Russian keyboardist and composer Anton Batagov is clearly influenced by the minimalist school of post-modern music but he has a highly individual style that borrows from several genres. His album Passionate Desire To Be an Angel has been released as a free and legal online album by the Electrosound net label and has four tracks of intense and emotional music. All of the four compositions are impressive but the first two, “Can You Feel The Rhythm?” and “Conjunctio” are simpl;y stunning. “Rhythm” start with electric guitarist Theophrastus belting out a punk riff that is soon overlapped by Batagov’s ascending piano lines. By the time trombone,. vibraharp and a soulful vocal emerges you have a mesmerizing mixture of modern classical, rock and soul. “Conjunctio” is a 28 minutes piano and organ piece that is very reminiscent of Terry Riley’s keyboard work and, like Riley, is influenced by Buddhist chants and philosophy. The other two tracks are also exceptional works of post-modern minimalism. “Opus Alchymicum” has a somewhat grand melody in which Batagov’s treatment teeters between Phillip Glass and Vangelis. I don’t know why but every time I hear it I think “Chariots of Fire”. “Umbra Solis” has spiritual overtones in its use of organ and chorale. Throughout the album guitarist Theophrastus and vibraphonist Peteris Shuniatis add excellent assistance. This is an unique and inspiring album.

Passionate Desire To Be an Angel is available in 320kbps MP3

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Joseph Nechvatel is a digital artist who creates computer-assisted paintings that are often formulated from specially designed computer viruses. You can view a number of his visual works on his web site. He also occasionally delves into the audio realm using a similar process. Ubuweb, with the permission of the artist, has two of his audio works freely available; Viral SymphOny and Murmuring tOngue Of Ovidwhich is described as the “second movement” of the viral symphony.

Viral SymphOny like “Ovid” is derived from the custom-made viruses that he uses to create his paintings. Mathew Underwood and Andrew Deutsch reworked and reprocessed these viruses to create these sound sculptures. Murmuring tOngue Of Ovid is derived from source materials of a 1985 reading of Ovid’s poem Metamorphosis by Jane Smith. Frankly, the entire process eludes my understanding so I am left with simply hearing the final results which is a haunting and mesmerizing collection of sounds weaving in and out of themselves. How much is random and how much is controlled is uncertain but the works do have a distinctly structured sound to it. These are audio compositions that lend themselves to attentive listening in a quiet environment so you can relish all the subtleties and nuances.

The two pieces are available in 160kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artist by buying the CD with an extra 50 minutes of audio and field recordings at CDeMusic.

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Tellus was a bimonthly audiocassette “magazine” devoted to promoting new and experimental music. It was published from 1983 to 1992 and featured many of the most innovative artists in music, spoken word, and performance arts. Ubuweb has almost all 27 issues available as free downloads. Much of this music has rarely been heard while some tracks have been accepted as seminal works in this post-modern era. I will be featuring many of these albums through the year and I will start with the first two issues of this important “publication”.

Tellus 1, as with the second issue, spotlights artists and musicians from the New York area. For an album that promotes the avant-garde, the music is surprisingly diverse. It starts with a funky soul-jazz number by no-wave guitarist Jody Harris. However it isn’t too long before Sonic Youth shows their more extreme side on the live “Scream” while contemporaries Live Skull and Rat-at-Rat-R play a more typical version of Noise Rock. Brenda Hutchinson contributes a classic work of vocal manipulation in “Wordplay”. Joseph Nechvatal represents the state-of-the arts in the 80s electronic music scene with “Ego Masher” and Rhys Chatham, a regular contributor to this series, plays minimalist guitar music on “Guitar Trio” which is reminiscent of the work of Glenn Branca who can also be heard on this track. The other works are quite interesting if not always successful.

Tellus 2 continues this look at the music scene in New York of the 1980s. The Scene is Now’s “Bugged Out, Wigged Out” may be your only chance to hear avant-garde jug band music. Tony Papa’s “Water Works” is a clever and amusing mixture of moisture and melody. Spoken word is well represented by Mitch Corber’s “Budge, Budge, Budge The Budget” and Cardboard Air band’s “Little Rabbit”. Other favorites include David Garlans “No More Misty Night”, the hip hopish “2-4-7-9-11″ by John Fekner, and Dr. Telecom’s electro-funk “Phone is My Clone”. The rest of the tracks range from entertaining to incomphrensible.

