Welcome

elcome to the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blog. The aim of this blog is to introduce the readers to music that is out of print, commercially unavailable, released under a creative commons license, or with approval by the featured artist. The majority of the music posted here would be considered underground. Don't let that fool you into thinking that the music featured here might be any less enjoyable than that of the mainstream artists you hear on the radio, as this couldn't be further from the truth. Please keep in mind that the majority of the artists that appear on this blog, along with their respective record labels, are not wealthy and need your support. If you enjoy the material that you find here, please support the artists/labels by purchasing their material afterwards. If you are an artist/label that would prefer to have your material removed from this blog, simply leave me a comment, and I would be more than happy to promptly remove the offending post. In addition to running this blog, I also work on a few other projects during my spare time. You can find links to those, as well as a few other important links associated with Digital Meltd0wn in the menu bar above.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

X Minus One Radio Show (Complete Series - 126 Episodes) (1955-1958)



Karl-Birger Blomdahl - Aniara: A Space Opera In Two Acts (1959)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Various Artists - Warp Back To Earth


Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Futuremuzik (1998)

Peter Thomas is best known for his work as a soundtrack composer. While he has done numerous scores, his most lauded work is probably the soundtrack he created for a German sci-fi television series Raumpatrouille Orion [Space Patrol Orion].

Thomas often recorded with what was dubbed the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra. The "orchestra" itself was a revolving door sort of group which featured various jazz and session musicians from around Germany. While his compositional style was sometimes unconventional, he was anything but controlling, as illustrated in this anecdote told by Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra member Ingfried Hoffman:

"...he came with a beer coaster into the studio on which he had written a few basic ideas. The rest was up to us. Only later did we realize the large degree of freedom he gave us made his music possible."

Thomas was also a technical innovator which gave his music a certain sound not found elsewhere at the time. In addition to things like his lauded use of the vocoder at the beginning of the Raumpatrouille Orion theme, he also worked alongside his sound engineer Herr Wicha in order to create a synthesizer they dubbed the "Tho-Wi-Phon." This revolutionary 12-oscillator synthesizer was so innovative that, as legend has it, the CIA actually became interested in the frequency range of the instrument and adapted elements of its design for use in sub-sonic weaponry. The synthesizer itself can be viewed on display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Futuremuzik, features the music of the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra. I wanted to post the complete soundtrack to Raumpatrouille Orion, but that album is digitally distributed by a number of services. The good news is that this compilation does feature the legendary Raumpatrouille theme (listed as "Space Patrol"). Not only that, but you also get to sample "Gods from Strange Planets" which comes from Thomas' score for Chariots of The Gods?, a documentary based on Erich von Däniken's book of the same name. This compilation is a nice entry point for those unfamiliar with his work and remains one of my own most played albums.

Tracklist:
1) Space Patrol
2) Bolero on Moon Rocks
3) Lancet Bossa Nova
4) Evil Magician
5) Sinister Monk
6) The Spell of the Sinister One: Penelope/Fingertips/Brutal Beat/The Family Crypt/The
Corpse
7) Curse of the Hidden Vault
8) The Hound of Blackwood Castle
9) The Hunchback of Soho
10) Caught at Midnight
11) Monster
12) Happening in White
13) Theme for Airport
14) Gods From Strange Planets
15) Pardon me, Ms. Carmen
16) Traitors

Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator: The Definitive Edition (2003 - FLAC)


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Richard Band - H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond (Limited Edition Soundtrack) (1990 - 320kbps)


Monday, September 27, 2010

The Fantasy Film Music of George Pal (Limited Edition) (2004 - 320kbps)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Jimmie Haskell - California '99


H.P. Lovecraft - Weird Tales October & December 1937 (E-Books)







Sunday, September 19, 2010

Harlan Ellison - Jeffty Is Five (Audiobook)







Friday, September 17, 2010

Harlan Ellison - Harlan! Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan Ellison (1976 Audiobook)


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gottfried Huppertz - Metropolis: Complete Motion Picture Score (1927)






Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Guest Blogger J-Unit 1 Returns For Sci-Fi September


Those of you who have been following the blog already know that I have declared this month "Sci-Fi September" for Digital Meltd0wn. I'm pleased to be able to announce that a J-Unit 1, will be returning to guest blog for the occasion. J-Unit 1 is the founder of The Deuce Project, a science fiction themed radio show broadcast on 89.1FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He also runs a blog http://89deuce.blogspot.com/ by the same name where he shares podcasts of the previously aired radio broadcasts.

