LP or CS
Another remarkable archival project from the seemingly inexhaustible Death Is Not the End camp, this time exploring the reserves of the pioneering composer Alwin Nikolais, a Connecticut-born artist working in multi-media theatre who is also said to be the first person to own Robert Moog’s synthesiser. That short biography will tell you a little about what to expect of Electronic Dance Music, 1966-1989, a double disc (or cassette if you prefer) collection that documents the experimental electronic music Nikolais was creating for various theatre productions and dance performances. Free of the performance context, these works remain brilliant inventive and engaging, at times highly rhythmical and energetic, others abstracted and alien, a mix of (his almost namesakes) Alvin’s Curran and Lucier, Robert Ashley’s experiments in theatre, and transgressive experiments of the 80s New York downtown. Music From Memory indulged a similar interest a few years ago with their short Music For Dance and Theatre compilation series, though Electronic Dance Music... feels like a more robust and impressive exploration of the field given its focus on a specific individual and how that reflects on what seems to be a pretty pioneering vision. This is somewhat highbrow fare no doubt, though it’s also strangely addicting too, brimming with enthusiasm and, perhaps most impressively, a kind of fearlessness that arises when the rules have yet to be written. In a sense, the original braindance. If you’ve any doubt, just check that front cover and then come back to me…
FFO: Alvin Curran, Alvin Lucier, Robert Ashley, Craig Kupka
