Brian Eno: Ambient 1/Music for Airports

A prior post here covered the amazing first collaboration by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno, 1972's (No Pussyfooting) and, at some point, we'll have to delve into the remarkable Evening Star from 1975, as well.  As for Eno's solo work, however, that has only recently been explored and it's really too bad that it's taken so long.

Ambient 1/Music for Airports, released in 1978 on Editions EG, is an astounding recording and one that has an eternal feel to it and, to this listener, does not sound as if it is almost a half-century old.  What's notable is that, as Eno did with Fripp on the aforementioned albums and then on his own Discreet Music, also from 1975, he utilized tape looping of notes that either came in small clusters of three or four or of sustained tones with the timing based on the length of tape used.  These variations allowed for the establishment of new patterns or development of sounds.

The first piece "1/1" features Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt playing a piano, while "2/1" and "1/2" incorporate the voices of Christa Fast, Christine Gomez and Inge Zeininger singing one sustained note for ten seconds and then these looped, with piano utilized again in the latter piece.  Eno once stated, "I just set all of these loops running and let them configure in which ever way they wanted to, and in fact the result is very nice."  That it is and the feeling is of immersion in the sound world created.

Not unlike Anthony Braxton, Eno, who, though, does not read music, developed a graphic score for each piece, reproduced on the cover.   Each, however, represents the compositional approach of the phrasing and looping undertaken.  Employing the strategy recommended by Donald Ayler, whose brother, Albert, was a powerful force in free jazz, especially in the last half of the 1960s, to follow the sound, not the notes, letting this music be an experience.

Eno, in fact, was inspired by sitting in an architecturally compelling airport in Cologne, Germany, but was struck by the piped-in music being incompatible, in his view, with the surroundings.  This was his concept for how such a musical environment could be developed and introduced, though he also said in an interview that the idea that a traveler could end up in a fatal plane crash was a major part of this thinking.  As relaxing and enveloping as this music is, that is certainly not the impression left for this listener!

Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, Elizabeth Fraser: The Moon and the Melodies

The composer Harold Budd, generally celebrated for his "ambient" works and best known, probably, for his collaborations with Brian Eno, died Tuesday from complications of the COVID-19 virus at age 84.  Budd, a native of Los Angeles, was fascinated by jazz heard in the clubs of South-Central Los Angeles and took a course in music theory at Los Angeles Community College.  During a stint in the Army, he played in a band with Albert Ayler, who went on to a gloriously noisy, joyful, and sadly short-lived career before his untimely drowning death in 1970.  Budd then studied at Cal State Northridge and the University of Southern California and, while he influenced by such modern "classical music" figures as John Cage (in attitude if not compositionally), Morton Feldman and Terry Riley, he was profoundly affected by the immense spiritual qualities of the great saxophonist Pharoah Sanders.  After an avant-garde period in his composing, Budd, by the early Seventies, taught himself piano and moved into his ambient avocation, which included his association with Eno by the later part of that decade.

In 1986, Budd moved to London and found he could make a living with his music there and in Europe, rather than in America.  That year, he met the Cocteau Twins, a group ubiquitously labeled as "etheral" and this "unlikely collaboration," as expressed in Budd's website bio, was also his "first foray into popular music."  Purportedly, the composer's admirers were dismayed, but I bought the album when it was released on 4AD in fall 1986 and was very impressed with the merging of Budd's piano and the atmospherics generated by the band, especially on a track like "The Ghost Has No Name" where Richard Thomas (Dif Juz) plays a haunting saxophone accompaniment.  My later interest in ambient electronic music has only added to the appreciation of this fine recording.  It helps, perhaps, not to think of this as a Cocteau Twins album, no more than it is a Harold Budd record, but as a true collaboration.  In fact, Budd and Robin Guthrie, the sonic architect of CT, went on to work together on several subsequent projects and the composer collaborated with such "pop" figures as Jah Wobble, David Sylvian, Andy Partridge and Hector Zazou in addition to his own works.  His eager embrace of other music and musicians, outside of his "genre," was particularly admirable and The Moon and the Melodies is an especially notable example.

Pete Namlook/Klaus Schulze/Bill Laswell: The Dark Side of the Moog VII

This fascinating series of excursions deep into the realm of ambient electronic music comprising eleven volumes from 1993 to 2008 from FAX Records impresario Pete Namlook (Peter Kuhlmann), Klaus Schulze (briefly in Tangerine Dream), and, on four of the albums, the ubiquitous bassist and producer Bill Laswell, is not only given an excellent punning title, but the word play continues with individual tracks further playing off the output of Pink Floyd.  In this case the 50-minute piece in this seventh volume released in 1998 is called "Obscured by Klaus" in reference to that band's seventh album, Obscured by Clouds.  Namlook noted, though, that there was no connection or homage to the British group, other than having fun with puns.

