Gubaidulina, 93 years old, RIP. One of my favourite composers.
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Currently listening to it as well. I remember when the original album was released I absolutely hated it, because it was not what “I was used to” from Jarre, but today I love it
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Jean Michel Jarre´s 1990 album, ‘Waiting for Cousteau’. Still great. Slow flows of drones, fx and lone piano notes in oceans of reverb and echo.
Published in a period where (what we now call) EDM exploded (house, techno, trance and such). Some 35 years ago, already. Almost 15 years after his epic and revolutionary homebrewn albums Oxygène (1976) and Equinoxe (1978).
Some more useless facts to clutter up your memory:
The pun in the title ‘Waiting for Cousteau’ was perhaps not picked up by all. The original French title ‘En attendant Cousteau’ is a reference to the French title of the absurd(ly) famous theater play ‘En attendent Godot’ by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, ´Waiting for Godot´ in English, hence ‘Waiting for Cousteau’.
Samuel Becket wrote and published in both French and English. Actually, the original title of the play was in French, but the subtitle in English:
En attendent Godot
a tragicomedy in two acts
The play and the author are considered to be part of both French and English literature. Which proved to be very convenient.
Many years ago, I successfully put this play on my mandatory literature lists for both my French and English language exams…to kill two birds with one stone.
The play is basically about some guys doing nothing while waiting for somebody who never arrives (might not even exist). So, not a complicated storyline. Also, there are many interpretations on the deeper meaning. So you can’t go wrong there either.
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Justin Hayward sings Dream Academy’s Life In A Northern Town
Touching, especially with the storyline supported by these beautiful, semi-surreal (AI generated?) pictures.
Shares a certain sense of melancholy with his ubiquitous evergreen…
The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
Even shares that same sense of melancholy with his other ubiquitous evergreen…
Jeff Wayne, Richard Burton, Justin Hayward - Forever Autumn (Official Audio)
From Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds ( 1978). An epic collaborative project, pushing technical and musical boundaries, e.g. use of synthesizers and effects and recording onto an unprecedented 48 tracks (actually two SMPTE synced 24-track Studer A80 machines).
1978 is around the same time as Jean Michel Jarre’s Oxygène (1976) and Equinoxe (1978), Vangelis Spiral (1977) and Klaus Schulze’s Dune (1979) and marking the end of Tangerine Dream’s ‘Virgin Years’.
Also…marking the start of the transition from analog to digital, e.g. with the New England Digital Corporation Synclavier and the Fairlight CMI .
Hearkening back to the early days of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze (‘Berlin School’) and even Jean-Michel Jarre’s early works.
In way more recent days, several bands/projects have been making great music using yesteryears electronic instruments, FX and techniques in this style.
You’ll find many of them (and many others) on Ron Boots’ Groove Unlimited label/shop site.
Bring out your (mostly monophonic) analog synths, FX and synthesis techniques, Farfisa/eminent organs, string machines, step sequencers, phasers and (tape) echoes!
Slower and faster paced (step)sequences, spikey plucks and deep basses, gentle solos, piercing leads mixed/alternating with longer drawn swirling strings, pads, aaaahs/ooohs and filtered/phased noise.
Sometimes there’s also room for acoustic (solo) instruments, e.g. flute, violin, electric guitar and such.
And, often, in lengthy tracks.
An example showcasing a broad range of these characteristics…
Free System Projekt - Amalthea (1999)
From the album Pointless Reminder (1999)
Hello,
Beutiful. Do you happen to have or know any favourite hapsichord or clavichord sample pack? Or better yet pre loaded SFZ instrument?
I would be awfully surprised if it’s hard to find a good harpsichord SFZ. That said I don’t remember ever running into one… Although probably some or all of the big “orchestral” SFZ collections probably have one.
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Here you have the DeLuxe one;
Italian Harpsichord Bundle - realsamples
there is also two free Italian Harpsichord Bundle - realsamples
The other one asks not to post direct links on forums. The website name is sonimusicae
Orchestral SFZ colletions you say. I will try and find out, is there something you can recommend?
Also and specially on my hunt list is the giant cello… Octobasse.
I assume you have my free SFZPlayer? the manual points to some sources for orchestral samples: SquinkyVCV-main/docs/sfz-player.md at master · kockie69/SquinkyVCV-main · GitHub
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Yes I have seen it, I am yet to step on the first stepping stone for samples and SFZ players, it will add many dimensions to the music. 