The albums are available in separate tracks at 192 MP3. If you like these two issues of Tellus, make sure you check out the rest.

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Tellus 1
Tellus 2

The Australian chamber group Topology plays post-modern music at crisp tempos and with a contemporary twist that should surprise those who think modern classical music is difficult and elitist. The five person ensemble displays impeccable musicianship in their mildly unusual array of strings, piano, and saxophone.The works on the excellent album, Perpetual Motion Machine are witty, fun and immensely listenable. The music is what is conventionally, if sometimes erroneously, called Minimalist and there is a good sampling of Australian, American and British composers. For me,the most delightful work is Michael Nyman’s four part “And Do They Do”, a lyrically soaring masterpiece that kept me enthralled throughout. Phillip Glass and John Adams are represented by two excerpts from their operas, Nixon in China and Einstein on The Beach respectively. The Adams aria is especially gorgeous. Saxophonist and Topology member John Babbage’s tangoish “Millennium Bug” is a gem. “McLibel 1″ and “McLibel 2″ by Australian composer Robert Davidson, who also is the bassist for Topology, is a rich socially conscious mixture of minimalist composition and spoken word. John Rodgers’ “Viv’s Bum Dance” and the most avant-garde sounding work on the album, “Variations in a Serious Black Dress” by Elena Kats-Chernin, rounds out this exceptional free and legal online album.

Perpetual Motion Machine is available from Jamendo in VBR MP3. If you enjoy the music, be sure to support the artists by buying their CDs and DVDs.

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British composer and improviser Martin Archer presents an 80 minute performance from Krakow courtesy of the AudioTong net label. Armed with electronics, a barrage of sound loops and a sopranino saxophone, he explores every aspect of the avant-garde with ease and imagination. While utilizing drones, samples, and the usual array of tricks, this is no minimalist chill-out. Archer challenges the listener but is able to keep us interested through his wit, creativity and complexity. He starts with a looped statement, “All wars are lost” that seems to be not so much a political statement as a personal one. By the time he is finished, he has transversed industrial sounds, avant garde jazz, Celtic music, and much more. I especially enjoy his ability on the sopranino sax which makes me wonder if he have been influenced at all by the late great British saxophonist Elton Dean. This is an album that is best listened to in its entirely but if you want a track that brings the artist’s talents together, try “CC Loop”. This is a performance that never sits still and will endlessly fascinate.

The album is available in 192kbps Mp3. If you enjoy the music support the artist by buying his CDs

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Kosta Vomvolos is a Greek composer of primarily theater music. From his discography on his web site plus the free albums he has on Jamendo, it appears that he is quite prolific. His influences are ancient and traditional Greek music, classical, jazz and electronic. The nine albums I’ve chosen give a good retrospective of this eclectic composer.

Doxombus may be a good place to start. Written as a soundtrack for the film of the same name directed by Fotos Lambrinos, it relies heavily on Greek folk music and traditional instruments, yet strings play important roles in such tracks as “The Lake” and “Tension”. A four note descending phrase acts as the theme uniting these pieces. This is an interesting example of atmospheric movie music.

A number of his albums are written to accompany ancient Greek drama. Not surprisingly, ancient Greek music is a major influence in these works. Hecuba: Music for Euripides’ Tragedy features a chorus of 16 actresses accompanied by lute, double-bass and drums. The lack of the visual and a translation hinders a full understanding of the work but the interplay between the instruments and monotonic chanting is still quite interesting. Sophocles’ Tragedy: Women From Trachis is much better. Vocalist Elsa Mouratidou and 20 actresses are accompanied by cello, violin, electric guitar and drums in a beautiful theater piece. It is a nice blend of ancient, folk and modern. Euripides ION Actors Touring Company-London is the last of the three works written for ancient Greek drama and it’s my favorite. It is an exotic instrumental piece that works well on its own. Vomvolos has a knack for blending the traditional with the experimental.

Two albums represent music written to accompany later dramas. The Deer’s Curse is a Kurdish tale presented with 30 actors who sing, chant, whisper the traditional story. Again, it is interesting but probably harmed by the fact we get only the aural experience. Kandalis’ Wife fares much better. This is an instrumental work with strong traditional influences. Alternately meditative and percussive, it hold up the best of the previously mentioned albums as a separate composition.

