Velocity Press has announced a new book on UK electronic music pioneers, Tape Leaders: A Compendium Of Early British Electronic Music Composers.
Tape Leaders is a richly illustrated A-Z compendium, featuring over 100 composers active with tape and electronics in the analog era.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“Containing information never previously uncovered, it shines a fresh light on many sound experimenters unacknowledged in the history of
British electronic music.
With an individual entry for each composer, it covers everyone from famous names
like William Burroughs, Brian Eno and Joe Meek to the ultra-obscure such as Roy
Cooper, Donald Henshilwood and Edgar Vetter. There are sections for EMS and the
BBC Radiophonic Workshop and amateurs, groups and ensembles that
experimented with electronics, including The Beatles, Hawkwind and White Noise.”
Originally published by Sound On Sound Magazine in 2016, this edition has been extensively revised and
updated.
The hardback book is 22.7cm x 17.7cm landscape, and the 224 pages are printed and bound on heavyweight 130gsm paper. It also includes a specially-compiled 15 track CD of mainly unreleased early British tape and synthesizer works. The CD is exclusively available to the Velocity Press shop and free with all pre-orders.
Pricing and Availability
Tape Leaders is available to pre-order now for £20 and is expected to be out in October 2021.
We are typically used to European names in early Electronica.
This is a must for anyone wanting to add to their research.
Kudos to Sound on Sound magazine.
Here is a list of the 15tracks included in the CD.
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Tape-Leaders-A-Compendium-of-Early-British-Electronic-Music-Composers/release/12284797
I certainly worship at the altar of Derbyshire & the Barrons, but I’m also lightly creeped out by how their creativity had to slug its way uphill through dubious equipment. Even Frank Zappa had to fight it constantly, because the Synclavier came with its own mad behaviors. Bleeding-edge super-boutique gear is mainly for the rich n’ brave, but our modern problems & complaints would make our forefathers/mothers laugh like donkeys.
There’s no doubt that this book is a major keeper, but as much sh*t as I ate with tape decks, oi! I’ll probably just shiver and spend the money on flash drives!