Edward Artemiev - Warmth of Earth (1985 - V 0 bitrate)

Edward Artemiev is a Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. He was born in 1937 and studied music at the Moscow Conservatory. He was around during the early days of electronic music and in the 1970s got accolades for his scores to the films of Andre Tarkovsky, such as Solaris, Stalker, and The Mirror. Over the years he has scored music for over 120 films. He is also the father of electronic artist Artemiy Artemiev.

Earlier in the month I posted the album The Moods by Edward Artemiev at M=R. After that I got to wondering what, if any, other albums were put out by Artemiev in the eighties. That's when I discovered Warmth of Earth. I was completely blown away by this album. It was not what I was expecting at all after listening to The Moods, which apparently features the same group of musicians, Boomerang Ensemble. In fact I'm not sure if I have ever heard anything quite like it. Artemiev brings his avantgarde sensibilities into the world of progressive rock with electronic and occassional pop dance flourishes, but it is performed with such passion that it elevates it above anything else I've heard from the same era that could bear those labels. Maybe it's the Russian synthesizers that makes it sound so unique to me. The back of the albums states that this is a vocal and instrumental suite to the lyrics by Yuri Rytkheu. The songs with vocals are performed by Jeanne Rohzdestvenskaya who in my opinion gives those tracks the extra charge that makes them so memorable, despite the fact that I don't speak Russian. It sounds best with headphones on, so you can catch every nuance of the production. It is clear that a lot of thought went in to this recording. Sometimes the symphonic arrangements are so layered that you'll want to listen to it over and over to absorb it. It is a product that is at once very contemporary for its era, but also totally timeless.

Here is a quote from the back cover of the album:

Though surrounded by numerous colorful cultural
events modern man finds real sources of inspiration
in legends, songs and tales which have reached us.
The man of the old Chukot and Eskimo legends
lived in a magic world animating nature, natural
phenomena and even diseases which purportedly
were transferred from one nomadic camp to
another by little human-like creatures "Rakkans"
on tiny sledge drawn by tiny dogs.
The instrumental music and songs from ancient
legends, born by the talent of the composer
Edward Artemiev and sung by the excellent singer
Jeanne Rohzdestvenskaya are in my
opinion a noble attempt to link
different stages of the development
of human culture, distant in time but close
in meaning - from our ancestor's first cry of
amazement to contemporary poetry and music
in search of eternal beauty.

YURI RYTKHEU

Warmth of Earth was remastered in 1999 and released on CD in France. In 2009 the label Belle Antique remastered it and released an SHM-CD in Japan. This version is highly unavailable to most people in the world, and that is what you will get here today. The sound quality is superb.

Year of Release: 1985 (Remastered 2009)
Label: Belle Antique
Catalog Number: BELLE 91519
Genres: Progressive/Symphonic Rock, Electronic
Bitrate: -V 0
FLAC upgrade available upon request.

Track List:
1. Birth Of Earth (3:01)
2. Who I Am! (6:37)
3. Warmth Of Earth (3:52)
4. On The Bank Of The Milky Way (3:46)
5. Farewell (3:14)
6. Expectation (4:20)
7. Rakkans (5:23)
8. Hope (3:42)
9. Where Are You ? (5:46)
10. Lonely Sail (3:44)
11. Hymn to Man (9:16)
12. Birth Of Earth (LP Ver.) (3:04)
13. Who I Am! (LP Ver.) (6:34)
14. Hope (LP Ver.) (3:44)
15. Hymn To Man (LP Ver.) (9:15)

Download: Edward Artemiev - Warmth of Earth (1985, 2009 Remaster)
Download Size: 146MB

Janko Nilovic - Supra Pop Impressions (Montparnassee 2000 - MP 16) (1973 - 256kbps)

Supra Pop Impressions would easily make my list of top 10 library music albums. Some of the library music albums I have posted recently are more experimental in nature, and therefore might not appeal to everyone; however, I believe this would make an excellent introductory album for those who are new to it. It displays the diversity, originality and pure talent that can be found on so many library music albums - as long as you are willing to dig. This album also exemplies the reason I love library music so much. It allowed classically trained composers to break free and experiment, with their experiments often resulting in some of the most amazing music I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Janko Nilovic was one of those extremely talented composers who was way ahead of his time, and dedicated his career to creating music for various production music libraries. Nilovic was born in Montenegro in 1941, and was formally trained as a musician at the age of five. He moved to France in 1960, where he was introduced to more contemporary musical styles, which would have a profound influence on his career and musical output. Eventually he started composing music for production music libraries in the 1960s, beginning with the Telemusic label. A few years later he would go on to compose the majority of work in his catalog for the Montparnasse 2000 label. Janko Nilovic signed a contract with Montparnasse 2000 which guaranteed him absolute freedom in his musical experiments.