Fake Nightmare is a total different kind of theater music. Written for the National Theater of Northern Greece, this is very modern using elements of jazz, rock, electronic music, European cabaret and, of course, Greek folk music to make a dense and complex musical tapestry. Like the other theater works it still has a mostly dark mood. This is a piece that holds well on its own with “Saturday” and “Funky Finally” being especially compelling.

On My Birthday I Caught a Train to Thessaloniki is a dance piece. It starts out on accordion like a minimalist Reich composition but then moves into rock, jazz and at times an industrial sound. I can’t quite see this as a dance piece but it certainly kept me interested.

Finally, Vomvolos presents a short string quartet of 15 minutes duration titled …And Juliet. As Vomvolos’ other albums tend to be sonorous and dramatic, …And Juliet is light and breezy. The six piece suite is quite classical in feeling but it makes use of a tango in the second track while “Right Walk” has a jazz melody over a striding bass line. This may be the most pleasing and accessible of the albums but all nine will give you a different and worthwhile musical experience.

All nine albums are available in VBR MP3 with an average bitrate of 192kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artist by buying his CDs.

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…And Juliet: String Quartet
Deer’s Curse
Doxombus
Fake nightmare
Hecuba: Music For Euripides’ Tradegy
Euripes ION Actors Touring Company: London
Kandavlis’ Wife
On My Birthday I Caught a Train To Thessaloniki
Sophocles Tragedy: Women From Trachis

Group 180 was an Hungarian modern classical chamber group. Two of their albums were released in 1980 and 1985 in vinyl LP and are not only out of print but, as far as I can tell, never released on CD. Again Ubuweb comes through by making these two albums available on-line. This is excellent modern music well worth the listen.

The first self-titled album has five works. The first three are clearly in the minimalist tradition. Tibor Szemzo’s “Water-Wonder” starts out with a single repeated note on a single instrument like a water drop. A flute enters and the piece slowly builds up momentum. What Steve Reich’s “Music for Pieces of Wood” lacks in tonality makes up in rhythm. Laszlo Melis’s “Etude for Three Mirrors” may be minimalist but the interplay between piano and woodwinds is quite intense. The last two works are by Fredric Rzewski and they are my favorite of the set. “Coming Together” and “Attica” not only shows the composer’s brilliancy in composition but represent his socio-political influences.

Group 180 II is from 1985 and exhibits the same good taste in modern compositional works. There are two pieces by Steven Reich, “Piano Phase” and “Octet”. Compositions by András Soós and Bela Farago make up the rest of the album. It should be note that, with the exception of Rzewski and Reich, the composers are all members of Group 180. It is again a well played set and one that fans of modern music will treasure.

Unfortunately the albums are available in only 80kbps MP3. There are also quite a few scratches and snaps from these vinyl recordings. Still, I find the sound quite acceptable and urge you check these out in light of their historical significance, their rarity, and the quality of performance.

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German composer Aribert Reimann’s Requiem is a odd but moving work. The orchestra in this work contains no violins. Violas, cellos and double-basses are prominent adding a dark dimension to this already brooding work. Requiems are usually liturgical and even when serious and foreboding, generally spiritually uplifting. This requiem is downright depressing. However that doesn’t distract from the fact that Reimann has written a powerful composition. Reimann is one of the few modern composers that writes almost exclusively for the large orchestra and is also known for his chorales and operas. Listen to the exquisite arrangement and the interactions between the solo vocalists as you listen to this long but involving work.

This particular performance of Reimann’s requiem was recorded in 1983 by the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin with solo vocals from Julia Varady, Helga Dernesch, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who sang the title role in Reimann’s opera Lear, his most famous work.

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Born in 1952, Wolfgang Rihm is one of the more important post-war German composer and remains a popular avant garde figure in music. However his earlier music is most associated to the earlier Expressionist movement with strong influences by such giants as Schoenberg and Mahler.

Jacob Lenz is an early opera, his second, and is written for chamber orchestra, voices, and chorus. It is based on the life of 18th century author Jacob Lenz who was a contemporary of Goethe and a writer of the Sturm and Drang period. Lenz suffered a nervous breakdown in 1777 and this stage of his life is the focus of the opera. The sound of this work is at the least, tumultuous. It is a composition that is as disturbing as it is beautiful. The voice of Lenz is sung by baritone Richard Salter. More information and extensive liner notes in German and English are available from the download page for the FLAC files.

