Tabla drums are an important part of classical Indian music. Since the 1960s, they have also been found outside this context. 65 minutes with Alejandro Jodorowsky, Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis, Geir Jenssen, Robert Ashley and others.
Terrain: Topic
In Liminal Spaces – Angus MacLise
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.
New York in the Sixties – A Hotbed for Experiments
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.
No Way Out – No Wave Years in NYC (1978-84)
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 (1983-90)
When sound became portable with the Walkman in the early Eighties, the subscription-only Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine began 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.
No Wave Time Warp
When no wave emerged in New York City in the late 1970s, noise musician, art critic and artist Joseph Nechvatal was already there. Drawing on music of the time, he and Paul Paulun discuss aspects of the movement that opposed the commodification of music and art with radical, often multimedia works.
Love for Sound – Engineered Reggae (1979-87)
In the 1980s, both old and new styles developed in Jamaica. Ragga evolved and electronic production tools found their way into studios, contributing to the establishment of the digital dancehall era. 37 minutes with Bunny Lie Lie, Charlie Chaplin, Don Carlos, Johnny Clarke and others.
Love The Residents (1971-2002)
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.
Round World – Twisted Musical Traditions (1967-94)
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.
Ata Tak – Die neuen Herrn (1980-84)
Equally at home in the art world and the artists’ pub, Ata Tak‘s proprietors run their label from a nice office in Düsseldorf. In the adjoining music studio, they pursue the idea of a global rebellion through sound – as Der Plan. 32 minutes with Holger Hiller, Minus Delta T, Picky Picnic, Wirtschaftswunder and others.
Proper Krauts (1971-78)
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)
Yellow Magic Orchestra's concept of combining pop, dance music and Far Eastern folklore quickly became synonymous with technopop in Japan. The band members also contributed to each other's solo recordings and collaborated with other musicians. 49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session and others.
Reggae? – Some Seventies Soul Fire
Driven by collaborations between producers, singers, and studio musicians in ever-changing constellations, the 1970s mark the transition from ska and rocksteady to a multitude of styles in Jamaica. 46 minutes with Keith Hudson, Norma White & Brentford Disco Set, Sound Dimension, Susan Cadogan and others.
Reggae From Scratch – Lee Perry (1968-78)
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.
A Dandy From Heaven – Haruomi Hosono (1975-95)
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.
Ambient Japan (1981-2004)
Free of artificial embellishments, well balanced, and designed with attention to detail, some Eighties' Japanese ambient music resembles the concept of the countries' traditional gardens. 51 minutes of music striving to enhance environments – with Haruomi Hosono, Inoyama Land, Masahiro Sugaya, Yasuaki Shimizu and others.
Ambient Channel (2): En Route
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.
A Few Things From Japan – Rediscovering Traditions (1969-2000)
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.
Sekt oder Karies – West Germany in the Eighties
Thanks to a straightforwardness rooted in punk, new things and personalities get invented everywhere and at any time in the West-German music scene of the 1980s. 53 minutes with Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Martin Kippenberger, Santrra and others.
Fluxus Is… (1959-2014)
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)
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.
Synthesis – Approaching a New Instrument
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).
Hello, USA! – Observations From the Land of the Free (1966-2002)
Snapshots of national pride, cars, country music and the human abyss behind respectable facades – 51 minutes with Amiri Baraka, Ann Magnuson, Henry Rollins, Madeline Ridley and others.
Big Egos – Sound Works by Visual Artists (1981-2006)
Artists see things differently. 45 minutes with sound works by Carole Caroompas, Dieter Roth, Jess Holzworth and Jutta Koether, Magazzini Criminali and others.