The ninth edition of the audio cassette magazine Tellus is titled Music With Memory. The odd title may be alluding to two things; music from computers as in using RAM or music derived from the personal memories of the composer. Both theories can be implied from the seven innovative tracks on this ninth edition of the audio magazine. Overall, this is one of the more consistently excellent of the Tellus series. Nicolas Collins’ “Devil Music” is a fascinating collage that appears to be made from brief fragments of popular music and radio broadcasts. “Stall” by John Driscoll is a drone piece of electronic sounds that is best relished on a good set of headphones. Brenda Hutchinson is known for her electronic manipulation of human voices. The interlude from “Voices of Reason” is a prime example of her hypnotic compositions.

The last four tracks are my favorites. “Parodicals” by Ron Kivila is a clever excursion mindful of the early Moog experiments while his “Cannon Y for C.N.” is both a tribute to Conlon Nancarrow and a affectionate nod to Nancarrow’s player piano pieces. Finally there is the weirdness of Paul de Marinis. His “Yellow Yankee” is a rich and complicated mix of computer keyboard and altered voice but the gem of the album is “Eenie Meenie Chilli Beenie”. If I was in advertising I would call this a children song for freaked out children which explains why I’m not in advertising. this is another issue of Tellus that will fascinate and entertain.

The album is in 160kbps MP3. If you like this collection, check out all the other Tellus issues on Ubuweb. Thanks to Continuo for the cover art and his detailed notes on this series and other out of print delights from the cassette era.

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