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.
Randall McClellan had been exploring the ancient tradition of using sound in a spiritual context for over 15 years when he created a series of concerts featuring constantly evolving, multi-layered melodies in the early 1980s. During the performances, the audience relaxed on the floor in dimly lit rooms to bring their bodies and minds into harmony.
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.
39 minutes of ideas being expressed with sound: made up trains, works with found sounds, or a collective approach in making music – realised by Amy Taubin, Angus & Hetty MacLise, Tom Recchion, Tuli Kupferberg 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.
Wearing eyeball helmets is the trademark of the Californian artist collective The Residents. Inspired by avantgarde and pop, the band anticipated the idea of audio piracy and developed groundbreaking multimedia projects. A 42-minute mix featuring some of the group's conceptual thematic compositions and deconstructions of Western pop music.
Trance is an important aspect in Angus MacLise’s sound works. The drummer, composer, poet and calligrapher was a link between Beat culture, New York City’s art scene in the Sixties and the hippies. 78 minutes with material by an originator who never released a record during his short life.
For some, the piano is the instrument of instruments. Here are ten good reasons why. 40 minutes with works by Charlemagne Palestine, Graeme Revell, Henry Cowell, Johanna Magdalena Beyer and others.
