Morton Subotnick - Volume 2: The Electronic Works 2

  (b.1933)

  mode 132 (CD)

  mode 132 (DVD)

Mode Records - A Record Label Devoted to New Music

Morton Subotnick - Volume 2: The Electronic Works 2

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.

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

Related Resources:

Also by Morton Subotnick on Mode Records:
Morton Subotnick: Gestures (CD & DVD) (mode 97)

Morton Subotnick Profile
Tony Martin Profile