White, Ruth - Flowers of Evil CD
SKU
18-Rhythms 807510010136
Official CD edition from the master tapes.
“An electronic setting of the poems of Charles Baudelaire composed and realized by Ruth White in 1969, with the Moog synthesizer providing a grim, haunting backdrop. "An electronic music setting for the poems of Baudelaire utilizing the human voice (her own) as an instrument, represented to Paul Eberle in the Los Angeles Free Press, “…an important step in the evolution of music.” Includes insert booklet with poems.”
“Looking for an American Delia Derbyshire? you might consider RUTH WHITE — who for man is the queen of early electronica. Her sounds were unique in their dark, experimental glory. Though Ruth White stated herself that she never tried to make creepy music, nonetheless, she did just that — "just to show what her equipment could do.” White's entire discography is an excellent choice for those interested in exploring the history of electronic music.
With the creation of her own studio White could develop her own brand of electronic music, which explored new timbral and harmonic resources without renouncing the order and logic instilled by her classical training. White once wrote about her studio; “… it is my own personal place. No one else works in it. It is fairly well equipped. several multichannel tape recorders (including 2 new Ampex AG 440 machines), a Moog synthesizer (purchased directly from Robert Moog), oscillators, modulators, electronic organ and electronic clavichord, two pianos, a harpsichord and variable speed and reverberation devices are only a part of the list of machines that i have gathered.”
While being an accomplished musician, she had no training on electronic musical instruments. White wrote; “…it occurred to me that I was really hearing pure experiments with noise … or unorganized sound. The break-through of the noise concept was very important. I began to realize the fantastic potential for expanding our musical vocabulary if we could draw upon the new techniques for capturing and making noise. If we could find ways to manipulate these materials, it seemed we could bring them into the musical language in a meaningful way. This could be a breath of fresh air… new life for our musical systems, which had for a long time felt thin and lifeless to me.”
- LabelRhythms
- UPC080751008012