Various

Space, Energy & Light

Thirty years of electronic/ synth transcendence. Spanning the years 1961-’88, this extremely enjoyable comp takes in musique concrète (Tod Dockstader), counter-cultural utopianism (Tim Blake), cassette-only ’80s artists (Carl Matthews) and Terry Riley-style repeating drones (Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co). Many of these artists were sold on private pressings, in meditation centres, health food stores and even ashrams – thus avoiding the mainstream music industry and public attention. There’s lots of repetition and loops here, and the mood is pretty upbeat, expansive, and positive throughout. Particular stand-outs are Mother Mallard’s Ceres Motion and Iasos’ Lueena Coast, but the standard is consistent throughout with enough variation to make it a satisfying trip. After Light In The Attic’s I Am The Center, this is an excellent overview of a forgotten and often maligned genre that now reveals itself as a fertile area of experimentation – still fresh because not hammered into the ground. Jon Savage