Supra Pop Impressions was released in 1973 on Montparnasse 2000, as catalog # MP 16. Montparnasse 2000 was a French label founded by André Farry, with the assistance of Louis Delacour. Delacour would later go on to found his own label, Neuilly. Their early releases, such as this one, were limited to 1000 copies. The label would present 500 copies to TV stations and radios, with 500 reserved for later distribution. Many of my favorite library music albums were released on the Montparnasse 2000 label, so you can expect to see several more MP 2000 releases here on DM in the not-so-distant future.

Supra Pop Impressions sounds surprisingly modern despite being recorded nearly 40 years ago. It is absolutely rife with blistering guitar solos, wicked basslines, and funky beats. On an album loaded with so many killer tracks it is hard to pick a favorite. "Roses and Revolvers" certainly stands out as one of the strongest in my opinion though. Shimmering harpsichord melodies collide with heavy hip-hop beats and a wicked funky bassline. Beat-diggers will absolutely love this one, as I'm sure the rest of you will. As the name suggests, "Once In My Country" lays down some funky blues guitar riffs with a hint of country twang. "Krishna Mission" is a fun track dominated by energetic and driving harpsichord melodies which are complimented by bluesy guitar riffs, with that country twang appearing once more. At the halfway point, the harpsichord gives way a seriously heavy beat, along with a blistering guitar solo which interjects to steal the show.

Tapata opens up Side B with some groovy blues flavored electric guitar work, before transforming into a showcase of funky, rolling percussion work, which is reminiscant of some of the percussion work of artists I have recently featured on the blog, such as Patrice Sciortino and Camille Sauvage. Tapatapa was sampled by the Beatnuts for their song "Contact". I consider "Ballet Mecanique" to be another one of the strongest tracks on the album. It opens up with a hauntingly beautiful harpsichord solo, which is gradually overtaken by a killer funky bassline. A hard-driving beat kicks in soon after that gallops along at a frantic pace to set the stage for the absolutely ripping guitar solo that kicks in soon afterward. The whole process is repeated before the pace dies down one last time, allowing the harpsichord to close out the track just as it began. As the name suggests, "Funky Stage" lays down the funk in a heavy way. The funky bassline is accompanied by some psychedelic guitar work with a touch of blues and hammond organ, and closes out the album just as strongly as it began.

Again, I can't recommend this album enough. Janko Nilovic was a prolific composer, and released numerous library music albums; however, Supra Pop Impressions easily stands out as one of my personal favorites in his entire catalog. I hope you all will agree. Please feel free to share your opinions on this album in the comments section. I'm eager to read how you feel about the recent library music posts.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: Montparnasse 2000
Catalog #: MP 16
Bitrate: 256kbps
Genres: Library Music

Track List:
A1. Electric Days
A2. Roses and Revolvers
A3. Once In My Country
A4. Krishna Mission
A5. Mystic Words
A6. Pop Circus
B1. Tapatapa
B2. Chorus For Leslie
B3. Girl Named Revolte
B4. Ballet Mecanique
B5. House In The Plain
B6. Funky Stage

Download: Janko Nilovic - Supra Pop Impressions
Download Size: 73MB

Patrice Sciortino - Les Cyclopes (1967 - 320kbps)

Update:

maestro898 has been kind enough to translate the original notes in French to English. You can find both the original notes, as well as the English translation below the download link at the bottom of this post. Thank you for your generosity maestro898.

As I mentioned in my last post, I plan to start sharing a few of my favorite library music LPs over the next couple of weeks. I hope to cover a wide array of musical styles, as well as the artists and labels that I enjoy the most. I hope to be able to strike a balance between the essential, for those who are unfamliar with library music, and the obscure, for those who are. Those of you who are unfamiliar with library music, or have only had the opportunity to listen to a few releases, are in for a real treat. First up is one of my favorite French composers, Patrice Sciortino.

