The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was formed in 1958 as one of the sound effects units of the BBC, used to produce incidental, new sounds and music for radio, and, later, television. Known for its pioneering work in electronic music and experimental sounds, the Workshop went on to score for popular programs such as Doctor Who and Quatermass and the Pit, among others. The highly influential BBC Radiophonic Music was the first compilation of music released by the workshop, released in 1968 to coincide with the Workshop's 10th anniversary. Featuring the Workshop's most prominent composers, John Baker, David Cain, and Delia Derbyshire, the music varies from incidental spots to signature tunes used in various BBC programs. The songs demonstrate burgeoning methods for electronic music production, including musique concrete tape editing and the use of primitive early electronic oscillators. Conceived at a time when analog sampling meant painstaking hours of slicing tape with razor blades and taping them back together, the collection on BBC Radiophonic Music is brimming with riffs, loops, heady atmospherics, clicks and beeps. This is the OG "collage music" that you're not gonna want to miss. Tracks to check out include: John Baker's "Milky Way," "New Worlds," and "Tomorrow's World"; Delia Derbyshire's "Pot Au Feu," "Mattachin" (which sounds like a straight up Mort Garson tune), "Towards Tomorrow," and "Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO" (like WHAT); and David Cain's "Autumn and Winter," and "Crossbeat". As Light In The Attic rightly notes, "This is an essential album for analogue and TV theme obsessives, and anyone with an interest in contemporary electronica; mysterious, eccentric and celestial, it is a celebration of one of the UK’s most treasured and unique institutions." Don't snooze! 31 tracks in all pressed on pink vinyl, individually numbered in an edition of 500. Includes a printed inner sleeve with extensive liner notes. Released by Silva Screen.

• pink colored vinyl
• numbered edition 500
• printed inner sleeve w/ liner notes
• music label: Silva Screen 2019

reviewed by Richard Cashmere 4/2019