VA - Echoes in Glass, Melodic Origins of Electronic Sound (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

EARLY ELECTRONIC

VA - Echoes in Glass, Melodic Origins of Electronic Sound (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

Echoes in Glass, Melodic Origins of Electronic Sound is a sweeping archival journey through the birth and evolution of electronic music, told through its most melodic and often overlooked artifacts. Curated with precision and emotional insight, this 93-track set traces the genre’s roots from Futurist experiments to post-digital abstraction, revealing how melody persisted as a guiding force even amid radical sonic innovation.

The earliest selections are astonishing in their rarity and historical weight. The earliest known tape compositions demonstrate how electronic sound was already being shaped by emotion and narrative. These works, often buried in academic archives or private collections, are presented here with reverence and clarity.

The compilation’s second phase highlights the mid-century pioneers who transformed tape and tone into expressive tools. The emergence of musique concrète and electroacoustic collage. These pieces, once considered esoteric, now reveal the melodic DNA that would influence generations of composers and sound designers.

As the set progresses, it embraces the modular and digital revolutions and showcases how melody could emerge from generative systems and algorithmic processes. Virtuosos of the theremin are highlighted and underscores the instrument’s enduring emotional power across decades befor it bridges into post-punk, ambient, and experimental territories, reflecting global abstraction and spatial innovation.

Here is what to expect:

CD1 opens with Luigi and Antonio Russolo’s Corale (1921), a Futurist composition for intonarumori that predates tape and synthesis but hints at electronic timbre through mechanical resonance. George Antheil’s Ballet Mécanique (1924) follows, scored for player pianos and sirens, a proto-industrial work that foreshadows rhythmic abstraction. Joseph Schillinger’s theremin pieces (1929-1932), including Melody and Mouvement Electrique et Pathétique, showcase early attempts to formalize electronic melody. The 1930s and ’40s bring rare gems: Friedrich Wilckens’ Dance in the Moon (1933), a lyrical theremin miniature; Olivier Messiaen’s Oraison (1937), composed for six Ondes Martenot and considered one of the first purely electronic ensemble works; and Bohuslav Martinů’s Fantasia for Theremin (1944), scored for theremin, oboe, string quartet, and piano. Halim El-Dabh’s Wire Recorder Piece (1944), also known as Expression of Zaar, is the earliest known tape composition, predating Schaeffer’s work by four years. The disc closes with Pierre Schaeffer’s Étude aux chemins de fer (1948), a landmark in musique concrète, released via Club d’Essai and composed from manipulated train recordings.

CD2 charts the rise of melodic and conceptual electronic music, where tape, synthesis, and avant-garde composition converge. Stockhausen’s Gesang der Jünglinge (1956) opens with a fusion of voice and electronics. Kid Baltan’s Song of the Second Moon (1957) and Tom Dissevelt’s Syncopation showcase early Dutch pop synthesis, while Raymond Scott’s Cindy Electronium (1959) offers sequenced tone clusters from his self-built Electronium. Hugh Le Caine’s Study No.1 and Vladimir Ussachevsky’s Wireless Fantasy explore tape and piano hybrids. Dockstader’s Apocalypse, Sauguet’s Aspect Sentimental, and Carson’s Turnac deepen the electroacoustic palette. Delia Derbyshire’s Time on Our Hands and The Delian Mode highlight her melodic tape work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Harry Revel and Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman’s This Room Is My Castle of Quiet (1950), from Music for Peace of Mind (Capitol Records), blends lush orchestration with expressive theremin phrasing. Minimalist and global textures close the disc: Reich’s Pendulum Music, Tudor’s Rainforest, Riley’s Poppy Nogood, Lachenmann’s Scenario, Reibel’s Variations, Mashayekhi’s Shur, and Palestine’s Seven Organism Study. Together, these works trace melody’s evolution across machines, minds, and continents.

CD3 explores the golden age of analog synthesis and early digital experimentation, where melody emerged from modular systems, tape loops, and algorithmic processes. Holger Czukay’s Boat-Woman-Song (1979) opens with tape collage and global textures, followed by Terry Riley’s A Rainbow in the Curved Air (Instrumental) (1969), a landmark in minimalist sequencing. Beaver & Krause’s As I Hear It (1970) and Jean-Claude Risset’s Mutations (1969) showcase early Moog and computer synthesis. Éliane Radigue’s Jouet Électronique (1970) and Bruce Haack’s Super Nova (1978) stretch melody into meditative abstraction. Douglas Leedy’s Entropical Paradise (1971) offers generative analog drift, while Wendy Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange (1972) reimagines classical themes through Moog textures. Klaus Schulze’s Synphära, Wahnfried 1883, and Mental Door (1975-1978) anchor the disc with Berlin School sequencing. François Bayle’s Rosace 3 and Bernard Parmegiani’s Matières Induites (INA-GRM, mid-’70s) deepen the electroacoustic narrative. Laurie Spiegel’s Appalachian Grove I (1974), Oliveros’ Grains, and Behrman’s On the Other Ocean explore algorithmic and interactive systems. Closing tracks include Clara Rockmore’s theremin classic Valse Sentimentale, Jarre’s Equinoxe Part 2, Lansky’s vocal synthesis in Her Song, Ashley’s Automatic Writing, and synth-pop foundations from Human League and Normal, bridging experimental electronics with emerging pop forms.

