VA - Close To The Noise Floor Presents... Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 [2016] + Formative European Electronica 1974-1984) [2017] + Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984) [2019] (12 x Cds)

ELECTRONICA

VA - Close To The Noise Floor Presents... Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 [2016] + Formative European Electronica 1974-1984) [2017] + Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984) [2019] (12 x CDs)

VA - Close To The Noise Floor Presents... Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 [2016], VA - Close To The Noise Floor Presents... Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984) [2017], and VA - Third Noise Principle (Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984) [2019] are a trio of compilation albums that offer a glimpse into the formative years of electronic music across three different continents. Together, they showcase the wide-ranging experimentation, innovation, and boundary-pushing that took place during this period, laying the foundation for the electronic music we know today.

Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 highlights the experimental and often quirky nature of the UK's electronic music scene during this time. Featuring tracks from artists such as Throbbing Gristle, The Human League, and Brian Eno, the album captures the eclectic range of sounds that emerged from the scene. Highlights include Chris & Cosey's hypnotic "Re-Education Through Labour" and Thomas Leer & Robert Rental's eerie "Day Breaks, Night Heals."

Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984) casts a wider net, showcasing the diverse array of sounds and styles that emerged across Europe during this time. From the motorik rhythms of Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity" to the glitchy experiments of Dome's "Cruel When Complete," the album offers a comprehensive look at the groundbreaking work of European electronic music pioneers.

Third Noise Principle (Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984) rounds out the trilogy with a focus on the North American scene. The album features tracks from a wide range of artists, including Laurie Spiegel, Craig Leon, and Suicide, among others. The collection showcases the immense variety of sounds and styles that emerged from the North American electronic music scene during this period, from the minimalism of Philip Glass's "Music in 12 Parts, Part 1" to the frenetic energy of Suicide's "Cheree."

Taken together, these three compilation albums offer an unparalleled insight into the formative years of electronic music. Despite the diversity of the tracks featured, these albums manage to create a cohesive listening experience, thanks to the high quality of the recordings and the attention to detail in the superbly selected and sequenced order of the tracks.

They showcase how electronic music was not just a genre, but a mindset, a way of thinking about sound and music that opened up endless possibilities for experimentation and exploration. Whether you are a diehard electronic music fan or simply curious about the genre's roots, these compilations are essential listening. They serve as a testament to the visionary work of the artists who pushed the boundaries of what was possible in music and laid the groundwork for the electronic music that we know and love today.

Moreover, these compilations evoke memories of mysterious, early '80s after-midnight college radio shows, where experimental songs and sounds puzzled the airwaves. They feature rare material that probably only existed on obscure cassettes and vinyl. We owe a huge thank you to the people who preserved this material; it is a treasure. (B)

