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.
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. 42-minute mix with some of the group’s conceptional thematic compositions and deconstructions of Western popular music.
Most artists involved in what critics called no wave in 1978 shared a nihilistic mindset as they explored realms ranging from abrasive noise to mutant disco in New York City. 44-minute mix featuring tracks by Boris Policeband, Bush Tetras, Jill Kroesen, Konk and others.
Tellus – New York City’s Art Scene on Tape (1983-93)
- 17. June 2022
- Tagged as: Alexis Alrich, Blackhouse, Carol Parkinson, Claudia Gould, David Blair, George Brecht, George Elliot, George Maciunas, Glenn Branca, Gretchen Bender, James Tenney, Jamie Daglish, Jane Bauman, John Fekner, Jonathan Borofsky, Joseph Nechvatal, Kathryn High, Liquid Liquid, Live Skull, Marjorie van Halteren, Paul Bowles, Peter Chamberlain, Rais Mahamad Ben Mohammed and Ensemble, Steve Pollack, Tape, Tellus, Wolfgang Staehle
When sound became portable with the Walkman in the early Eighties, the subscription-only Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine begins to feature New York City’s expansive Downtown art scene on tape. 41-minute mix with Gretchen Bender, Jonathan Borofsky, Live Skull, Marjorie Van Halteren and others.
In the Eighties, old and new styles alike get developed in Jamaica. Ragga evolves and electronic production tools enter the studios, helping to establish the digital dancehall era. 37 minutes with Bunny Lie Lie, Charlie Chaplin, Don Carlos, Johnny Clarke and others.
Traditional instruments and music – twisted by electronic musicians, composers, improvisers, and rockers. 56 minutes with The 13th Tribe, Don Cherry, Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band, Sun City Girls and others.
Tabla drums are a major element in Indian classical music. Since the Sixties, they have also appeared outside of that context. 65 minutes with Alejandro Jodorowsky, Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis, Geir Jenssen, Robert Ashley and others.
Spreading Freedom the Rough Way – War (1955-2005)
- 22. March 2022
- Tagged as: Ami Shavit, Apocalypse Now, Biafra/Nigerian civil war, Deben Bhattacharya, Dost Muhammad, Gulf War, James Whitehead, K Foundation, Nuclear War, Ruth Maleczech, Sun Ra, The Android Sisters, The KLF, The Psychic Workshop, The Red Army Choir, The Tape-beatles, Valaria Wasilewski, war, William Onyeabor, Yom Kippur War
War is eternal, its accompanying aspects, however, have changed in the 20th century. 45 minutes with artists reflecting war‘s presence in the media, traumatic experiences, the home front, and the utopia of world peace. With Ami Shavit, The Android Sisters, K Foundation, Sun Ra and others.
Equally at home in the art world and the artists’ pub, Ata Tak‘s proprietors manage their label from a nice office in Düsseldorf; in the adjoining music studio, they pursue the idea of a world rebellion with sound – as Der Plan. 32 minutes with Holger Hiller, Minus Delta T, Picky Picnic, Wirtschaftswunder and others.
Quiet ambient music may be rooted in cybernetic spirituality or get played in hospitals. It can be cinematic or resemble a landscape; and its production process might utilize huge quantities of graph paper.
61 minutes with Anthony Manning, Inoyama Land, Joanna Brouk, Laurie Spiegel and others.
Ideas about the concept of time, music for a skier’s descent from an impressive mountain top, and sounds from a love and peace duo. 49 minutes with music by Phew, Pikacyu★Makoto, Suzanne Ciani, Tuxedomoon and others – realized between 1962 and 2021.
Despite their gentle and surreal nature, these tracks weren’t necessarily made with the idea of sleep in mind; their dark ambient textures, however, are inspired by memories, sounds, or discoveries. 51 minutes with Brian Eno, David Toop, Monolake, Thomas Köner and others.
During the 20th century, India attracted artists and musicians in pursuit of answers to spiritual needs or wanting to leave something behind. 56 minutes with Alice Coltrane, Coil with Lori Carson, Psycho Baba, Sun Ra and others.
An invented language, imitations of field-recordings, or the idea of a visual work with sound make these tracks express something not yet known. 38 minutes with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gazelle Twin & NYX, Glynis Jones, Valentina Goncharova and others.