I recently posted the compilation "Espace Et Actualité" from the Musique Pour L'Image label, the highlight of which was the seven amazing tracks composed by Patrice Sciortino which appeared on the B-side.. Patrice Sciortino has released several essential library music albums. Many people consider "Chronoradial" to be his Magnus Opus. Chronoradial was released on the Musique Pour L'Image sublabel, PSI, in 1970. It is an amazing piece of work, and will probably appear here in the near future; however, I personally prefer his debut album, "Les Cyclopes". Les Cyclopes was released on the French audiophile label, Disques André Charlin, in 1967. Les Cyclopes seeks to capture the spirit and character of five different continents by using a vast array of percussion instruments, performed by eight different percussionists, along with one bass player. The number of percussion instruments implemented by Sciortino truly is staggering. While there are too many to list here, you can get an idea of the sheer number of instruments used by looking at the back cover.

I provided some background info regarding Patrice Sciortino in the Espace Et Actualité post, which I linked to above. I have taken the liberty of typing out the liner notes from the back of the album, and I have included those notes as a text file with the download. (Edit: I forgot to include the text file in the download. There is an additional link below the download link which will direct you to the text file.) I should point out that those notes are in French, since I typed them exactly as they appeared on the back of the album. I used Google Translate to translate some of the information to English. Unfortunately the intended meaning behind some of the passages isn't very clear. I chalk this up to the inherant limitations of the Google translation service. Perhaps someone from France would be willing to provide a more accurate translation? I was able to pull some relevant and insightful information from the translated text though. The following excerpt is taken from the aforementioned liner notes that I translated into English:

"Cyclops / Panorama Of Percussion
directed by the author
Recorded in Paris by André Charlin / Art Direction - Carl de Nys

Patrice Sciortino is a unique and diverse musical figure. In spite of his youth (he was born in Paris in 1922) he already has an extremely imposing catalogue of compositions and extremely various activities. Patrice Sciortino does not

All systems of musical language, rhythms, scales, styles, all means of expressing them, instruments and techniques have been (at some point in their history) representative of a country and a people, that is say "typical."

Some of them stayed, others have followed the course of universal exchange, teaching us that the ownership and authenticity are relative and nuanced.

The purpose of this disc is to travel the vast panorama of percussion instruments in the five continents, using them in a context where the pace is connected with their nature and thus open the door to immigration .

Without pretending to paint a perfect image of each of each of these regions, we hope to capture part of the character of each region.


Composer: Patrice Sciortino

Double Bass: Willy Lockwood

Percussionists:
Serge Depannemacker
Yves Lestang
Bernard Lubat
Michel Lorin
Gerard Perotin
Diego Masson
J.-Ch. François
R. Sola

Year of Release: 1967
Label: Disques André Charlin
Catalog #: CL-34
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Etincelle
A2. Berceuse du Soleil
A3. Mythes et Masques
A4. Ventre et Seigneur
A5. Noces de l'eau et du feu
A6. Grande Chasse
B1. Struction
B2. Cristaux
B3. Odeur d'ombre
B4. Rythmétis
B5. Black U.S.
B6. Lumières de la nuit
B7. Cosmophonie

Download: Patrice Sciortino - Les Cyclopes
Download Size: 90MB

Album Notes (French): http://freetexthost.com/gz0dcdkdo0

Album Notes (English Translation): http://freetexthost.com/ufpapg0o65

Dagda Mor - Stern des Nordens (1994 - 224kbps)

Well, it has been more than 3 days now since I started gathering some info about this project...Lady Luck is not sharing her room with me lately. So, here's what I've got: Dagda Mor is a german based project. This album was released on cassette in 1994 on the Loki Foundation label(which is coordinated by Dagda Mor and Inade). The first edition was released as LOKI 08 with approximately 100 copies released. 200 copies were released of the second edition, which was released as C 90, with additional material from "Heriot" (LOKI 05)and three tracks less from the original release.

The sound revolves around what is called power electronics, although besides the PE dimension of Dagda Mor's soundscapes, there is a strong scent of dark ambient that gives a certain atmosphere to this album. I don't know if I would go so far as to name it their best, but it's certainly one of my favorites. I hope you'll enjoy it as well!

Year of Release: 1994
Label: Loki Foundation
Catalog #: LOKI 08
Bitrate: 224kbps

Tracklist:
A1. Erwachet! (4:56)
A2. Feuer Des Himmels (4:47)
A3. Nordwind (12:55)
A4. Fackel Des Blutes (2:37)
A5. Svalinn (5:58)
B1. Hjadningawig (6:08)
B2. Sturmzauber (5:02)
B3. Mimir (6:01)
B4. Kari (8:09)
B5. Seidwerk (5:22)

Download: Dagda Mor - Stern des Nordens
Download Size: 97.6 MB

Edward Michaël - Sept Préludes Symphoniques (De Wolfe - DWLP 3056) (1967 - 320kbps)

This will be the last installment of my dark and twisted library music series. I hope that you all have enjoyed the music I have shared up to this point. After this post, I plan to share a few of my favorite library music albums of all time, and introduce the wide array of music to be found on them for the uninitiated.