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Track lists

Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984 CD1

01 Tone Set - The Devil Makes The Loudest Noise 6:52

02 Data-Bank-A - Creators 3:57

03 Richard Bone - Mambopolis 4:07

04 Geoffrey Landers - Logarithms 3:57

05 Rhythm & Noise - Current Slaughter 3:28

06 Dark Day - The Metal Benders 2:49

07 Futurisk - Push Me, Pull You (Pt. 2) 2:22

08 Smegma - Dancing Hairpiece Wears Two Left Shoes 3:04

09 Suicide - Rocket Usa 4:16

10 Lon C. Diehl - Intermission: 'pop' 4:49

11 Kevin Lazar - First Mutation 6:34

12 Voice Farm - Am City 2:51

13 Craig Leon - Donkeys Bearing Cups 6:22

14 German Shepherds - I Adore You 4:00

15 Psyclones - Slabyard 6:40

Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984 CD2

01 The Residents - 99 Space Music 5:42

02 K7ss - Hands Across The Sea (Pt. 2) 4:20

03 K.  Leimer - Archie's Dub 3:33

04 Hunting Lodge - Simulation/Stimulation 6:10

05 Short-Term Memory - Hello Greg 6:19

06 Blackhouse - Be Good 5:31

07 Philip Glass - Ange Des Orages 3:42

08 Patrick Coleman - Primordial Landscape 10:46

09 Psyche - Mind Over Matter (Demo) 3:32

10 Galen Herod - Lowdown 3:44

11 Cyrnai - Max Pale Red 1:50

12 Non - Mode Of Infection 2:14

13 Marc Barreca - Oleo Strut 3:26

14 F; I - Electric Piece 2:41

15 Laurie Spiegel - Drums 7:08

Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984 CD3

01 Terry Riley - Across The Lake Of The Ancient World 7:28

02 Michael William Gilbert - Unwinding 6:21

03 If, Bwana - Mrs Laura 3:37

04 Chrome - Inacontact 5:17

05 Dog As Master - Slimy Stew And Pussy Gruel (Extract) 4:25

06 Anode - Evening Thoughts 8:48

07 Xx Committee - Damarc 4:27

08 Girls On Fire - Cat Vomit Punk House 3:47

09 Problemist - United We Fall 2:56

10 Mystery Hearsay - 1981-83 Source Mix 5:11

11 Smersh - What The Peeper Saw 7:24

12 Boy Dirt Car - Catalyze (Subjection To Catalyst) 4:02

13 Architects Office - Ao 01 'reagent' 4:08

14 Mental Anguish - Sad Horror Film 4:32

15 Controlled Bleeding - Untitled #3 3:33

Formative North American Electronica 1975-1984 CD4

01 Joel Graham - Geomancy 6:43

02 Executive Slacks - Thirty Years 3:31

03 Lou Champagne System - Madness 3:32

04 Tuxedomoon - Nite And Day (Homage A` Cole Porter) 5:10

05 Factrix - Anemone Housing 2:22

06 Nash The Slash - Womble (45rpm Version) 6:57

07 Sequencer People - Police Story 2:52

08 Rational Youth - Dancing On The Berlin Wall (Demo) 3:11

09 F; I And Boy Dirt Car - Untitled 2:12

10 Isosceles - Possibly Winston 4:33

11 Steve Roach - Worlds 3:17

12 Young Scientist - Ice Floe 7:53

13 John Bender - 36a3 5:05

14 Ministry - Work For Love (Dub) 6:13

15 Moev - Clerk Charade 5:42

Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 CD1

01 Five Times Of Dust - Computer Bank 5:16

02 Klingons - R.A.M. 5:32

03 Chris & Cosey - Re-Education Through Labour 7:10

04 Malcolm Brown - Sedation Strokes 4:07

05 Storm Bugs - Little Bob Minor 3:33

06 Thomas Leer - Tight As A Drum 4:39

07 Blancmange - Holiday Camp 3:09

08 Inter City Static - Fractured Smile 4:26

09 We Be Echo - Sexuality 2:55

10 Bourbonese Qualk - God With Us 5:53

11 Nagamatzu - Faith 6:55

12 O Yuki Conjugate - Disco Song 4:14

13 British Electric Foundation - Optimum Chant 4:11

14 Kevin Harrison - All Night Long 1:34

15 Voice Of Authority - Stopping & Starting 5:58

Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 CD2

01 Colin Potter - I Am Your Shadow 2:46

02 British Standard Unit - D'ya Think I'm Sexy? 2:25

03 Five Times Of Dust - The Single Off The Album 3:27

04 Spoon Fazer - Back To The Beginning 2:38

05 Gerry & The Holograms - Gerry & The Holograms 4:07

06 Passage - Drugface 3:48

07 John Foxx - A New Kind Of Man 4:32

08 100% Manmade Fibre - Green For Go 3:02

09 Those Little Aliens - Sentimental 1:59

10 Final Program - Protect & Survive 2:26

11 Human League - Being Boiled 3:39

12 Instant Automatons - New Muzak 1:50

13 Cultural Amnesia - Materialistic Man 3:38

14 Worldbackwards - (Leaving Me) Now 2:53

15 Alan Burnham - Music To Save The World By 3:49

