Morton Subotnick

'I believe Jacob's Room is one of the most extraordinary examples of extended vocal techniques that I have ever heard. Touch is the child of the original Buchla electronic music triumvirate that included Silver Apples and Wild Bull. Its exploration of the sound and texture possibilities of electronic music is a variation on the two previous compositions. Jacob's Room is a vehicle for Subotnick's wife, Joan LaBarbara to demonstrate why she is universally considered the master of extended vocal techniques. She leaps effortlessly from beautiful operatic tonality to microtonal notes and the gutteral animal noises requires an impressive control and technique. The resulting music is riveting in its vocal breadth. Erika Duke's cello work adds an aggressive edge befitting the difficult subject of Jacob's Room.' - A. Anderson