With his label Obscure, pop star Brian Eno starts a series with experimental listening music in 1975. The artists involved want to leave their previous approaches towards making music behind, work with new technologies or take inspiration from ancient traditions. 71 minutes with Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Max Eastley, Michael Nyman and others.
Relics – Miniatures on Air (1953-2019)
- 30. October 2021
- Tagged as: Alec Finlay, Allen Ginsberg, Alva Noto, Andy Warhol, Anne James Chaton, Anne Waldman, Brian Hodgson, Cardboard Air Band, Chris Watson, Daphne Oram, David Soldier, Dragibus, Helga Goetze, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Jack Smith, Jürgen Ploog, Karen Michel McPherson, Katsuro Tajima, Ken Nordine, Kraftwerk, Laurie Anderson, Laurie Spiegel, Lou Giansante, Magazzini Criminali Music, Maria Jardardottir, Mark E. Smith, Max Brand, Moondog, Paul de Vree, Paul Vangelisti, Peder Mannerfelt, People Like Us, Richard Lair, Soliman Gamil, The Fugs, Timothy Leary, Yasuaki Shimizu, Zigaretten rauchen
Relics tell stories, take listeners on acoustic journeys, or document situations. They can be poems, studio productions, field recordings, or something completely different. 53-minute mix representing Paul Paulun’s series Fundstück on DLF-Kultur with pieces by Anne Waldman, Helga Goetze, Mark E. Smith, Timothy Leary and 26 other artists.
“The ecological catastrophe begins rehearsing in the Sixties”, writes Allen Ginsberg in 1970; and for more than half a century, political systems are unwilling to fight that development. 45 minutes with sounds of protest – uttered by Appleblim, Diane Di Prima, Leslie Winer, Piero Umiliani and others.
The stoic, almost machine like drumming of many West-German tunes from the early Seventies became the hallmark of a new sound – different from British pop or American rock, and in no way related to the country's horrible Nazi past. 45 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, Wolfgang Riechmann and others.
Future Japan – Technopop (1979-86)
- 10. August 2021
- Tagged as: Apogee & Perigee, Dolette McDonald, Friends Of Earth, Haruomi Hosono, Imitation, James Brown, Japan, Jun Togawa, Keiichi Suzuki, Maceo Parker, Masumi Hara, Miharu Koshi, Non-Standard, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Scales, technopop, Testpattern, The Beatniks, The Kakutougi Session, wave, Yasuaki Shimizu, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yen Records, Yukihiro Takahashi
Yellow Magic Orchestra’s concept of connecting pop, dance music, and Far Eastern folklore quickly becomes synonymous with technopop in Japan. The band’s members also occur in each others solo recordings and cooperate with other musicians. 49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session and others.
After years of increasing harshness on the dancefloor culminating in Gabber, round 1992 the time has come for more friendly grounds. 55 minutes from the advent of personal computers and internet for everyone – with tracks by Acid Jesus, The Black Dog, Cylob, Like A Tim and others.
Reggae? – Some Seventies Soul Fire
- 1. July 2021
- Tagged as: Al Barry, Augustus Pablo, Brentford Disco Set, Derrick Harriott, Dub, Dub Specialist, Gregory Isaacs, Jackie Mittoo, Jamaica, Keith Hudson, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Norma White, Ramon The Mexican, Reggae, Sound Dimension, Studio One, Susan Cadogan, The Cimarons, The Dynamic Four, The Heptones, Windel Haye
Fuelled by collaborations between producers, singers, and studio musicians in ever new constellations, the Seventies mark the transition from ska and rocksteady into a multitude of styles in Jamaica. 46 minutes with Keith Hudson, Norma White & Brentford Disco Set, Sound Dimension, Susan Cadogan and others.
Known for his innovative studio techniques, unique production style and weird tunes, Lee “Scratch” Perry combined influences from soul, funk, reggae, and dub in the early and mid Seventies. 46-minute mix with 14 tracks from the Perry orbit.
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.
A politician’s elusion becomes poetry, music of the collective subconscious is transferred into a dreamy landscape, and insects’ microtonal sounds get rhythmic. 36 minutes with pieces by Blancmange, Graeme Revell, Gregory Whitehead, Holger Hiller and others.
