Episode 11

Vintage Drones and Beats

Playlist

Alan Sondheim, Day’s Eye, from the album All 7-70* ‎– T'Other Little Tune (1968). For dilruba, trumpet, tabla, and Moog Modular Synthesizer.

Eliane Radigue, Chry-ptus I (1971), excerpt, from the album Chry-ptus. Realized on the Buchla Synthesizer at Morton Subotnick’s studio at New York University. Originally two tapes that were played simultaneously, with or without being synchronized.

La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela. 31 VII 69 10:26 - 10:49 PM for sine wave drone, voice, and bowed gongs. From “the black album,” 1969. Numbered edition limited to 2800 copies, of which mine is number 661.

Maggi Payne, White Night, from the album Crystal (1986).

Eliane Radigue, Σ = a = b = a + b (1969), two 7” discs, we heard side a-4. Composed while she was living in Paris, just before coming to New York. “Sides A and B can be listened to separately or simultaneously, synchronously or asynchronously. Sides A and B of this disc can be combined indefinitely at any speed 78, 45, 33 or 16 turns.” 250 duplicates of this disc were made. I do not own this disc.

Annette Peacock and Paul Bley, Dual Unity. From the album Dual Unity, 1972. For piano and vocal treatments with the Moog Synthesizer.

Luc Ferrari, Cellule 75 (1975), excerpt, for piano, percussion and magnetic tape. Composed May - November 1975. Performed at Mills College. Recorded and Mixed by Maggi Payne.

The Archive Mix in which I play two additional tracks at the same time, to see what happens. This time, however, I am playing three tracks. Two are different portions of Eliane Radigue’s Vice Versa Etc., mix 1 from 1970. The third track is the ending of Cellule 75 by Luc Ferrari.

Eliane Radigue, excerpt, Vice Versa Etc. Mix 1 (1970), from the opening of the mix.

Eliane Radigue, excerpt, Vice Versa Etc. Mix 1 (1970), from the closing of the mix.

Luc Ferrari, excerpt, Cellule 75 (1975), from the end of the piece.

Read my book: Electronic and Experimental Music (sixth edition), by Thom Holmes (2020).