The Holmes Archive of Electronic Music

Episode 116 The Sounds of Motoring   Track Start Times Introduction 00:00:00 Motoring Soundscape 00:04:33 Closing 01:47:48   Playlist For this episode, I created a soundscape based mostly on vintage recordings from the Archive of automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, mopeds and motorcycles, buses, street sounds and a variety of police and ambulance sirens. The work flows from sound to sound...

Episode 115 Radio Spirits in the Night Introduction Track Start Times Onda, “Part 1”  10:06 Onda, “Part 2” 28:22 Onda, "Seoul" 47:26 Onda, “Köln” 1:08:03 Onda, Lewisburg” 1:11:35 Onda, “Wroclaw" 1:19:47 Holmes. “3 Open Windows, 1 Small Antenna” 1:27:36 Playlist Aki Onda, “Part 1” (18:16) and “Part 2” (19:04) from “Transmissions From The Radio Midnight (2023 Dinzu Artefacts). Limited Edition 12" Bl...

Episode 114 Refined Noise Playlist Claus Böhmler, “Klangundkrach, Part 1” from Klangundkrach (1996) (2014 Slowscan). Recorded in Hamburg 1996. Edition of 270 copies. Böhmler was a German visual artist, video maker, and sometimes music artist. His website contains a great sampling of his visual work, texts, and writing about his work. There are not many clues as to how he made this recording except...

Episode 113 More Electronic Music for Astral Tripping Playlist Earthstar, “Part 1, Sirens” from French Skyline (1979 Sky records). Recorded at Klaus Schulze Studio, Hambühren, W. Germany in 1978 and 1979. Bass, Electronics, Norm Peach; Choir, Craig Wuest, Joan N., Marla T., Phil N.; Electric Guitar, Treated Guitar, Electronics (Tonewall), Dennis Rea; Flute, Woodwind, Tim Finnegan; French Horn, Flu...

Episode 112 Merry Moog 2023 Holiday Music Performed on the Moog and other Synthesizers Playlist   Sounds Of Broadcasting 1, “Christmas Logos” from Sounds Of Broadcasting #6088 (1975? William B. Tanner Company, Inc.). Broadcast library track produced for the holidays. Produced using a Moog Modular Synthesizer. Hans Wurman, “Overture Miniature” from Electric Nutcracker (1976 Ovation). This Austrian...

Episode 111 Before and After Ambient, Part 2 Playlist Midori Takada, “Mr. Henri Rousseau's Dream” from Through The Looking Glass (1983 RCA Red Seal). 高田みどり (Midori Takada) is a Japanese composer and percussionist. She was a key figure in the Japanese ambient movement of the 1980s. Composed, performed, produced, Marimba, Gong, Cowbell, Recorder, Wood Bell, Ocarina, Tam-tam, Midori Takada. She...

Episode 110 Before and After Ambient, Part 1 Playlist Erik Satie, “Vexations” (1893-94), First, we will hear two piano versions (1 and 4) of this short work that was intended to be played repeatedly in one sitting 840 times in succession. The piano version was performed by Jeroen van Veen on the album Satie, Complete Piano Music (2016 Brilliant Classics). Then, we will hear an electronic version b...

  Episode 109 Part 2 of The Distinctive Electronic Music of Oskar Sala and the Mixtur-Trautonium Playlist Oskar Sala, “Elektronische Tanzsuite (Für Mixturtrautonium Solo Und Mixturorchester (Tonband) In Fünf Sätzen)” (1955) from My Fascinating Instrument (1990 Erdenklang). 24:28 Oskar Sala, “Fantasie-Suite In Drei Sätzen Für Mixturtrautonium Solo” (1988-89)from My Fascinating Instrument (1990 Erde...

Episode 108 The Distinctive Electronic Music of Oskar Sala and the Mixtur-Trautonium, part 1 Playlist Oskar Sala, “Demonstration” from My Fascinating Instrument (1990 Erdenklang). Demonstration of the Mixtur-Trautonium by Sala, providing a sampling of the many various effects that he could create in real-time without magnetic tape tricks. In addition to the audio track, here is a terrific video fr...

Episode 107 Crosscurrents in Early Electronic Music of Norway Playlist Arne Nordheim, “Epitaffio” (1963) for orchestra and tape from Nordheim, Alfred Janson, Bjørn Fongaard – Response: Electronic Music From Norway (1970 Limelight). Limelight release with the delightful painting of flying ears on the cover, includes the same tracks as the original Philips release from 1968 on the Prospective 21e Si...

Episode 106 Electronic Music of Dune Playlist Toto, “Main Title,” “Robot Fight,” and “Dune (Desert Theme)” from Main Title / Robot Fight / Dune (Desert Theme) (1984 Polydor). A single produced from the soundtrack of the David Lynch film version of Dune (1984). Toto, with its big synthesizers, created most of the soundtrack, although Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois had one track (included la...

Episode 105 The 2023 US Open Tennis Soundscape Playlist This podcast comprises an amorphous blend of sounds of the US Open tennis championships, vintage recordings of tennis instructions, a little electronic music, and lots of audio processing. All the sounds of the US Open grounds were made by me and include crowds, the fountain in front of Arthur Ashe stadium (the largest tennis venue in the wor...