I wanted to share something a bit different than the dark avant-garde albums I have recently posted. "Sept Préludes Symphoniques" features a more traditionally oriented orchestral approach. It lacks the experimental approach found in my most recent selections; however, it more than makes up for it with its overwhelming power. Sept Préludes Symphoniques was released on the De Wolfe label in 1967. De Wolfe was actually the very first production library. The introduction of the silent picture created a need for music to accompany it. De Wolfe stepped in to fill that void in 1927.

Edward Michaël is the composer credited for this release. As far as I know this is the only material he ever officially released, aside from a track that was included on a compilation entitled "De l'onde à l'infini" released on the Barclay label in 1974. Sept Préludes Symphoniques will impress you with its sheer in-your-face power. This is bold, dramatic orchestral music with a bit of a dark twist. The music is dominated by soaring strings, thunderous percussion, and overpowering brass.

I should point out that Sept Préludes Symphoniques isn't quite as dark as some of the albums I have shared for my dark and twisted library music series. Many of the tracks have a very adventerous feel to them, and could even be described as romantic at times. However, this is easily one of the most powerful library music albums I have ever heard, and the darker moments are definitely there. This would have made an amazing soundtrack. In fact, the music brings to mind some of the work of the composers for the classic Universal Studio's monster films, such as Herman Stein, Hans J. Salter and Franz Waxman. Library music and film score fans alike should enjoy this album.

That wraps up my dark and twisted library music series, although I may resurrect it down the road. I hope you all enjoyed the music as much as I have enjoyed sharing it.

Year of Release: 1967
Label: De Wolfe
Catalog #: DW/LP 3056
Genres: Library Music, Contemporary Classical
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. No. 1 Chant De L'Universe
A2. No. 2 Du Fond Des Brumes
A3. No. 3 Chant Plaintif
A4. No. 4 Rite Du Soleil
B1. No. 5 Le Lotus Dans La Nuit
B2. No. 6 Murmures Du Vent
B3. Forces D'Integration
B4. Sur Le Mont Gelboé

Download: Edward Michael - Sept Préludes Symphoniques (De Wolfe - DW/LP 3056)
Download Size: 67MB

Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (sampler, 2010, -V0 Bitrate)

I went to see this band play last night at the BackBooth in Orlando, FL and I'm so high from the experience that I thought I would promote them by giving you fine people some sample tracks from their 2010 work Spiral Shadow, an amazing headphone album. I was a little disappointed that more people didn't come to the show, but then again, it was Orlando.

I had heard of Kylesa, but had not gotten around to listening to them for some reason until a few weeks ago. I am so glad I listened to them when I did, because I would have missed that phenomenal show. Kylesa hail from Savannah, Georgia and are dubbed sludge metal, which combines parts of doom metal and hardcore punk. What came through to me the most with the live performance was a healthy hardcore punk spirit powering a heavy metal band that likes to add some nifty psychedelic sounds into the mix. The percussion was awesome, too. This band is apparently very hardworking, and has been touring like crazy all over the world these passed few years.

I just upped three awesome tracks for your sampling pleasure. "Cheating Synergy" begins with some soothing synthesizer and is then interrupted by an angry blast of hardcore, but it becomes clear that this is not your ordinary hardcore, because it is nuanced with electronic effects and it is breathtaking. "Distance Closing In" is a plaintive piece with some excellent guitar work and spoken vocals by guitar player/singer Philip Cope. We get some nice singing from guitar player/singer Laura Pleasants on the chorus, then a really great and energetic percussive build-up from the band's two drummers. "Drop Out" is a mammoth of riffs, percussion and pyschedelic soundscapes, punctuated with impassioned vocals.

If you love it like me, buy the CD or the LP here. Oh, and GO TO THE SHOW. You won't be sorry.

Songs:
Cheating Synergy
Distance Closing In
Drop Out

Download: Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (sample).
Download Size: 22MB

Watch the trippy video for the first song on the album. It's called Tired Climb.

