Mumma does what is most difficult for theelectronic musician, he keeps the sounds interesting but doesn't ignorethe emotional content. When the bombs land in The Dresden Interleaf 13 February 1945,the horrific buzzsaw cacophony recalls the brutality of war. It's notthe cold, modern click and pop groove that makes your body move, but itelicits a different reaction: visceral, not danceable.Mumma pioneered what he called "cybersonic" technique, wheretraditional acoustic instruments interact with electronics throughMumma's home-built circuitry. There are some examples of this techniqueon the CD, including Pontpoint, where the archaic bandoneon and bowed psaltery converse with hyper-modern electronic bleeps and bloops.
Until this CD came around, if you wanted to hear anything by GordonMumma, you had to search out his few vinyl releases. This CD collectssix of Mumma's electronic compositions from the late 18's through theearly 80's. Conspicuously absent from this collection is Megaton for Wm. Burroughs, which is reportedly forthcoming on another CD release. That and more experimental artists from the label, Lovely Music.
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