Electric Weasel Ensemble [2CD]

Electric Weasel Ensemble - Electric Weasel Ensemble [2CD]

Shifting continuously between minimalistic patterns, intricate soundscapes, and evolving textures of overlapping electronic sonorities, The Electric Weasel Ensemble presents a missing link in the history of electronic music. This is a series of previously unreleased live recordings from a little-known but trailblazing ensemble of improvisers, equipped with a unique embrace of invented instruments and distinctly 1970s avant-garde sensibilities.

Founded in 1974 by composer Allen Strange and now-celebrated instrument designer Donald Buchla, the Electric Weasel Ensemble explored new directions in live performance with electronics, using Buchla's sophisticated and unusual instruments as a launching pad. Maintained for decades by ensemble member Stephen Ruppenthal, these recordings include some of the best-preserved examples of Strange's pioneering compositions: graphically notated directed improvisations for electronic and electronically processed acoustic instruments, offering rare insight into the radical sonic aesthetic that Buchla's inventions enabled in the Bay Area music scene.