There is plenty of diversity in the sound elements when listening to this recording, either at high volume (as in the car) or, even better, with headphones.  Washes of sound, varied textures, often strong rhythms, found voices and other components work well over the course of the six parts, which are well organized and programmed.  There is often a beguiling beauty in the more ambient sections, but the variety with more percussive sections and a range of electronics with the Moog as the backbone make this an excellent entry in the series.

Reboot with Pete Namlook/Bill Laswell's Outland

This 1994 collaboration between the late German electronic musician Pete Namlook (Peter Kuhlmann) and the prolific bassist and producer Bill Laswell is a trip deep into ambient sound and the first of five editions in the Outland series with the pair also producing five albums under the Psychonavigation moniker.  They also worked with Klaus Schulze on a few editions of the Dark Side of the Moog series--all for Namlook's amazing FAX Records series.

It begins with an eerie sound source of Mongolian tuva singers and instrumentation and then dissolves into a low, quiet drone.  Excepting some variation in rhythm and tones and a bit of manipulation of Laswell's bass, the 62-minute piece is an exercise in deep, dark ambience.

Outland reminds me a lot of the work of another Laswell collaborator, Mick Harris, and his Lull project, which is actually darker than this.  I'm a big fan of the Lull series of recordings, so this album is also a favorite.  I've found it to be a good recording to have on while working at the computer or in the yard (even better with headphones) or on a longer commute in the car.

FAX Compilation 1

My introduction to the remarkable electronic sound world of Pete Namlook (real name Peter Kuhlmann—check the surname backwards) came through his many collaborations with one of my favorite musicians, Bill Laswell, in the multi-volume Psychonavigation and Outland series of recordings for Namlook's FAX label.  I have most of the entries in both series and have enjoyed them immensely.

It is always admirable when a musician working in a very uncommercial environment can create their own sustainable label and the FAX label is a good example of this.  Until his untimely death in 2012, just before his 52nd birthday, the prolific German artist released a major catalog of his own recordings and of many others through the label.

This compilation is one of several released by FAX over the years and appeared in 1994.  In addition to Namlook's work under the nom de plumes of The Putney, Air and 4Voice, there are collaborations with Richie Hawtin and Tetsu Inoue and contributions from Inoue, Atom Heart, longtime Laswell collaborator Robert Musso, and others.

This two-disc set is filled with excellent ambient pieces and works particularly well with headphones and concentrated attention.  This is also the easiest to find of the several FAX compilations, because it had outside distribution, so, for those who like ambient electronics (and this was the heyday of it), the album is well worth seeking out.

Orchestra Terrestrial: Here and Everywhere

Recorded sporadically over 2000 and the early part of 2001, this ambient release on the small underground German label, Die Stadt, by Richard H. Kirk under his Orchestra Terrestrial guise is a beautiful and beguiling work.  Kirk has stated that inspiration from classical music led him to pursue this project, which includes a 2011 followup called Umladen.

The first track, "Low Definition Alpine Drift," is a haunting tune of multi-layered electronic sound moving rhythmically but without percussion as the piece, indeed, drifts in unsettled, yet beautiful atmospheres.

"Einflug" (German for "entry" in the sense of aircraft entering and leaving an airport or airfield) does, however, have a percussive element, an echoed electronic pulse over a higher-pitched drone and a legato series of tones before a darker, more sinister drone enters in on occasion.

"Kristall" ("Crystal") has another complex multi-layered series of grouped tones and simple percussive elements at various pitches.  The piece almost takes the listener on an uncharted journey.  There is a stronger, faster sense of rhythm here for most of the piece, though there is an interlude that mainly features drones.  A flute-like melodic theme gives more buyoancy to this track than others on the recording.

"Abends" ("Evenings") is a very muted and simple piece at the outset with a dreamy six-tone theme that is echoed by a sustained tone in another track, with these repeating until a very quiet series of tones and drones comes in at about 1:30.  At about 2:30 a more direct, louder drone enters, demonstrating Kirk's knack for carefully layering sound to broaden and deepen his pieces.  At around 3:50, there seems to be a processed snippet of a symphonic classical piece that lends an ominous element.  This track is a fine counterpoint to "Kristall."