Ennio Morricone - Controfase (Gemelli - GG.ST. 10.019) (1972 - 320kbps)

Ennio Morricone was one of, if not the, most prolific composers of the 20th century. While most people are familiar with his scores for countless films and television series, it is a lesser known fact that he also composed a handful of albums for production music libraries. Continuing with our dark and twisted library series, I'm pleased to present one of the legendary Italian maestro's darkest efforts, rivaling even some of the great giallo soundtracks he composed throughout the 1970s. "Controfase" was released on the Gemelli label in 1972. Gemelli was an Italian music library label formed in the mid 1960s, which was owned and operated by Morricone's friend and frequent collaborator, Bruno Nicolai. Ordinarily such composer-owned library labels folded upon the death of the composer. However, after Nicolai's death in 1991, Nicolai's daughter took over the Gemelli label and subsequently re-released a handful of his recordings.

I recently started a new semester at school, and have picked up an additional course. I am swamped with assignments at the moment, due in part to a mistake which forced me to start the course a day late, so I'm going to have to keep my writing to a minimum for the time being. I will attempt to put up at least two to three posts a week though. Hopefully I'll be able to find my groove with the assignments within a couple of weeks, which will free up a bit more time for me. When possible I will provide an online review to provide you with more info on the release in question.

Unfortunately information surrounding this release is scarce. In fact, I couldn't even find a single review of the album online, which I find strange considering Ennio Morricone's huge following. "Controfase" was released in extremely limited numbers, with Gemelli releasing only 500 copies, making it extremely difficult to find this release on vinyl. I consider this to be a masterpiece of dark avant-garde library music. Morricone implements mysterious and dissonant jazz percussion, ominous string arpeggios, and atonal ambient electronic sounds, all in his trademark style, creating a brilliantly dark statement in the process. You can find more Morricone albums previously posted on the blog here.

Year of Release: 1972
Label: Gemelli
Catalog #: GG.ST. 10.019
Genres: Library Music, Avant-Garde, Contemporary Classical
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Controfase
A2. Tempo
A3. Soli
A4. Come Sommersi
B1. Con Ferma Ostinazione
B2. Follia
B3. Degenerazione
B4. Eclissi Seconda

Download: Ennio Morricone - Controfase (Gemelli - GG.ST 10.019)
Download Size: 67MB

Joel Vandroogenbroeck - Biomechanoïd (Colorsound - CS01 - 1980 - 192kbps)

When I saw the Biomechanoïd cover art by H.R. Giger, I was disturbed and intrigued enough to seek out this bizarre album, the first release by the German label Colorsound Library. It is composed by Joel Vandroogenbroeck of the experimental/krautrock act Brainticket.

Biomechanoïd is an avant-garde album of electronic sound effects and soundscapes, with snippets of piano and other instruments. The album opens with "Dark Plasma" which effectively brings to mind bubbling, boiling liquids, with a series of strange metallic drones in the background. The two album highlights for me are "Sign from Space" and "Lost Planet". "Sign from Space" is a mind-bending little trip through some dark territory. Odd vibrations and electronic calls are interrupted by screeching signals from another world. It feels like you are getting closer and closer to some secret, but then it vanishes. It’s pretty cool. “Lost Planet” is an amazing sci-fi synthesizer freak-out that makes me picture ascending from outer space to the surface of some terrifying but beautiful world. I also enjoyed the album closer “Galaxy Recall”, a two minute hypnotism. I'm curious to know what other library albums by Vandroogenbroeck sound like. Let the search commence.

Year of Release: 1980
Label:Colorsound
Catalog #: CS01
Genres: Electronic, Library Music, Avant-garde, Ambient, Noise
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track list:
A1 Dark Plasma 4:30
A2 Elements 4:55
A3 Sign From Space 4:30
A4 Strange Lady 3:00
A5 Plastic Gnome 2:05
B1 Voices 1:46
B2 Metallic Agony 5:40
B3 Lost Planet 5:30
B4 Asteroids 2:20
B5 Interstellar Insects 2:28
B6 Galaxy Recall 2:07

Download: Joel Vandroogenbroeck - Biomechanoïd (CS01 - 1980)
Download Size: 60MB

VA - Espace Et Actualité (Musique Pour L'Image - MPI 505) (1967 - 320kbps)

When January rolled around I had originally planned to offer up an eclection selection of library music, however, once I started going through my collection I couldn't resist continuing my dark and twisted library music series. As a visitor recently pointed out, the majority of people who collect and share library music often focus on the releases containing funky breaks, which have been sampled by DJs to create hip-hop beats since the genre first emerged. I wanted to focus on the dark corners of the library music world, and concentrate on a few masterpieces which are all too often passed over for the more upbeat library LPs featuring funky beats and cheerful moog synthesizers. Don't get me wrong, I love those type of library music LPs just as much as the next person, and they helped to introduce me to the amazing world of library music. However, as far as library music goes, those beat-heavy LPs make up the more mainstream side of production music, and I'm all about exploring the more obscure and unsung albums. For those interested, I fully intend to share some of my favorite upbeat library LPs once I finish with my series of dark & twisted library music. After that I plan to share a few releases from each of my favorite library labels.

