Karel Appel: Musique Barbare
Valuable re-issue of mid 1960s ’edit-heaavy’ ’Tape-Music’-collage
’Karel Appel 1963's masterpiece never re-released before.
In 1963, Dutch abstract-expressionist painter Karel Appel (1921-2006), one of the founders of the avant-garde movement Cobrain 1948, logged time in the Instituut Voor Sonologie to compose music for a documentary being made on himself by cinematographer Jan Vrijman. Musique Barbare was born, released by Philips, this masterpiece of Musique Concrete is a real jewel for any record collectors.
Made in collaboration with the Insituut's member Frits Weiland, the result is a fantastic mix of electric organ fumblings to full-on riots of distorted kettle drum and assorted percussion-room filigree, assembled into an extremely edit-heavy suite - much use of tape-speed manipulation.
Karel Appel was a forceful and fascinating personality, and his Musique Barbare does not less bear the stamp of it than do any of his other artistic creations. A more remarkable gramophone record has not been produced in many a year.
Both gatefold and digipack booklet contains exclusive photos done by Ed Van Der Elsken + texts by Jan Vrijman, all printed on a luxuous photographic paper.’