16 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Almost 3:42

17 Eyeless In Gaza - Kodak Ghosts Run Amok 2:28

18 Schleimer K - Broken Vein 4:22

19 Native Europe - The Distance From Koln 2:28

Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 CD3

01 Zorch - Adrenalin (Return Of The Elohim Pt. 1) 5:12

02 Sea Of Wires - Robot Dance 2:33

03 Ron Berry - Sea Of Tranquility 5:57

04 Mfh - Mistral 2:26

05 Adrian Smith - Joe Goes To New York 6:52

06 Mark Shreeve - Embryo (Extract) 6:13

07 Eg Oblique Graph - Triptych 6:36

08 Carl Matthews - Encounter 6:43

09 Paul Nagle - Ynys Scaith 4:18

10 O Yuki Conjugate - Sedation 3:36

11 Konstruktivist - Western Vein 3:47

12 Attrition - Dead Of Night (Excerpt) 6:01

Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 CD4

01 Throbbing Gristle - What A Day 4:38

02 A Tent - No Way Of Knowing 3:29

03 Portion Control - Go For The Throat 2:11

04 DC3 - Eco Beat 6:48

05 Renaldo & The Loaf - Dying Inside 5:13

06 Blah Blah Blah - In The Army 4:42

07 Legendary Pink Dots - God Speed 4:02

08 Muslimgauze - Muslin Gauze Muslim Prayer 6:16

09 Suisse - Live At Longborne 5:39

10 Alien Brains - Menial Disorders, Extract B2 3:35

11 Storm Bugs - Himeal (And She Blew) 4:52

12 Third Door From The Left - In The Room 2:59

13 Al Robertson - Dignity Of Labour 5:25

14 Bcgilbert, Glewis, Russell Mills - Mzui (Extract) 5:33

Formative European Electronica 1974-1984 CD1

01 Die Gesunden - Die Gesunden Kommen 4:26

02 André De Koning - Party Talk 2:36

03 Pseudo Code - She's Got Blue Eyes Wow 4:13

04 Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Ich Will 3:20

05 De Fabriek - Claxon 2:51

06 Cluster - Caramel 3:10

07 Nsrd - Invalidu Tramvajs 4:04

08 Daniele Ciullini - Marbles In The Garden 2:12

09 Universalanschluss - Krematorien 3:21

10 Truus De Groot - Ny Ny 2:27

11 Christina Kubisch - Speak & Spell 8:18

12 Yello - Glue Head 2:55

13 Famlende Forsok - Tror Nok Jeg Levde... En Gang 4:03

14 Borghesia - Secret Affair No 2 3:09

15 Schaltkreis Wassermann - Lux 5:07

16 M.A.L. - C33h35n5o5 (Ergotamine) 1:43

17 Gagarin-Kombinaatti - Ukaasi 4:04

18 Saal 2 - Die Internationale 1:40

Formative European Electronica 1974-1984 CD2

01 Emak - Ohnne Titel 3:10

02 Neon Judgement - Tv Treated 6:31

03 Bene Gesserit - Hymne Au Ver 2:49

04 Der Künftige Musikant - Zu Tot Um Zu Sterben 1:34

05 Carlos Perón - Impersonator 4:05

06 Ruth - Polaroid/Roman/Photo (Instrumental First Mix) 6:02

07 Doxa Sinistra - Soviet Invasion 2:14

08 Not Only Bones - Last Lift 3:06

09 Stratis - Birds In A Cage 5:23

10 Malaria! - Geld 4:03

11 Ericka Irganon - Petite Otite 2:28

12 Vangelis - Multitrack Suggestion 5:31

13 Van Kaye And Ignit - Love You Generator 4:34

14 Yuri Morozov - Machine Dancing 3:03

Formative European Electronica 1974-1984 CD3

01 Human Flesh - Godot Was Here 3:21

02 Octavian Nemescu - Gradeatia (Extract) 6:38

03 Esplendor Geometrico - Paedophile Information Exchange (Version) 2:42

04 Vox Populi! - Après La Pluie 2:24

05 Giancarlo Toniutti - Zitternde Luft 4:56

06 Die Form - Sexual Discipline 3:47

07 Aavikon Kone Ja Moottori - Karavaani 3:06

08 Tasaday - Il Castello (Dedicato A F. Kafka) 6:13

09 Amok - Soliloquio 0:59

10 Mario Marzidovšek - Vermifuge 4:13

11 Diseño Corbusier - Flanco - Dama 6:26

12 Asmus Tietchens - Troglodyten 5:39

13 Klaus Schulze - 1984 6:47

14 Gunner Moller Pedersen - Stoned (Part 1 Extract) 4:52

15 Maurizio Bianchi - Industrial Tape Track 3 Extract 6:05

Formative European Electronica 1974-1984 CD4

01 Front 242 - Principles 5:05

02 Ende Shneafliet - Alien 3:21

03 Njurmännen - Deka Dans 2:27

04 Das Ding - Raid (Demo) 3:43

05 Der Plan - Wat's Dat? 2:09

06 Les Vampyrettes - Biomutanten 4:05

07 Minny Pops - Son 2:48

08 Plus Instruments - More Fun With Korg 2:43

09 Monoton - Tanzen & Singen 9:04

10 Ddaa - Light 3:22

11 Walt Rockman - Plancton 2:18

12 Bernard Szajner - Shaï Hulud 7:21

13 Anar Band - Tarzan 4:59

14 Cosmic Overdose - Romantic 5:47

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