Volume 2: Electronic Works - CD
"Composed by electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick for LP ... presented here for the first time in multi-channel sound, remixed by the composer"--Original container. Includes interactive navigation. Special features include: Sidewinder is presented with a new liquid light show by Tony Martin, a collaborator with Subotnick at the Electric Circus, who also created light shows for the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, among others; Over 90 minutes of interviews including: Subotnick & Tony Martin in conversation about their meeting, early collaborations, and goals, "The right arm stories, part 1": Subotnick's biographical monologue ranging from childhood to war years, Tony Martin demonstrates the creative process behind the light show; Surround sound and dedicated PCM-stereo mixes by the composer; Bonus DVD-AUDIO DISC features uncompressed 48khz/24-bit sound; Essays by Subotnick and Curtis Roads. Previously released as a compact disc.
Sidewinder (1976)
for 4-channel tape, new 4.1 surround version
1. Side One (14:36)
2. Side Two (14:17)
Until Spring (197?)
for 4-channel tape, new 5.1 surround version
3. Side One (15:01)
4. Side Two (14:24)
Multi-channel electronic works in Surround Sound
Morton Subotnick was a phenomenon in the late ’60s, the first composer to write substantial works for synthesizer that had a wide audience. He has been mentor to generations of composers, and his influence is so pervasive that it would be impossible to trace completely – the electronica movement, for one, reveres him.
This release brings together two of his classic analog electronic works which were previously only available on LP. The DVD allows you to experience these works “spatially” in your own home – in high-definition sound!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 24-bit remastering from the original analog master tapes.
- Newly remixed for Surround Sound by the composer.
- Sidewinder is presented with a liquid light show created for the work by Tony Martin. Martin – infamous for his light shows in the ’60s in San Francisco at the Fillmore West and New York’s Electric Circus for bands like the Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds and the Grateful Dead – is a long-time collaborator with Subotnick.
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround encoding for the standard video side (playable on all DVD players).
- Dedicated DVD-Audio 5.1 Surround side.
- CD version contains the two electronic pieces in new dedicated stereo mixes by the composer.
- Liner notes by renowned electronic composer Curtis Roads.
The DVD includes additional video:
- Subotnick and Tony Martin in conversation about their histories and collaborations (about 60 minutes).
- Subotnick speaks about his childhood through early years of composing (about 30 minutes).
- Documentary showing Tony Martin’s process to create the liquid light show for Sidewinder.
Please note: The CD version contains only the two electronic works.
Language : Text in English, German, and French.
Reviews
Morton Subotnick
Electronic Works 2
Mode 132 (DVD)
Are CDs dead? Not yet. I remain skeptical of DVDs, especially the fledgling DVD-Audio format. Most 5.1 surround setups I’ve heard are wholly inadequate, using cheap, tiny speakers. And worse, almost everyone I know soon surrenders to the demands of décor, stuffing satellite speakers against the couch or smothering the subwoofer with magazines. But DVDs do enable the presentation of 1970s quadraphonic works like Morton Subotnick’s Sidewinder and Until Spring, reissued together on Morton Subotnick Volume 2: Electronic Works (Mode). The classic Sidewinder, accompanied by the colorful, spermatozoan light projections of Tony Martin, plinks, rattles, pants, clanks, and sings with startling rhythmic vibrancy. Essential.
— Christopher DeLaurenti, THE SCORE-CLASSICAL & JAZZ,
www.thestranger.com, 15 April 2004
Links
Also by Morton Subotnick on Mode Records:
Morton Subotnick: Gestures (CD & DVD) (mode 97)
Morton Subotnick: The Electronic Works 3 (CD & DVD) (mode 237)
Morton Subotnick Profile
Tony Martin Profile
