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LP
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AR 3004LP
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Aurora Rising present a reissue of Henk Badings and Dick Raaijmakers's Evolutions, Contrasts & Electronic Music, originally released in 1958 under the title Electronic Music and released again in 1968 as Evolution & Contrasts. The 1968 release Evolution & Contrasts contains the same recordings as the 1958 Electronic Music album. Henk Badings and Dick Raaijmakers were composers, arrangers, conductors, and pioneers in the field of electronic music. They created electronic soundscapes with a rather creepy atmosphere. This stuff is different to the '50s avant-garde classics and the more pop-oriented electronic albums of the same period. Badings's "Capriccio For Violin And Two Sound Tracks" can be seen as a strange dialogue with sloping melodies between the violin and unidentifiable electronic devices that gives you goosebumps. It has a rather picturesque approach and could be used for early horror flicks as accompanying music for the horrifying scenes. The amazing fact is that this music still sounds fresh and exciting even nearly six decades after its initial release. "Genese", on the other hand, is a lengthy composition of chirping, bubbling, and droning sounds, swelling and ebbing away in regular intervals. Cosmic music of the highest order. Some sections also feel like an intergalactic information transfer signal of unknown origin. All-in-all a very spooky and haunting affair. It's interesting how electronic music already went back in the late '50s while most people consider the late '60s and early '70s as the heydays for electronic experiments and cosmic sounds. Well, this reissue allows listeners to experience the pioneers of this genre, and they really do it well. Raaijmakers even had a hand in writing groovy dance compositions when collaborating with Tom Dissevelt. He used the pseudonym Kid Baltan on these occasions. Anyway, this is quite a different thing. This is dark and utterly strange. "Contrasts" by Raaijmakers is a mixture between funny swirling sounds that make you think of a quick tempered discussion between little androids and menacing drones in the back that soon gets interrupted by single blows and hisses with frightening howls far in the back. This is definitely an album for true enthusiasts of strange electronic sounds who even consider early Tangerine Dream as fluffy pop music. Includes five bonus tracks.
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CD
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AR 3001CD
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Aurora Rising present a reissue of Miss Nelson & Bruce Haack's Dance Sing And Listen, originally released in 1963. This album is somewhat of a curiosity for it was actually conceived as an educational, open-minded children's music. The sound is a mash up of story-telling for kids and simple, happy sing-along music mixed with loads of electronic effects making it an utterly spacey affair. This reissue makes sure this cult album can be enjoyed by people crazy for early '60s electronic music. Let go of all spiritual chains and float away with the tape looped rhythms and all the hissing and buzzing and chirping upon which Esther Nelson, actually a children's dance teacher, and Bruce Haack, a composer and pioneer of electronic music, recite poems, give dance instructions or play melodies on primitive synthesizers. Dance Sing And Listen is meant to fire the imagination of children and due to its musical quality and weird mood, it may do the same with adults. From this pioneering piece came the sound bands like Kraftwerk and Neu! would head for about ten years later. Enjoyable children's music that's far out enough to make souls travel.
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LP
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AR 3001LP
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LP version. Aurora Rising present a reissue of Miss Nelson & Bruce Haack's Dance Sing And Listen, originally released in 1963. This album is somewhat of a curiosity for it was actually conceived as an educational, open-minded children's music. The sound is a mash up of story-telling for kids and simple, happy sing-along music mixed with loads of electronic effects making it an utterly spacey affair. This reissue makes sure this cult album can be enjoyed by people crazy for early '60s electronic music. Let go of all spiritual chains and float away with the tape looped rhythms and all the hissing and buzzing and chirping upon which Esther Nelson, actually a children's dance teacher, and Bruce Haack, a composer and pioneer of electronic music, recite poems, give dance instructions or play melodies on primitive synthesizers. Dance Sing And Listen is meant to fire the imagination of children and due to its musical quality and weird mood, it may do the same with adults. From this pioneering piece came the sound bands like Kraftwerk and Neu! would head for about ten years later. Enjoyable children's music that's far out enough to make souls travel.
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LP
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AR 3002LP
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Aurora Rising present the first vinyl reissue of L'Occident Est Bleu/L'An Cinquante-Six, originally released in 1958. Pierre Henry is most popular among rock fans for his collaboration with the English band Spooky Tooth in 1969 but he already had a great reputation as a composer and performer in the field of modern classics, musique concrète and pioneering electronic avant-garde. So it is obvious that there have been quite a few albums by him and in cooperation with other artists not necessarily from the field of music. L'Occident Est Bleu/L'An Cinquante-Six features sound contributions by Pierre Henry, and spoken word performances by popular French actors Michel Vitold and Silvia Montfort based on two texts by fellow actor and singer Claude Pascal. It can be seen as an audio book rather than a regular music record backed with sounds. All the texts are performed in French and they focus on dark themes. The musical part of this album is also quite intense with a haunting atmosphere, droning and disturbing at times. The drone and musique concrète aspects show the roots of what should become cosmic music in the late '60s and early '70s performed mostly by artists such as Tangerine Dream. And indeed there are a few moments here that remind me of the classic Zeit (1972) by Edgar Froese and his mates. A sound experiment, a twisted and creepy manifestation of weird thoughts in something that is loosely connected to music. A challenge for sure, but if you love the obscure and have a heart for avant garde music you are welcome to this first ever reissue of a long time vanished record. Includes two bonus tracks.
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