CD4 traces the arc from post-punk circuitry to theremin-led chamber works, where electronic sound becomes both tactile and transcendent. Jean-Pierre Decerf’s Cosmic Pilot sets the tone with pulsing library synth, while Fad Gadget’s Back to Nature (1979) channels dystopian wit through primitive drum machines. Thomas Leer & Robert Rental’s The Hard Way in and The Easy Way Out and Leer’s solo Tight as a Drum (1980) offer brittle, tape-saturated pop experiments.  Bruce Haack’s Stand Up Lazarus (1981) blends gospel and vocoder mysticism, while Maryanne Amacher’s Living Sound (1980s) expands architecture into sonic space. Brian Eno’s Unfamiliar Wind (1986) and Jacques Lejeune’s Cantus Tenebrarum (INA-GRM) evoke ambient and acousmatic drift. Isao Tomita’s Spacewalk 19 and David Sylvian & Holger Czukay’s Flux (1989) bridge cosmic kitsch and ambient collage. Xenakis’ Voyage Absolu and Komarov’s Voice of Theremin push abstraction, while Klaus Schulze’s Welcome to the Moog Brothers (1997) returns to sequencer warmth. Lydia Kavina’s dual works and Leon Theremin’s bonus track honor the instrument’s expressive legacy. DJ Spooky, Dajuin Yao, and Zorch inject glitch, drone, and prog energy, while Thorwald Jørgensen’s Distant Shores and Andante Nostalgico close with theremin romanticism.

These works are sequenced chronologically by recording date, revealing a hidden lineage, one where melody, emotion, and innovation coexisted from the very beginning. It’s a testament to the genre’s depth, and a vital resource for anyone seeking to understand the true origins of electronic sound. 

What makes this set special isn’t just the rarity of the tracks, it’s the way they’re framed. By putting melody front and center, we’re inviting listeners to hear electronic music differently. To hear it as a centuries-long search for emotional expression through sound. Whether it’s a whisper of tape hiss or the shimmer of a waveform, there’s feeling in every frequency. So if you’ve ever thought electronic music was too abstract, too academic, or too cold this set might just change your mind. It’s a reorientation. A reminder that behind every circuit and splice, there’s a human impulse to connect, to move, to sing. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Luigi and Antonio Russolo - Corale 2:07 1921

02 George Antheil - Ballet Mecanique (1924) 9:11 1924

03 Joseph Schillinger - Melody, for Theremin & Piano 1:51 1929

04 Joseph Schillinger - Mouvement Électrique Et Pathétique, for Theremin & Piano 1:50 1932

05 Friedrich Wilckens - Dance in The Moon, for Theremin & Piano 2:48 1933

06 Olivier Messiaen - Orasion 7:44 1937

07 Nikolai Obukhov - Four Devotions 15:44 1937

08 John Cage - Imaginary Landscape 8:23 1939

09 Lucie Bigelow Rosen - The Space Controlled Instrument 3:16 1940

10 Bohuslav Martinu - Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet & Piano 14:23 1944

11 Halim El-Balh - Wire Recorder Piece 1:58 1944

12 Isidor Achron - Improvisation, for Theremin & Piano 3:54 1945

13 Harry Revel & Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman - Lunar Rhapsody 3:04 1947

14 Pierre Schaeffer - Étude Aux Chemin De Fer 2:51 1948

15 Pierre Schaeffer - Variations Sur Une Flûte Mexicaine 2:09 1949

16 Harry Revel & Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman - This Room is My Castle of Quiet 2:24 1950

17 Bernard Hermann - Prelude/Outer Space/Radar (The Day The Earth Stood Still) 3:48 1951

18 Otto Luening - Fantasy in Space 2:53 1952

19 John Cage - Williams Mix 4:26 1952

20 Hugh Le Caine - Dripsody 1:28 1955

21 Henri Posseur - Seismogramme I-Ii 6:31 1955

22 Oskar Sala - Concertando Rubato From Elektronische Tanzsuite 3:09 1955

23 Louis & Bebe Barron - Main Titles, Ouverture (Aus: Alarm Im Weltall) 2:21 1956

CD2

24 Karlheinz Stockhausen - Gesang Der Jünglinge 12:58 1956

25 Kid Baltan - Song of The Second Moon 3:09 1957

26 Hugh Le Caine - Study No.1 for Player Piano and Tape 1:21 1957

27 Tom Dissevelt - Syncopation 3:02 1958

28 Raymond Scott - Cindy Electronium 1:57 1959

29 Henri Sauguet - Aspect Sentimental 2:15 1959

30 Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan - Sound Material for Syncopation - Basic Melody 0:37 1959