I'm a big fan of all things sci-fi, but since J-Unit 1 exclusively blogs about sci-fi music, he brings with him an extensive knowledge on the subject that far exceeds that of my own. I'm sure that you will all enjoy the rare gems he has in store for you all. Be sure to drop by his blog for more sci-fi goodness.

I may not post much myself during the next week. I have finals coming up, so I will need to devote some time to studying. I could post a lot more if I didn't write reviews for the albums, which accounts for the vast majority of the time that it takes me to post an album. so if you would prefer me to do this please let me know. Also, please let me know if any of you have any requests for material that you would like to see posted here, or if you have any recommendations for albums that I could share with everyone.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Akira Ifukube - Rodan (1956)


Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Albert Glasser - Earth vs. the Spider (Unreleased Score)


Sunday, September 05, 2010

Digital Meltd0wn Turns 4 Years Old


Digital Meltd0wn is officially four years old. Looking back, I never would have guessed that DM would have evolved the way it has over the last four years. I have learned so much more about music during this time, collaborated with many individuals who share the same love and appreciation for music, corresponded with and promoted many different independent artists, been introduced to countless fellow music bloggers and blogs, and interacted with a plethora of readers from around the world. Digital Meltd0wn has expanded from being just a blog, to compromising an entire underground music network consisting of the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blog Aggregator/Blogroll, along with accounts on various different social networking sites. Since this is a special occasion, I hope you will excuse what I'm sure will be a lengthy post, as I would like to take the time to thank the people who have made it possible for DM to continue to exist over the years.

During the last four years I have considered calling it quits on many different occasions. In addition to everything I do with DM, this past year I have been attending school 40 hours a week, working 35 hours a week, trying to keep my girlfriend of four years happy, and maintaining a long distance relationship with my son. Life certainly hasn't been easy on me during this time. I recently found out that my girlfriend has a tear near her spinal column, which can't be operated on, and is only going to continue to get worse. This has been the latest in a long chain of problems I have faced. I suppose my love for music and the desire to share it with others has always managed to trump my inclination to call it quits due to these difficulties. My own ambition still wouldn't have been enough on it's own though. Most recently it has been NØ who has shouldered the load and made it possible for this blog to continue to exist. Despite running his own blog, Nothin' Sez Somethin', he was kind enough to agree to guest blog here during a difficult time for me, eventually deciding to stay onboard and contribute full time. Sab has also recently contributed in the recent past, and although her own personal projects are keeping her busy at the moment, she will continue to contribute here in the future as well. I also have Psyche Zenobia, AllyWonderland, Psycho Cat, Fillzy and JUnit1 to thank for their contributions here in the past.

I also want to take the time to thank my girlfriend, Rhiannon, for all the support she has provided me throughout the years. I started this blog shortly after we first got together. She has never been one to spend very much time on a computer, and she doesn't share my obsessive love for music, but she has always been supportive of me in all my endevours related to DM. Every time I have come to the conclusion that it would be best for me to call it quits, or take some time off due to some problem we face, she has always been quick to tell me not to give up on doing what I love. She has always encouraged me to keep doing this, even though it absorbs a great deal of my time, and despite the fact that we don't get to see each other as often as we did before I was attending school and working every day. You will probably never see her comment or appear in any form here, unless it was to announce that I was incapable of posting for some reason, but in my eyes she is a like a behind the scenes staff member who deserves just as much credit for the supportive role that she plays.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all you readers out there. I've had the pleasure of "meeting" many of you over the years, and your kind words always serve as encouragement to keep doing this also. Judging from the comments left here and elsewhere, I feel as if we have been doing a good job of delivering rare and unique music to you, and the good news is that we have even greater things in store for the future. I'm sure we will encounter some bumps in the rode along the way, but we will keep moving forward. I hope that the music we share here has brought as much pleasure to you as it has for us, and will continue to do so over the years.

Once again, thank you everyone for all the support you have provided over the years. Here's to four more years of Digital Meltd0wn... Cheers!