"Espace Et Actualité" (MP 505) was released on the French label, Musique Pour L'Image" in 1967. The A side contains music from three different artists, while side B consists of music from Patrice Sciortino. Claude Vasori, Robert Hermel and François Bayle comprise the composers featured on side A. Of these three composers Claude Vasori is the only one I'm really familiar with. He released the majority of his music on the Musique Pour L'Image label. I have a few of these releases, including Energie - MPI 541 (1972), Musique Pop Pour Images En Mouvement - MPI 529 (1971), and Action, Charme, Espace - MPI 502 (1967) if anyone would be interested in seeing them posted in the future. The music on this side consists of mysterious and mildly ominous spaced-out ambient tunes. While the music isn't bad, it is overshadowed by the selection of music presented by Patrice Sciortino on the B side, which is much more engaging and unique.

Side B alone makes this library LP worth downloading in my opinion. French composer Patrice Sciortino is responsible for all of the tracks on the B-Side. Sciortino studied at Pierre Schaeffer's GRM (Groupe de Recherche Musicale), along with the aforementioned Claude Vasori. He went on to compose music for theatre and production libraries in the 1960s. Sciortino is often remembered among library music collectors for releasing several amazing percussion themed LPs, including Percupulsions (Neuilly - MC 8002) and Percussion Power (Mondiophone - 46.503). The majority of his work was released on the Neuilly label, and sublabels Crea Sound and Mondiophone.

Espace Et Actualité contains some of the earliest library music that Scioritini composed. It is a bit more constrained than some of his wilder efforts in subsequent years. Sciortino's avant-garde approach to library music, with an emphasis on percussion, brings to mind Camille Sauvage (aka Eric Framond), particularly Fantasmagories, albeit much more reserved in nature. Sciortino manages to strike a wonderful balance with his music. The music manages to be rather sparse, yet engaging at the same time. The inclusion of bells and harps gives the music a delicate sound, while powerful and discordant piano melodies bring some harshness to the compositions. The music is primarily dark in nature, yet light undertones emerge through the darkness, if only for brief moments.

I wouldn't say this release is as strong as some of the previously dark and twisted library LPs I have shared, as it is a bit more reserved in nature than my previous selections. However, this is a solid album in its own right, particulary the music found on the B-Side by Patrice Sciortino. Those of you who enjoyed the previous selections in my dark and twisted library series should find this one quite enjoyable as well.

Year of Release: 1967
Label: Musique Pour L'Image
Catalog #: MPI 505
Genres: Library Music, Ambient, Avant-Garde, Experimental
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Claude Vasori - De´part Fuse´e
A2. Robert Hermel - Industrie Spatiale
A3. François Bayle - Titan
A4. Claude Vasori - Espace Chromatique
A5. François Bayle - Andromede
A6. Robert Hermel - Apesanteur
B1. Patrice Sciortino - Alchimie Rythmique
B2. Patrice Sciortino - Ville Sanse Vie
B3. Patrice Sciortino - Abimes Souterrains
B4. Patrice Sciortino - Danger Sous Roche
B5. Patrice Sciortino - Approache Dramatique
B6. Patrice Sciortino - Hostilite´
B7. Patrice Sciortino - Tumulte

Download: VA - Espace Et Actualité (Musique Pour L'Image - MPI 505)
Download Size: 68MB

Introducing our Newest Contributor, Strange Ranger

For years I have attempted to find individuals willing to contribute to this blog as well as the Digital Meltd0wn Blogroll/Aggregator. Last year I was lucky enough to add NØ (aka Nathan Nothin') and Sabina to the team. Unfortunately our friend Nathan has been forced to take a leave of absence to take care of some real life responsibilities. Without Nathan's help this blog might not even exist today, and I owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude for his contributions here. Roughly a year ago Nathan agreed to keep the blog going so that I could focus on my school work. Needless to say his absence created a huge void, which I realized that I would have to at least attempt to fill in order to keep Digital Meltd0wn running smoothly.