Episode 104 Experimental Music for Pipe Organ Playlist Bengt Hambraeus, “Doppelrohr II” (1956) from Cologne - WDR: Early Electronic Music (1992 BV Haast Records). All compositions are productions of the 'Studio für elektronische Musik des Westdeutschen Rundfunks Köln.’ The earliest work I can find that combines electronic music on tape with sounds created using a pipe organ. 3:54 Bengt Hambraeus,...

Episode 103 Crosscurrents in Early Electronic Music: Japan Playlist Experimental Music of Japan (1968 Victor) Album produced and recorded at the NHK Electronic Studio and supervised by K. Akiyama and W. Uenami. The tracks have been slightly reordered to represent the correct chronology of the works. Toshiro Mayuzumi and Makoto Moroi, “Variations Sur” (1956) from (1968 Victor). On this album, this...

Episode 102 The BBC Shipping Forecast Soundscape Playlist Thom Holmes, “The Shipping Forecast Soundscape” (2023 Thom Holmes). This single soundscape consists of random selections of BBC Shipping Forecasts from the past two years plus electronic sounds and audio treatments. BBC Shipping Forecasts are ©copyright BBC and located at the BBC Radio 4 Website . Electronic sounds, treatments, curating, ed...

Episode 101 Crosscurrents in Early Electronic Music in Italy—Part 2 Playlist Pietro Grossi, Studio Di Fonologia Musicale Di Firenze (S 2F M) Pietro Grossi, Marino Zuccheri, “Progetto II e III” (1961) (1961 RAI). Pietro Grossi began experimenting with electronic sound while visiting the RAI in the early 1960s. During this time, he became fascinated with algorithmic manipulations of sine waves and p...

Episode 100 Crosscurrents in Early Electronic Music: Italy—Part 1 Playlist Berio, Maderna, Nono, Zuccheri, RAI Studio di Fonologia Musicale (RAI), Milan Luciano Berio, “Mutazioni” (1955) from Prospettive Nella Musica (1956 RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana). The first complete tape work by Berio at the newly founded RAI studio, which he was running with composer Bruno Maderna. Sound engineering by Mar...

Episode 99 Crosscurrents in Electronic Tape Music in the United States Playlist Louis and Bebe Barron, “Bells of Atlantis” (1952), soundtrack for a film by Ian Hugo based on the writings of his wife Anaïs Nin, who also appeared in the film. The Barrons were credited with “Electronic Music.” The Barrons scored three of Ian Hugo's short experimental films and this is the earliest, marking an early s...

Episode 98 Women in Synthesis, Part 1: Managing their Musical Identities Playlist Daphne Oram, “Four Aspects” from Oramics (2007 Paradigm Discs). This piece was composed in 1960 after Oram left the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and was running her own start-up. Four Aspects uses the Oramics instrument that she invented. It demonstrated her interest in creating works that were longer than the short snip...

Episode 97 Crosscurrents in Elektronische Musik from Germany Playlist Josef Anton Riedl, “Studie 1b, 1a” (1951) from Zeitgenössische Musik In Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 3 (1950-1960) (1982 Deutscher Musikrat). Early example of German tape composition, categorized as musique concrète as it includes more than purely electronic sounds, but the edited and processed sounds of human voices and instr...

Episode 96 Crosscurrents of Musique Concrète Playlist Pierre Henry, “Final Du Concerto Des Ambiguités (Final Of The Ambiguities Concerto)” (1950) from 1er Panorama De Musique Concrète (1956 Ducretet Thomson). Composition, tape editing, and audio production by Pierre Henry. Work realized in the studios of Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF). Published with funds supplied by Conseil internatio...

Episode 95 Early Intersections of Rock and Electronic Music   Playlist Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, “The Return of the Son Of Monster Magnet (Unfinished Ballet In Two Tableaus)” from Freak Out! (1966 Verve). Bass, Guitarrón, Soprano Vocals, Roy Estrada; Drums, Jimmy Carl Black; Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By, Written-By, Leader, Musical Director, Frank Zappa; Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Ell...

Episode 94 Electronic Drone Music   Playlist Yves Klein, “Monotone-Silence Symphony” written in 1947. I could not find any recorded versions of this piece, so I produced this realization of my own to capture the feel and nature of this drone work. Klein conceived this as performance art in which an orchestra would only play a single note, continuously, for 20 minutes followed by another 20 minutes...

Episode 93 Playlist for Part 2 Noise and Improvisations I found a mother lode of noise and experimental music hiding in the crates of my local New York record store. Corum, “Effigy Mounds: Ceremonial Music For Spore Alter” side a from Effigy Mounds: Ceremonial Music For Spore Alter” (2014 Psychic Sounds). Effigy Mounds is the second album of the Beguiling Isles Trilogy (Born of Earth's Torments /...

New-Old Recordings Making it into the Archive.   Playlist Symphonic Electronic Rock Symphonic electronic is always a favorite of listeners of the podcast. I note these additions, including a scarce soundtrack recording of interest. Jeff Bruner, “Try To Escape,” “Night Saucer,” “Larry And Diane Go To Hell,” “On The Beach,” “The Investigator,” “Vic's Flashback,” “End” from (side 2) from Foes (Origin...