The work is available in FLAC and MP3 files. The MP3 files are in the bitrate of 192kbps. FLAC files have a superior sound but be aware that they are huge and your music software may not be able to play them.

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FLAC files
MP3 files

While most of Bob Ostertag’s music is already freely available under a common creative license, his 2007 release marks a new milestone. wOOt is his first recording to go directly to free internet download rather than initially on a CD . The distinction is fitting as the composer created this 50 minute work by using only samples from 18 computer video games including Legend of Zelda, Myst, and World of Warcraft. The fragments are cut, pasted, looped, mashed, overlapped…pretty much everything is done to them that is possible except to bake them at 350 degrees in the oven. The piece starts with a single theme which evolves into a virtual fugue of video game sounds. From that point the work changes constantly making it an aural roller coaster ride. Ostertag’s best works, such as Sooner or Later or All The Rage have strong personal and socio-political themes. wOOt appears to have no purpose but to dazzle you with what can be done with a few primitive sound samples. While not the best of Ostertag’s creations, it is still a very witty and entertaining 50 minutes of music.

The album is available in 160kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artist by buying his CDs.

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As described by WM Recordings…

A Simple Process is a collection of 6 compositions, each of which is based around a simple melodic fragment. These fragments are then altered by various processes (i.e. adding notes, transposing, shifting the beat placement). The compositions end when the process has run its course.

Thus goes the third online album by one of my favorite ambient / post-modern ensembles. Unlike their first and second albums, the conceptual frame of A Simple Process forces less variety of sound and mood. But that’s the charm of these particular compositions. The musicians take brief melodies and make an extended exploration of its possibilities, all the time being mindful of giving the listener a beautiful and perhaps mind altering experience. Listen to this album in quiet or with earphones to give the full experience.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. I didn’t see any possibility of buying the CD which is unfortunate as this is a recording I would definitely want in higher quality sound.

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The liner notes by Bob Ostertag for his 1991 composition All The Rage begins like this…

All the Rage was developed from a recording I made of a riot in San Francisco in October 1991, which followed California Governor Pete Wilson’s veto of a bill designed to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination.

This work is only 16 minutes long but it may be the most intense 16 minutes you will find in music. The samples, which include spoken word, shouting, whistles, and breaking glass, are selected, looped and manipulated to shape a structured composition while the Kronos Quartet plays often rough and jagged lines, often in unison to the narration and sounds, creating an angry but powerful work of art. Like Ostertag’s best works (see Sooner or Later) it is both a socio-political statement and a personal statement.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3. As reported before, Mr. Ostertag has made practically his entire output available free under a creative commons license. Make sure you also check out his other albums as I think Ostertag is one of the most original American composers actively working. And of course, if you enjoy the music support the artist by purchasing the CDs in higher quality sound.

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One of the most interesting music sites on the internet is The Avant Garde Project (AGP). The project is an attempt to make available important recordings of post-classical and avant garde works that are no longer in print and would surely be lost to most ears. The site managers take great care to make sure there are no in-print recordings of these compositions available else where. Given the esoteric nature of most of these recordings, this may be one of the few chances you will have to hear these pieces. The composers range from the well-known to the obscure but all are unarguably innovators of modern music.

The AGP archive can be rather unwieldy if you are a beginner to this music so the web managers have provided two Editor’s Choice Samplers to get you started. These are the editor’s favorites and they are hard to disagree with.

Sampler 1 is instrumental music that is live and electronically manipulated. Robert Erickson’s “Night Music” is very beautiful, very melodic, and a excellent place to start for those who think avant-garde music is always dissonant. “Monochrome Sea” is a many colored work by the Japanese percussionist Yasukazu Amemiya. “In Motu Proprio” by Dieter Schnebel features two woodwinds that interacts with long tones and single lines in amazing ways. Finally, Morton Subotnick’s “Descent into Air” is part of The Double Life of Amphibians which is so far my favorite work on the archives.

Sampler 2 is electro-acoustic. For most, this might be seen as the more adventurous album. “ANIMUS III” by Jacob Druckman uses electronics and clarinet. Bernard Parmegiani’s “Ponomatopees II” uses vocal sounds and pop vocals as its source material. It’s an riveting piece. “Musique Douze”, by the Swedish composer Ragnar Grippe is another arresting piece that holds your attention. John Cage’s “Variation II” explores any inch of the piano using microphones and phonograph cartridges to amplify the sound. Finally, Josef Anton Reid’s “Glas-Spiele” is composed for original instruments made of glass.

