Karel Appel

CD in six-panel digipak with 24-page booklet. First reissue of Karel Appel's masterpiece Musique Barbare. In 1963, Dutch abstract expressionist painter Karel Appel (1921-2006), who cofounded the avant-garde Cobra movement in 1948, booked time in the Instituut voor Sonologie in the Netherlands to compose music for a documentary that cinematographer Jan Vrijman was making on Appel's work. Musique Barbare was born. Originally released by Philips, this masterpiece of musique concrète is a real jewel for any record collector. Made in collaboration with Insituut member Frits Weiland, Musique Barbare is a fantastic mix of electric organ fumblings, full-on riots of distorted kettle drum, and assorted percussion-room filigrees, assembled into an extremely edit-heavy suite with significant tape-speed manipulation. Karel Appel was a forceful and fascinating personality, and Musique Barbare bears his unique stamp as much as any of his other artistic creations. A more remarkable gramophone record has not been produced in many a year. Includes exclusive photos by Ed van der Elsken and texts by Jan Vrijman, all printed on luxurious photographic paper.