"Glitzerstrahl" (which appears to mean something like a flittering ray of light) repeats a common thematic element, laid out in a repetitive three-toned manner, with a slow descending series of tones intermingled.  Later, there are a variety of disparate elements, some light percussive sounds, drones, clustered tones and more processed orchestral snippets to break up the repetition.

In "Near Earth Object," there is more of a percussive feel here, with cymbal-like sounds, scratchy paired snare-like "taps" and others to follow drones with varying textures.  There's even a bit of guitar-type sounds in the piece and more of what appears to be those processed recordings of orchestral performances.  A nifty seven-tone thematic element is added to the mix later in the piece.

"Senses and Functions" has a four-tone percussive theme with sharp but quiet cymbal washes and louder percussive components to create a compelling and rhythmical foundation.  A sustained wash of electronic sound comes in at about 1:20 and it rises and falls continuously until another recorded snippet of symphonic music comes in and out.  A two-toned element, followed by a louder single-tone repetition and a louder, sprouting drones enter in with some percussion, another stellar example of Kirk's way of developing complex, multi-layered soundscapes.

The last track, "Uniform Spaces," is mainly an example of the highly-arpeggiated work that he further developed years later on his Richard H. Kirk and the Arpeggio 13 recording, Anonymized, also from 2011.  The various themes, rhythmic and percussive elements, and recorded snippets found elsewhere on the album are processed through that arpeggiated mix.  While it might seem out of place, this track also reminds me of what Kirk did with the experimental Cabaret Voltaire remix "C.O.M.A." in the mid-Eighties, but with different tools.

Here and Everywhere is one of the most interesting, carefully-constructed and fully-developed ambient recordings this listener considers Richard H. Kirk has done in his long and varied career.  It has been a steady favorite for nearly fifteen years.  A word should also be said about the remarkable packaging by The Designers Republic, which includes a half-dozen postcards of digital art works by Naked Art.  In dark gray, with light gray lettering, the paper gatefold sleeve elegantly echoes the music and the cards are distinctive, reflecting the care and consideration put into this remarkable recording.

Richard H. Kirk: Step, Write, Run: Alphaphone, Vol. 1

From 1974 to 1994, Richard H. Kirk was a member of the great electronic group Cabaret Voltaire, but he also maintained a solo career from time to time, starting with the remarkable 1978 release Disposable Half-Truths to 1983's Time High Fiction, and a pair of 1986 albums, Black Jesus Voice and Ugly Spirit. 

After his CV partner, Stephen Mallinder decamped to Australia in 1993 and a last album, the phenomenal The Conversation was released, Kirk found himself truly solo and it seemed to liberate him.  Through the 90s, he worked at a prolific pace, though once when asked how he could release so many albums, he answered in typically modest and matter-of-fact fashion that the technology made it easier.

The 90s was also the peak of the electronica/techno scene and, though Kirk did not become nearly as commercially successful as such performers as Moby, The Orbital, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and others, he created a body of work that was highly diverse (in a world that could be immersed in a numbing sameness) and utterly distinctive.

Kirk's desire to put the music forward first and his resistance to image meant, among other things, that he employed a dizzying array of monikers for his many projects.  The most well-known of these was his Sandoz project, which began in the early 90s, with others like Electronic Eye, Nitrogen, Orchestra Terrestrial, and many more being utilized during the decade.  There were a few releases under his own name, as well, including one already highlighted here, 1994's Virtual State.

During the first part of that decade, Kirk created a label called Alphaphone that released several 12" vinyl recordings under more noms de plume.  In 1996, the Touch label, which has put out a number of Kirk-related albums over the years, issued a compilation double-disc recording titled Step, Write, Run: Alphaphone, Vol. 1.  While there haven't been subsequent volumes, this amazing album, characteristically devoid of any overt references to Kirk, reflects someone at the peak of their powers utilizing digital technology to create fascinating music.

The five aliases employed here include Papadoctrine, Multiple Transmission, International Organisation, Cold Warrior and Robots + Humanoids.  There are three tracks from the first, two for the second, one from the third, four from the fourth and three from the fifth.  Sequencing appears to have been directed towards a more techno oriented sound for the first disc and material on the second that moved in a more ambient direction.

The variety is compelling, with the Papadoctrine and Multiple Transmission material featuring the fastest material and highest bpm, somewhat akin to the 2-disc Nitrogen album, Intoxica, that also came out in 1996.  "Hybrid Energy" kicks things off with a bracing rhythm and lots of great electronic touches, including some percussive elements that keep things moving.  "Dreamreader" slows things down a bit, though there is a steady bongo and cymbal rhythm throughout most of the 10 1/2 minute piece and some recorded voices that break up the material.  "Red Menace" under the International Organisation moniker is somewhat slower and brings in some R&B touches.  A continuing Kirk motif dealing with religious preachers is emphasized in "Antichrist," a Multiple Transmission track that closes the first disc.