Those of you who have been following the blog the last couple of months may be familiar with Strange Ranger, who filled several requests during the Halloween Countdown event, and offered up a treasure trove of horror film soundtracks as a guest contributor for December's Nightmare Before Christmas event. To say that I was impressed by his posts during the event would be an understatement. It was evident that he took great care constructing each and every one of his posts. After the Nightmare Before Christmas event ended I asked Strange Ranger if he would be willing to join us as a permanent contributor to the blog. Luckily his answer was yes, and I'm very pleased to introduce Strange Ranger as the newest contributor to the Digital Meltd0wn music blog. Strange Ranger already operates his own music blog by the name of Motherfucker=Redeemer, where you can expect to find informative posts, high-quality audio, and excellent music throughout. Please be sure to pay it a visit.

I also have an announcement I would like to make regarding the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blogroll/Aggregator. I have managed to find various guest and full-time contributors for this blog over the years. However, I have searched in vain for contributors to the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blogroll/Aggregator for nearly three years. Last month I announced my decision to close down the site. I simply didn't have enough time on my hands to attend college full time, work full time, take care of numerous other real life responsibilities, run this blog, and also run the blogroll/aggregator. I decided that I would rather close the blogroll/aggregator rather than this blog. Shortly after I made the announcement a couple of individuals left comments stating that they would be willing to contribute to the site if I would keep it alive, which I agreed to. The two generous individuals in question are Don and Jim. Jim frequently visits this blog, and told me that he wanted to contribute as a way of saying thank you for all of the music that I have posted here. Don runs a couple of great blogs of his own. The first is called Four Steps From The Blues, which can be found here: http://fourstepsfromtheblues.blogspot.com/ and the second is entitled "Try To Be Amused", and can be found here: http://try-to-be-amused.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Strange Ranger, Don and Jim for being generous enough to contribute to Digital Meltd0wn. Running both of the websites was starting to seem more like a chore, rather than being an enjoyable hobby as it should be. Now that the threat of being forced to close down either site has passed, I can relax and enjoy myself a little. I have always had a ton of ideas for both websites in my head, yet always lacked the available time to implement them. Now that I have some help I look forward to being able to bring some of those ideas to life. You can expect 2011 to be one of the most intriguing and productive years in Digital Meltd0wn's existence.

VA - Give Peas A Chance: 21 Obscure Hits and Jazzy Gems (2003 - 192kbps)

I want to thank Zer0_II for bringing me on board to contribute to this blog regularly. It has been a great pleasure thus far and I am ecstatic about all the good and interesting music we'll be posting in 2011.

My first post for the new year is a great compliment to Zer0_II's previous post of Pulse of Events. This is a compilation culling 21 tracks from various library music labels, released on vinyl and CD by the German label Crippled Dick Hot Wax. It is an hour long groovy excursion into sixties and seventies cinema full of tracks that range from the energetic blaxploitation/cop show-esque, brass-heavy rock of John Cameron's "Crime Squad" to the laid back, loungey, & funky awesomeness that is "Name of the Game" by Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett. The album is amazingly cohesive, with a flow that I find very impressive. If you need some tunes to make you feel like one cool MoFo, get this.

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Crippled Dick Hot Wax!
Catalog Number: CDHW 085
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Gary Grant / Simon Park - Good Company
2. André Ceccarelli - Panier A Crabes
3. Paul Kuhn - Gateway To Crime
4. Freddy Gigele - Polizeiruf 110
5. Alan Hawkshaw - Troubleshooter Vol. 2
6. John Cameron - Crime Squad
7. Brian Bennett / Alan Hawkshaw - Name Of The Game
8. Günter Platzek - Heavy Steel
9. Made In Germany - Sprungbrett 1
10. Wirbitzky-Zimmermann - Eat Art
11. Orchester K.J.Lubitz - Die Grosse Chance
12. Hötter-Zimmermann Group - Powerplay
13. Boris Jojic - Knock Out
14. Dieter Reith - Arabia
15. Jonny Teupen - Never Gonna Be A Skyscraper
16. Hartmut Kiesewetter - Wind It Up
17. Klaus Wüsthoff - Jet Clipper Suite
18. Berlipp's Band - Crime In Beat
19. Simon Park - Big Mouth
20. George Fenton / Ken Freeman - Mobil Unit
21. Freddy Gigele - Titel, Thesen, Temperamente

Download: VA - Give Peas A Chance: 21 Obscure Hits and Jazzy Gems
Download Size: 77MB