“Listen to your world. It may be more interesting than all the things you buy to escape from it.” 46-minute mix that proves Sasha Frere-Jones’ observation from 1999 right – with field recordings by Alejandra & Aeron, Bill Fontana, Chris Watson, Paul Bowles and others.
Ambient Japan (1981-2004)
- 3. March 2021
- Tagged as: Haruomi Hosono, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Inoyama Land, Japan, Lady Murasaki Shikibu, Masahide Sakuma, Masahiro Sugaya, Molissa Fenley, Pacific Flora, Pappa Tarahumara, Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Beatniks, The Tale Of Genji, Wacoal Art Center, Yasuaki Shimizu, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yoshio Ojima
Free of artificial ornamentation, well balanced, and designed with love for detail, some Eighties’ Japanese ambient music resembles the concept of the countries’ traditional gardens. 51 minutes of music striving to enhance environments – with works by Haruomi Hosono, Inoyama Land, Masahiro Sugaya, Yasuaki Shimizu and others.
Paying homage to flying machines and next generation’s minimalism, singing in an invented language that’s both mysterious and familiar, and a special kind of rain. 43-minute mix with pieces by Anna Homler and Steve Moshier, Ennio Morricone, Harold Budd, The Human League and others – made between 1972 and 2011.
Ambient Channel (2): En Route
- 25. January 2021
- Tagged as: Andrzej Załęski, Bill Drummond, Bröselmaschine, Dadang Dwi Septiyan, Ghédalia Tazartès, Ghédalia Tazartès / Paweł Romańczuk / Andrzej Załęski, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Jon Hassell, Jun Togawa, Makoto Inoue, Malayeen, Paweł Romańczuk, Todd Barton, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton, Woo
Re-configuring the past, drifting into a future, connecting different worlds, and shaping the profile of a fictitious ethnic group – 43 minutes with music by Bill Drummond, Dadang Dwi Septiyan, Jon Hassell, Malayeen and others – recorded between 1971 and 2020.
Minimal melodies from Japan and Arctic Norway, music for ex army gymnasts bounding about in rubber costumes, and something from New York‘s Downtown. 55 minutes with works by Aqua Regia, The Caretaker, Midori Takada, The Residents and others – realized between 1969 and 2019.
During the Seventies, 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.
Reminiscent of a certain time or place, these tunes are for a chill-out zone. 49 minutes with memories and fantasies by Cluster & Eno, Geir Jenssen, Graeme Revell, Muslimgauze and others.
Sekt oder Karies – West-Germany in the 80s
- 21. August 2020
- Tagged as: Alexander Hacke, Andreas Dorau, Claudia Skoda, Conrad Schnitzler, DAF, Der Plan, Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, Die Dominas, Die Tödliche Doris, Die Zimmermänner, Düsseldorf, Einstürzende Neubauten, Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Hamburg, Holger Hiller, Ingrid Wiener, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Kumpelnest 3000, Manuel Göttsching, Martin Kippenberger, Max Müller, München, Rosi Müller, Santrra, Säurekeller, Sentimentale Jugend, Sternhagel, Xao Seffcheque, Zickzack
Owing to a straightness rooted in punk, new things and personalities get invented everywhere and all the time in West-Germany’s music scene of the Eighties. 53 minutes with Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Holger Hiller, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Martin Kippenberger and others.
In the late Sixties, women composers start mixing various kinds of sonic material. Often their idea of intermedia art has a link to human life. 88 minutes with Christina Kubisch, Eliane Radigue, Frankie Mann, Ruth Anderson and others.
Ten pieces about the mysteries, realities, and prospects of airwaves. 30-minute mix with works by The Android Sisters, Dan Lander, Negativland, Phil Harmonic and others.
Forming a loose community of interdisciplinary collaborators, Fluxus artists are rethinking the role of art in society during the Sixties. 47 minutes with Carolee Schneemann, Henning Christiansen, Terry Riley, Yoko Ono and others.
