eager to incorporate the latest technology in his productions, Haruomi Hosono is one of the most versatile and influential figures in Japanese popular culture. 44 minutes with various collaborations and solo works by the co-founder of Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Whether conceptual or performance art, electronic music, counterculture, minimalism, drone sounds or Fluxus – New York City is a hotbed for all sorts of experiments during the Sixties. 54 minutes with Angus MacLise, Henry Flynt, La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela, Richard Maxfield and others.
Relics tell stories, take listeners on acoustic journeys or document situations. They can be poems, studio productions, field recordings or something else entirely. 53-minute mix from Paul Paulun's series Fundstück on DLF-Kultur with radiophonic miniatures by Anne Waldman, Helga Goetze, Mark E. Smith, Timothy Leary and 26 other artists.
