Wednesday, 24 October 2018

Wendy Carlos - Digital Moonscapes (1984)

In which Wendy Carlos (Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Tron et al, not to mention the groundbreaking Switched On... series) writes a full-on orchestral work about space, and records it all using digital synthesisers - with "no microphones", as proudly noted.  In a lengthy liner note, Carlos describes the process of collecting hundreds of synth voices during the early 80s that would emulate the characteristics and dynamics of orchestral instruments - certainly an impressive undertaking in its day - and then composing two astronomical-themed suites intended to appeal to a contemporary audience.

The first suite is the three-part Cosmological Impressions, evoking the vastness of space in grand style.  The remaining 41 minutes are the Moonscapes suite of the album title, covering in its nine sections our own moon and those of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.  Some of these pieces are more immediate and impressive, others take a few more listens to appreciate, but the writing throughout is definitely ambitious and evocative, taking in all of Carlos' classical influences and creating something unique and memorable.  Imagine a Vangelis record where all the atmospherics and synth manipulation are replaced by a focus on intricate composition, and you'll at least be in the right galaxy.

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6 comments:

  1. Fernfrequency24 October 2018 at 20:36

    Funny I dont think I own this one. A favorite of mine however aside from Switched On was Sonic Seasonings which was more ambient than anything she ever did again. Odd you would bring up Vangelis as the 2 are polar opposites composition-wise. There nothing very romantic about Carlos's music its much too clinical and intricate. I sometimes think too much thinking creates cold sterile music which I do like as well but its as if the conservatory training went a little too far. Vangelis is self taught and drew/draws his inspiration by pure intuition but with a heaps of romanticism injected into the themes. I have nothing but respect for these two extremely gifted musicians and grateful for the music each of them creates. Looking fwd to listening to this "tour de force"!

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    1. Alan Burns24 October 2018 at 21:52

      I did hear one or two similarities to Vangelis, but yeah in hindsight I'd probably leave that out. Coming from very different compositional disciplines, as you say.

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  2. Knobby25 October 2018 at 05:29

    There's always been this odd barrier for me with her. The only record that really hits me deep is the second one, "Well Tempered...". And I think that's probably because I heard it when I was still young and at a very formative time, so it has a lot of that kind of meaning and pull with me to this day. I've never disliked any of the other stuff, but none of it has ever really managed to sink its hooks into me.

    And to digress slightly, for anyone who is a fan of the Switched On titles, I would highly recommend digging around for Mike Hankinson's Unusual Classical Synthesizer LP from 1972, which was apparently all done on a VCS3, and is to my mind very much an equal to those records. Has yet to have a CD release, but one can usually unearth it out there somewhere in the modern digital forest.

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  3. Alan Burns20 November 2018 at 13:41

    new link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NSNf2ZWnQIkpX4wduxP902jIkHuoYEkH

    pw: sgtg

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  4. roberth23 November 2018 at 02:31

    thank u alan, google drive is working well.
    wendy was ahead of their time in many ways.
    roberth

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  5. mwilson4 July 2020 at 00:07

    Thanks or the WC. Sonic Seasons is probably the best WC out there. If you haven't heard it you should.

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