The AGP offers these tracks in both FLAC and MP3 files. FLAC files have the higher quality sound but they are very large and your music software may not be able to play them. If you enjoy the music, check out the other offerings on the web site. Hopefully you will want to continue to explore the works of these great modern composers.

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FLAC files
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Contemporary Chinese Experimental Music offers some truly unique sounds,. This Ubuweb compilation features ten avant garde compositions from 1997 to 2007 by Chinese composers. Unfortunately there are no liner notes for either the works or the artist. This is a mixed blessing. I would liked to have known about the composers, their compositions and how these pieces were created. especially Dajuin Yao’s oscillating wonder of an opening track. But it also forces me to open my ears and discover the music cold.

There is some very interesting listening here. I already mentioned Yao’s “Satisfaction of Oscillation” that sweeps you along with its twists and turns. I’m not sure why but I find Xu Chang’s electronic burps between moments of silence quite amusing. My award for funniest track goes Feng Hao’s brief intestinal delight “Pleasure”. I find Ronez’s “Fan #2″ pleasantly disturbing while Hitlike’s radio samplings is a bit too derivative of John Cage’s compositions for radio. The other tracks vary in quality but all will open your mind to new territories for modern music.

All tracks are available in 192kbps MP3.

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Russian pianist Pavel Dombrovsky gives a live performance of the 16 minute composition A Little Suite For Christmas by iconclastic American composer George Crumb. This 1980 work may not sound all that Christmasy but it is an excellent example of the composer’s interaction with sound and silence. Emotional eruptions pair with long pauses and hesitating phrases to make a very involving and beautiful work. While being very modern and often dissonant, it still manages to be one of Crumb’s most accessible pieces and well deserving of a listen. Dombrovsky gives a very empathic rendering.

The album is available from the Top-40 netlabel as one 16 minute track in 192kbps MP3.

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Berlin artist Shamani presents this one tracked, 23 minute Presentation using piano, drums, and miscellaneous devices in what can be described as an improvisatory adventure. Shamani leaves no note unexplored and does so with panache. Cecil Taylor influenced keyboard mixes with noise and toys as the artist goes from the melodic to the chaotic with equal ease. It a good improvisatory journey for those into avant garde jazz, experimental, and free form music.

The album is available in a single track of 256kbps MP3 from the eDogm netlabel.

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The 1920 German silent filmThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is considered a masterpiece of cinema and is one of the best examples of German Expressionism. It tells the story of a string of murders by the evil Dr. Caligari and his sleepwalking assistant.

The film has long been in the public domain. You can view it in its original version with a stock musical soundtrack at The Internet Archives. Being a silent film, the temptation to add an modern original score to this classic tale with its eerie story and odd sets has be almost irresistible. Eleven composers through the auspices of the (CT) Collective has succumb to the temptation and the result is Caligari:An Exquisite Corpse. It is a revised screening of the original print with color tinted scenes, re-designed title boards, and most importantly a soundtrack of original electronic music. I’m not sure it is an improvement over the original but it is certainly a different experience and the music is definitely more creative than what is used on earlier prints. The soundtrack is dark and minimalist intensifying the feeling of mystery in this surreal film. The upgrading of film quality is also quite good considering the original is from 1920.

You can download just the film soundtrack in 192kbps MP3 from the link below or you can view or download The entire film (329MB) with the new soundtracks from the Internet Archive.

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Italian multi-media artist Marco Lucchi presents another work of quiet power from Webbed Hand Records. Lazy melodies float in and out of this album of gentle sounds. Some of the tracks, like “Link #1″ and “Link #2″ pack a bit more of a beat but overall this is a gently swaying dreamscape. Like his other works, Some Perfect Curtains was meant to be performed with media and visual artists, but the music holds up fine on its own. “La Dedicace” is my favorite track as it moves along gracefully like a ballet. The final track” Gominal #2″ is also interesting, a fragmented piano solo set amongst a thin veil of sounds. Lucchi never fails to give us beautiful and interesting music.

The album is available as separate tracks in 192kbps MP3. There is also a full zip that includes four videos and a poem.

