Pauline Oliveros - Reverberations: Tape & Electronic Music 1961 - 1970 (2012)

Released in conjunction with her 80th birthday, Reverberations: Tape & Electronic Music 1961-1970 chronologically collects hours of experimental composer Pauline Oliveros' early tape experiments recorded at various visits to the electronic music studios of different universities. This remarkably extensive 12-disc set begins with "Time Perspectives," a rudimentary stereo tape experiment Oliveros recorded at home in 1961. This raw stereo tape piece manipulates various sounds; laughter, bell tones, minimal tubular movements -- twisting the subtle sounds through phases where they're familiar and then back to unrecognizable gurgles. The experimentation is unhinged and varied throughout the set, from the high-pitched noise of the five-part early synthesizer "Mnemonics" suite to the obscured dark rumble of the proto-ambient "Big Slow Bog." The use of patiently manipulated tape loops on later material such as "A Little Noise in the System" predicts much of what would come to be baseline sounds in the academic noise scenes of the late 2000s/early 2010s. These mostly unreleased compositions are primarily extended explorations, and range widely in sound and emotional depth, always finding a surprisingly natural and humanistic arc for their amusical sounds. Ultimately, the collection wades through the mire of sometimes difficult sounds and reveals a spectrum of sophisticated emotional reflections. Oliveros' unhurried electronic meditations often derive joy and hope from the least likely places.