Early Electronic Music – Fieldwork and Funny Sounds (1952-68)
- 20. June 2020
- Tagged as: Alireza Mashayekhi, Axel Meijer, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, Cybernetic Serendipity, Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Early Electronic Music, Electronic Music Studio Turin, Else Marie Pade, Enore Zaffiri, Gaudeamus Electronic Studio, Gerald Strang, ICA, Ilhan Mimaroglu, Philips NatLab, Richard Maxfield, Tod Dockstader, Tom Dissevelt, Utrecht Studio Of Sonology
The electrification of music during the 1950s led to a multitude of artistic concepts. 50 minutes of fieldwork and funny sounds with Alireza Mashayekhi, Delia Derbyshire, Else Marie Pade, İlhan Mimaroğlu and others.
Enhanced Poetry (1956-1991)
- 30. May 2020
- Tagged as: Augusto De Campos, Bernard Heidsieck, Bob Cobbing, bpNichol, Charles Amirkhanian, Demetrio Stratos, Enzo Minarelli, Ernst Jandl, Four Horsemen, Gerhard Rühm, Henri Chopin, Jean-Claude Gagnon, Ladislav Novák, Neil Mills, Paul de Vree, Poetry, Polypoetry, Sten Hanson, text sound, Tibor Papp
With reel to reels, poetry reaches the next level in the 1950s – language gets arranged in completely new ways. 37 minutes with Ernst Jandl, Henri Chopin, Neil Mills, Sten Hanson and others.
Synthesizers brought new sounds into the world. 43 minutes of oscillators, filters and envelopes controlled by Conrad Schnitzler, Daphne Oram, Erkki Kurenniemi, Laurie Spiegel and others – between the early Sixties and 1977 (plus an exception).
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.
Hello, USA! – Observations From the Land of the Free (1966-2002)
- 27. April 2020
- Tagged as: Abbie Hoffman, Amiri Baraka, Ann Magnuson, Culturcide, Henry Rollins, Jerry Dreva, John Cage, Madeline Ridley, Matmos, Negativland, People Like Us, Peter Roehr, Randy Greif, Sapphire, Tellus, The New York IPS, The Tape-beatles, USA, Wendy Chambers, William S. Burroughs, Wobbly
Snapshots on national pride, cars, country music, and human abysses behind proper facades – 51 minutes with Amiri Baraka, Ann Magnuson, Henry Rollins, Madeline Ridley and others.
Letters & Numbers – Ingredients for Sound Art (1917-2006)
- 22. April 2020
- Tagged as: bpNichol, Brion Gysin, Christof Migone, Dada, Demetrio Stratos, Dieter Roth Orchester, Elaine Mills, Futurism, Halim El-Dabh, Henri Chopin, Khan, Klaus Groh, Lawrence Weiner, Letters numbers, Lettrism, Neil Mills, Nelson Morpurgo, Peter Downsbrough, Tellus, Vasiliy Kamensky, Vittore Baroni
Letters and numbers as material for expression. 40 minutes with inventions by Brion Gysin, Demetrio Stratos, Henri Chopin, Lawrence Weiner and others.
Big Egos – Sound Works by Visual Artists (1981-2006)
- 12. April 2020
- Tagged as: Carole Caroompas, Dan Lander, Dieter Roth, Fred Curchack, Gregory Whitehead, IXNA, Janice Felger, Jess Holzworth, Jill Kroesen, Joan Hugo, Jutta Koether, Kim Rosenfield, Lawrence Weiner, Magazzini Criminali, Marina La Palma, Peter Rose, Richard Prince, Rüdiger Carl, Shrigley Forced To Speak With Others, Tellus, Willie Cole
Artists see things differently. 45 minutes with sound works by Carole Caroompas, Dieter Roth, Jess Holzworth and Jutta Koether, Magazzini Criminali and others.
New York in the Sixties – A Hotbed for Experiments
- 26. March 2020
- Tagged as: Angus MacLise, conceptual art, Fluxus, Gerard Malanga, Henry Flynt, Henry Flynt & The Insurrections, Ingrid Superstar, Jack Smith, John Cale, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, minimalism, New York City, Plastic Clock Radio, Richard Maxfield, Steve Weber, The East Village Other, The Velvet Underground, Tony Conrad, Tuli Kupferberg, William S. Burroughs
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. 62 minutes with Angus MacLise, Henry Flynt, La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela, Richard Maxfield and others.
39 minutes of ideas being expressed with sound: made up trains, works with found sounds, or a collective approach in making music – realized by Amy Taubin, Angus & Hetty MacLise, Tom Recchion, Tuli Kupferberg and others.