The second disc has more of the atmospheric sounds, samples and slower rhythms and beats mentioned above and somewhat reminiscent of Kirk's Electronic Eye work of the period.  An air of mystery pervades the opening to "Yellow Square," the first of four Cold Warrior tracks, before a repeated guitar-like riff enters and a steady drum pattern emerges, followed by another tribal percussive groove.  Another haunting opening brings in "Walk East" which, with its Indian vocal and tabla samples, takes to a stronger ambient path though supplied with a steady electronic bass drum rhythm.  The 11 1/2 minute "Witch Hunt" has a muted snare beat followed by a variety of interesting electronic sounds, some imbued with echo, and a catchy repetitive theme takes over highlighted by a bass-like element.  "Modern Art" has a flute-like opening interspersed with more spaced-out echoey electronic sounds, some of which sounds like it belongs with Cabaret Voltaire's 1992 album Plasticity.  The fastest rhythms of the disc are here, as well, with more cool percussive touches and a five-note pattern overlaid on a three-note figure on keyboards.

The Robots + Humanoids material includes "Indigo Octagon" which has a dripping water like sound and a single-note echoed figure, with a string-like background and other notable sounds over a steady snare.  Guitar-like riffs including a cool three-note one that stands out, nifty cymbal-like sounds, and more sampled singing voices make this a standout track.  "Paranoia" is probably named for its trippy opening with more echoed sounds deep in the mix and an eerie keyboard riff leading to a eight-note bass figure that sets the tone for the piece.  The closer "Moment of Truth" has a four-note opening figure that ends in silence before repeating and then joining with a higher-toned snare and an echoed three-note pattern and a three-note percussive accompaniment.  Later in the track more standout electronic figures, including that one that sounds like a higher toned violin bring the piece to a fade out.  Kirk's way of layering sounds is as well-developed on this piece as anywhere on the record.

This album probably encapsulates the diversity and variety of material that Kirk began to develop from the early 90s with Sandoz and which has largely continued to today, though he is not quite as prolific as he was in the years after Cabaret Voltaire quietly ceased working.  There are a number of great albums from his busy mid-90s period, including the aforementioned Nitrogen release, Virtual State, the Electronic Eye album, Closed Circuit, and the amazing Sandoz release, Dark Continent.

Step, Write, Run: Alphaphone, Vol. 1 is one of the great recordings in the 40-year career of a greatly underappreciated sound sculptor (Kirk has, many times, downplayed being a musician, so perhaps "sound sculptor" is more apt?)  Electronic music is often thought of as being one-dimensional, cold, and artificial, but Kirk manages in an album like this to show many facets of a form of music that can be more diverse and sensory than if often assumed with processed sound.  Let's hope he has much more to contribute from the evolving electronic palette from his Western Works Studio.

Richard H. Kirk:  Step, Write, Run: Alphaphone, Vol. 1 (Touch, 1996)

Disc One:  Papadoctrine
1.  Hybrid Energy  8:09
2.  Dreamreader  10:34
3.  Flesh Hunter  9:24

Multiple Transmission
4.  Low Load  8:22

International Organisation
5.  Red Menace  8:24

Multiple Transmission
6.   Antichrist  5:44

Disc Two:  Cold Warrior
1.  Yellow Square  7:06
2.  Walk East  9:35
3.  Witch Hunt 11:30
4.  Modern Art  8:37

Robots + Humanoids
5.  Indigo Octagon  8:10
6.  Paranoia  4:52
7.  Moment of Truth  8:50

Fripp & Eno (No Pussyfooting)

In early September 1972, Brian Eno, having just left Roxy Music and pondering a future in exploring sound for its own sake rather than as a basis as song, invited Robert Fripp, whose latest iteration of King Crimson had been a thoroughly mixed bag and had just dissolved, to his home studio to try out an experiment with two reel-to-reel tape decks that would create a continuous loop with Fripp's guitar augmented with the guitarist's clear and fluid soloing over the top.  The technique was later dubbed Frippertronics and Fripp created several albums and engaged in short tours performing that way in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  In the mid-1990s, he developed a digital version called Soundscapes that spawned more solo recordings, live performances and occasional inclusions of the format in the later lineups of King Crimson.