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Uexkull is an early work by the Polish composer of noise and experimental music, Zbigniew Karkowski. It was composed in 1988-89 and released as a CD in 1990. It has been out of print until being re-released by the Audio Tong netlabel as a free and legal online album.

This is essentially a drone work lasting an hour. Double bass mingles with electronic sounds to create a very minimalist work. The composition also features the alto voice of Karin Westman but, to be honest, I couldn’t tell you exactly where. Patient listening will reveal subtle but vast layers of songs with surprising changes and intensity. The piece starts quietly but slowly develops into a tapestry of industrial sounds. The entire work is intense but pleasing in its own mysterious way.

The album is available as a single track in either 320kbps MP3 or AIFF.

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Czech composer Petr Drkula is clearly influenced by the minimalist compositions of Glass, Reich, and Riley. Like the three leading minimalists, Drkula is interested in the use of repeating motifs as they phase in and out of each other. However, Drkula manages to be fresh and interesting. Drkula’s repetitive phrases aren’t really repetition . Each one shows slight variations in its execution. Shifting parameters keep your attention while you are entranced by the changing soundscape. There are a number of free online albums by this artist, each one with its own charms.

Metrospective is my personal favorite. The first track sets up three note piano lines that play on for an exhilarating five minutes then abruptly ends. “Slight Change” is a similar feat on organ. But the gem of the album is “Dim Outlines”, a quiet gem of beautiful sounds. Metrospective is an enjoyable three tracks and perfect for those who would like an introduction to minimalist music.

The next three albums have their own joys. The album simply titled 2 has two gamelan influenced tracks that mirror Steven Reich’s own excursion into rhythm and melody. Surfaces is a single 80 minutes track that is reminiscent of Riley’s epic organ pieces. Finally, Shaping is Drkula at his most characteristic with slightly changing phrases building on each other.

All albums are available in 192kbps MP3.

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Metrospective
2
Surfaces
Shaping

From the liner notes for Tribute to Iannis Xenakis…

Iannis Xenakis (1922—2001) is one of the most important composers of the 20th century. His works span every media and numerous approaches, electronic and acoustical, from orchestral to “musique concrete”. Also a mathematician, experimental engineer and architect, he is a true cult figure.”

This free online album presents original compositions from seven different artists. Each work is dedicated to Iannis Xenakis and performed in tribute to the groundbreaking composer. The first track by Kenneth Kirschner appears to be the most representative of Xenakis’ own style. It is a soundscape of percussion and gentle electronic sound. Kevin M. Kreb’s contribution features non-tonal samples of field recordings and industrial noises. Alexei Borisov”s “X-Guitar” is a fascinating experimental exploration with an electric guitar. The Quest Room Project appears to be an improvisatory ensemble and and an excellent one at that. Their contribution titled “Pyromania” is my favorite track on the album. Zenial vs Phillip B. Klingler and CD-R offer experimental electronics that are enjoyable but not out of the ordinary. The final track by Alva Noto is a mystery. It appears to a mainly silent three minutes with a brief and barely detectable dispersion of dripping sounds (or static?) in the middle. At least the other six tracks offer some worthwhile listening.

The album is available in separate tracks or album zip in 320kbps MP3. If you enjoy any of the music, support the artists. Most of them have other works available on net labels or CDs. Perhaps these interesting tracks will also encourage you to seek out the essential music of Iannis Xenakis.

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Jeffrey Quick makes his composition Divertimento in C freely available on his blog, The Quick and The Dead. This is one of those things that makes you glad there is an internet. A little 15 minute composition unceremoniously thrown up on a small web page with little fanfare and then the darn thing takes over your ears! I don’t even remember how I found out about it but thanks to whoever sent the reccommendation. It is a delightful work, modern but melodically crisp and tonal with an especially beautiful second movement. The recording is a performance by the Cleveland Chamber Collective from November 5th, 2007. The musicians are Mary Kay Fink on flute, Sae Shiragami on violin, Lisa Boyko on viola, and Linda Atherton on cello. Listen and become entranced!

The work is available in 192kbps MP3 format. By the way, the blog itself is a fun read. Where else would I have learned about a scam in which sheep were sold as poodles?

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Percussionists Chen Zimbalista and Oron Schwartz play modern contemporary music of subtle beauty. Those who equate percussion with noise and volume will be pleasently surprised. For the most part, Percussion features quiet pieces with a calm intelligence.