VA - Pulse Of Events (Themes International - TIM 1023) (1976 - 320kbps)

Some of you may remember that I closed out November with several dark library music selections. During the next couple of weeks I plan to return to sharing library music, but rather than strictly focusing on a specific mood or theme, I would like to share a diverse selection this time around. First up is a compilation entitled "Pulse of Events", released by the severely underrated Themes International library as TIM 1023 in 1976. I have a couple of reasons for posting this compilation. The first and most obvious reason is that this compilation is one of the most solid and beat-heavy library music albums that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. The rather dull cover is certainly deceiving, as the vinyl it houses contains some real scorchers. The second reason I wanted to share this is so that I can direct your attention to a blogger that is relatively new to the scene, and off to a tremendous start. I remember when I first started blogging I was given a big push by a blogger who had been around for years. RYP from the legendary Twilightzone! blog introduced a great deal of people to my blog, who most likely never would have paid it a visit otherwise. Hopefully now that I've been blogging for nearly five years, I can give a similar push to others who are somewhat new to the music blogging scene. Pulse of Events was originally ripped by "Marsellus Wallace" and shared on his extraordinary blog Marcellus Wallace's Crate Favorites. Mr. Wallace recently shared several Themes International rips over on his blog to kick off the new year. Be sure to dig through the archives while you're there for more library music goodness.

The compilation opens up with three outstanding tracks by Alan Hawkshaw, each of which are suspenseful jazz-rock numbers, often heavy on the bass and brass, and with what sounds to be some amazing synth/keyboard and piano work as well. Hawkshaw is followed by Mike Moran, who delivers two solid funk-rock tracks. "Task Force" opens up with a hip-hop beat shortly before the brass, percussion and funky guitar work take over. "Situation Unstable" begins where the previous track left off, yet takes the track in a more rock oriented direction toward the latter half without losing its funky edge. Next up is David Lindup and "CCX", a laid-back and light rocking groover, which leans toward the funky side at times also, featuring some nice fuzzy guitar work, piano, and powerful bursts of brass. While "Inside Information" contains one of the hard and heaviest riffs on the whole compilation, it is very fun and soulful track at the core, featuring plenty of hammond organ and some light guitar thrown in for good measure. The next four tracks come courtesy of Alan Parker, perhaps best known for his work on "Afro Rock" on the legendary KPM label (KPM 1130). While each of these tracks is solid in their own right, they are outshadowed by the monstrous "Hard Line", a real hard rocking scorcher with some seriously fuzzy guitar licks that are nothing short of Bad Ass. Closing out the album are a couple of tracks by Les Hurdle and Alan Tew respectively. Hurdle's "Offbeat" is another laid-back funky groover with the emphasis on the beat. Alan Tew closes out the album with "The Come On", a solid track that is a bit dynamic in nature. It has a bit of a crime jazz feel to it at the onset, but continuously evolves throughout. Driving strings, a deliciously funky bassline and weird spaced out sounds can be heard throughout. My favorite part of the track is the introduction of the piano near the end of the track, which closes it out with a bit of ragtime flavor.

As far as library music goes, this compilation is very accessible and would serve as a great introduction for the uninitiated. I really can't recommend this compilation enough. As I mentioned before, Themes International is a criminally underrated label. Labels such as KPM often get the majority of attention from collectors, while labels such as Themes International manage to fly under the radar despite releasing a number of amazing releases. A couple of the performers are even well known for being KPM regulars. If you happen to stumble across any releases by Themes International on other blogs in the future, go ahead and do yourself a favor and download them. Chances are you will be glad that you did. If you enjoy this gem, then I'm sure you will enjoy the various other Themes International library LPs that Marcellus Wallace has made available on his blog also.

Year of Release: 1976
Label: Themes International
Catalog #: TIM 1023
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Alan Hawkshaw - Troublemaker
A2. Alan Hawkshaw - The Hunted
A3. Alan Hawkshaw - The Investigator
A4. Mike Moran - Task Force
A5. Mike Moran - Situation Unstable
A6. David Lindup - CCX
A7. David Lindup - Inside Information
B1. Alan Parker - Move
B2. Alan Parker - Counter Move
B3. Alan Parker - Mustang
B4. Alan Parker - Hard Line
B5. Alan Parker - Stake Out
B6. Les Hurdle - Offbeat
B7. Alan Tew - The Come On

Download: VA - Pulse of Events (Themes International - TIM 1023)
Download Size: 77MB