The experiment was done in one sitting and proved so inspiring that the two decided it was a finished work.  Fripp suggested that the 21-minute piece be called "The Transcendantal Music Corporation," a reflection of some his philosophical interests, but Eno thought the title too serious and opted for "The Heavenly Music Corporation," which is what stuck.

Considering where rock music was in late 1972, even though tape loops were pioneered by modern "classical" composers like Terry Riley and Steve Reich, both featured here previously, the result is astounding.  Eno established an ambient environment that allowed a masterful guitarist like Fripp to weave his crisp soloing through the tape loops and create a warm recording, where much ambient music is often considered mechanical and harsh.

This listener has become quite interested in ambient music over the years, beginning with the cruder efforts of Cabaret Voltaire, whose work, heavily influenced by Eno, in sound manipulation began in 1974, just after this record was released in September 1973.  The difference here is that, like Eno, the trio in CV (Kirk, Mallider and Watson) never claimed to be musicians, but Fripp is an estimable guitarist, playing complex and creative lines and runs without trying to overly impress with speed, volume, and effect.  Eno's supportive recording techniques maximize the guitarist's inventiveness in a way that separates this record from anything before or since.

Eno has more a presence, via a VCS3 synthesizer, used by King Crimson in its 1971-72 incarnation, as well as a digital sequencer and the Revox tape recorders that he modified, on the second track, "Swastika Girls," which was recorded at a professional studio, Command in London (where Crimson did much of its early recording.)  A swirling looping figure starts the piece and Fripp brings in his Gibson Les Paul in with a sort of chiming sound supplemented by a simple one-note bass-like background.  About 7 1/2 minutes in, Fripp comes in with more sweeping, but harsher, guitar figures that breaks up the repetitious, but hypnotic, foundation laid over that first portion.  Fripp's playing is fascinating as he sustains his notes, then bends them and opens up their sound in a series of variations.

"Swastika Girls", incidentally, got its name from a magazine article page Eno stumbled upon that had women in various stages of dress/undress with Nazi uniforms.  Eno taped the page to the mixing desk in the studio and the track had its name.

The record had a subtitle of (No Pussyfooting), with the brackets often omitted in later references, and this was a way for Fripp and Eno to remind themselves not to compromise with their experiments in the face of negative feedback from Eno's Island Records label, which was preparing to release his debut solo record Here Come the Warm Jets, which appeared in January 1974, and Fripp's new bandmates in the 1973-74 edition of King Crimson.

In 2008, Eno and Fripp supervised a reissue on Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile label that included a rarity:  in December 1973 the remarkable BBC DJ John Peel, who championed a vast array of experimental and unusual musicians and bands, played "The Heavenly Music Corporation" on his show, except that the reel was wound "tail out" instead of "front out."  Consequently, the piece was played reversed and when Eno called to alert Peel and his producer to the fact, the call was treated as a hoax.  So, there are reversed versions of both pieces. 

Moreover, a half-speed edition of "The Heavenly Music Corporation" was also issued because it was a practice of some people to listen to vinyl records on the 16 2/3 rpm setting on the turntable (half of the 33 1/3 standard, of course) and try to pick up on the technique and nuances in the music.  This provides a 42-minute version of the track, interesting and more ominous and foreboding (but in a good way) on its own.

The truth is:  this record was way ahead of its time or, perhaps, in its own time.  Years later, ambient music became, more or less, a sub-genre to some of electronic and techno, but it basically started here when it comes to the rock/pop dimensions of it.  Play most music from 1972-73 and see how dated the pieces might be and then try this one.  It just doesn't sound like that era, or any era for that matter. 

The magic of (No Pussyfooting) is its essential timelessness, at least for those who appreciate its approach to sound.  Two years later, in 1975, the duo created Evening Star, a refinement of the process begun on (No Pussyfooting) and another essential recording to be covered here at a future date.  Although Fripp guested on other Eno projects subsequently, the two did not reconvene for a follow-up until 2004's The Equatorial Stars, which is decidedly more ambient and less overtly guitar oriented than the earlier work.   Perhaps some day, the two will work together again and it is amazing to think that their collaboration began four decades ago this year.

Fripp & Eno (No Pussyfooting)  (2008 remaster, Discipline Global Mobile)

Disc 1:

1-5:  The Heavenly Music Corporation  20:52
6-7:  Swastika Girls  18:58
8-12:  The Heavenly Music Corporation (reversed)  20:52

Disc 2:

1-5:  The Heavenly Music Corporation (half-speed)  41:49
6-7:  Swastika Girls (reversed)  18:54