The first two works features Zimbalista on the marimba. Minoru Mikki’s “Marimba Spiritual” for marimba and three percussionists starts out slowly with a lone marimba then become one of the more rhythmic works on the album. “Variations on Lost Love” by David Maslanka is for solo marimbist and is a beautiful modern ballad in three parts. Zimbalista is brillantly showcased in his own composition for solo percussion titled “Impulse 1″.

The last three compositions focus on the talents of the unusually reflective Oron Schwartz . All three compositions are by Israeli composers. Tzvi Avni’s “Five Variations to Mr. K” for percussion and tape is made up of five exquisite pieces. I highly recommend the third variation for its haunting mixture of vibraharp and voice. Edri Machat’s “Duo for Cello and Percussion” is a highlight of the recording. Machat’s composition, while unmistakably modern, is quite musical in its interplay of cello and tonal percussive instruments. The final work is Oron Schwartz’s own “From Heavens Unto Mists: Trio for Flute, Vibraphone and Piano”. It is a daring and masterful chamber work, a fitting end to an exceptional grouping of contemporary works.

The album is available as separate tracks in 128kbps MP3.

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The music of Ilhan Mimaroglu is simply amazing. Most of his musical works were created in the golden age of electronic music, the 60s and early 70s. This was when analog ruled, Musique Concrete and tape loops dominated, and electronic music was formed through 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.

Almost all of Mimaroglu’s works are now out of print. Missing Pieces is presented by that great online archive of electronic masterpieces called Earlabs. There are eight tracks, all being under 4 minutes except “Agony” which is about 10 minutes. “Agony” is a virtual swamp of sounds, starting slowly and eerily as it runs through your mind. The starting track “Bowery Bum” show an ironic but abstract wit. “Intermezzo” is sparse with an ocassional industrial eruption. The last five pieces are preludes for magnetic tape. Some of them surprise with brief tonal passges while the last uses voice manipulation. The preludes or “Bowery Bum” are probably a good place to start for the electronic music novice.

The album is available in 256kbps MP3. I highly recommend that you listen to this with headphones in order to catch all the sutbleties and spatial interplays.

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Morton Subotnick is an pioneer composer of electronic music and multimedia works. Several of his works are still available and you can find and purchase them on this list of albums from his web site. I highly recommend his music due to his ability to fuse conventional instruments with electronics and for providing a human touch to a music that often borders on the antiseptic.

One of the works that is conspicously missing for the list of available recordings is his four part epic of voice and instruments with “Ghost” electronics titled The Double Life of Amphibians. No longer in print, this composition is in three parts but consists of four distinct compositions. It is divided as follows. All quotes are taken from the recordings’ original liner notes.

Part I: Amphibians consists of two works titled “Axolotl” and ” Ascent Into Air”. “Axolotl” is written for solo cello and “a tape and a small package of electronics”. Joel Krosnick is the celloist. “Ascent Into Air” is written for ten instruments and computer generated sound “controlled by the intensity of the cellists’ performance”. The CalArts Twentieth Century Players, conducted by composer Stephen Mosko, perform the work.

Part II: Beasts features only one work, “The Last Dream of The Beast” was initially conceived as a stage piece. This particular version is a rescored performance of “amplified soprano, 2 celli, live electronic sounds and an electronic “ghost” score.” The soprano is Joan Labarbera. Erika Duke and Dane Little are on cellos while Morton Subotnick is on the Buchla 400 Electronic Musical Instrument and “ghost” electronics

The final part is titled Part III: Angels. Its one composition is “A Fluttering of Wings” and is scored for string quartet and an electronic ghost score. This performance is by the Juilliard String Quartet.

The Avant Garde Project has done a fine job organizing these separate recordings, all out of print, into a coherent whole. They even provide the liner notes. You can get their FLAC files here. However Anablog has reformated these files into more manageable 192kbps MP3s which can be downloaded from the links below. It is a shame that this powerful work is no longer in print and we can only thank web sites such as Anablog and The Avant Garde Project for unearthing these masterpieces and presenting for the edification of the public.

Update: The MP3 files from Anablog are no longer available. However, you can still download the music in FLAC format from The Avant Garde Project.

Update 2: The AGP web site now offers this work in 192kbps MP3 as well as FLAC. The links below have veen changed to reflect this.

Download
FLAC files
MP3 files