31 Vladimir Ussachevsky - Wireless Fantasy 4:37 1960

32 Tod Dockstader - Apocalypse Part 2 2:04 1961

33 Philippe Carson - Turnac 2:48 1961

34 Delia Derbyshire - Time on Our Hands 2:00 1962

35 Alvin Lucier - Still and Moving Lines of Silence in Families of Hyperbolas: Voice 11:42 1964

36 Daphne Oram - Pulse Persephone 4:07 1965

37 Pauline Oliveros - Bye Bye Butterfly 8:04 1965

38 Helmut Lachenmann - Scenario 12:30 1965

39 Guy Reibel - Variations En Étoile 3:23 1966

40 Alireza Mashayekhi - Shur, Op.15 6:28 1966

41 Barry Bermange, Delia Derbyshire, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop - The Delian Mode 8:07 1966

42 Morton Subotnick - Silver Apples of The Moon, Part 1 4:22 1967

43 Steve Reich - Pendulum Music 5:54 1968

44 David Tudor - Rainforest Version 1 5:11 1968

45 Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood 7:57 1968

46 Charlemange Palestine - Seven Organism Study 7:53 1968

CD3

47 Holger Czukay - Boat-Woman-Song 5:03 1968

48 Terry Riley - A Rainbow in The Curved Air (Instrumental) 18:39 1968

49 Beaver & Krause - As I Hear It 1:40 1969

50 Jean-Claude Risset - Mutations 4:57 1969

51 Éliane Radigue - Jouet Électronique 11:54 1970

52 Bruce Haack - Super Nova 5:24 1970

53 Douglas Leedy - Entropical Paradise 20:19 1971

54 Wendy Carlos - A Clockwork Orange 2:20 1972

55 Klaus Schulze - Synphära 22:45 1973

56 François Bayle - Rosace 3 From Vibrations Composees 3:21 1973

57 Laurie Spiegel - Appalachian Grove I 5:22 1974

58 Pauline Oliveros - Grains 6:20 1974

59 Bernard Parmegiani - De Natura Sonorum: Matières Induites 3:52 1975

60 Klaus Schulze - Wahnfried 1883 10:51 1975

61 Klaus Schulze - Mental Door 22:58 1975

62 David Behrman - On The Other Ocean 6:50 1977

63 Alvin Curran - Canti Illuminati 7:27 1977

64 Clara Rockmore - Tchaikovsky, Valse Sentimentale 2:10 1977

65 Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe Part 2 5:00 1978

66 Paul Lansky - Six Fantasies on A Poem By Thomas Campion- Her Song 3:06 1978

67 Robert Ashley - Automatic Writing 7:09 1978

68 Human League - Being Boiled 3:40 1978

69 Normal - Warm Leatherette 3:24 1978

CD4

70 Jean-Pierre Decerf - Cosmic Pilot 3:31 1978

71 Fad Gadget - Back to Nature 5:49 1979

72 Thomas Leer & Robert Rental - The Hard Way in and The Easy Way Out 4:46 1979

73 Bruce Haack - Stand Up Lazarus 4:16 1979

74 Maryanne Amacher - Living Sound, Patent Pending Music for Sound-Joined Rooms Series 7:05 1980

75 Thomas Leer - Tight as A Drum 4:39 1981

76 Five Times of Dust - Automation 3:42 1981

77 Brian Eno - Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) 5:21 1982

78 Jacques Lejeune - Cantus Tenebrarum 3:14 1984

79 Isao Tomita - Spacewalk 19 1:42 1984

80 David Sylvian & Holger Czukay - Flux (A Big, Bright, Colourful World) 16:57 1988

81 Iannis Xenakis - Voyage Absolu Des Unari Vers Andomède 15:37 1989

82 Vladimir Komarov - Voice of Theremin, for Theremin & Tape 8:44 1996

83 Klaus Schulze - Welcome to The Moog Brothers 6:29 1996

84 Lydia Kavina - In Whims of The Wind, for Soprano Voice, Theremin & Piano 11:34 1997

85 The Olivia Tremor Control - Theme From Airplane Avenue (For Electronically Modified Clarinet and Theremin) 3:11 1997

86 Lydia Kavina - Suite, for Theremin & Piano: Andante 3:49 1997

87 Edgardo Cantón - Voix Inouïes 2:43 2001

88 DJ Spooky - Ftp>bundle and Conduit 23 8:15 2002

89 Dajuin Yao - Satisfaction of Oscillation 9:27 2007

90 Zorch - Adrenalin (Return of The Elohim Pt. 1) 5:12 2016

91 Thorwald Jørgensen - Distant Shores 7:23 2017

92 Thorwald Jørgensen - Suite for Theremin & Piano (10 Preludes From Op. 41): No. 9, Andante Nostalgico 4:15 2020

93 Leon Theremin - Leon Theremin Playing His Own Instrument - The Theremin (Bonus) 1:32 1954

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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