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Computer Music Journal

“Contes de la mémoire (Memory’s tales): a very appropriate title, considering the eclectic content of this compilation of tape works by Jon Appleton.”

Contes de la mémoire (Memory’s tales): a very appropriate title, considering the eclectic content of this compilation of tape works by Jon Appleton. San Francisco Airport Rock (1996) depicts spontaneous answers to the question posed by the composer: (Q) “What do you think about the new electronic music?” (A) “Yes, I met Robert Moog…” Oh, it is nice, I like this music…” “No, I don’t know…” “I listen to it on the radio….” The accompaniment consists of drones and gentle washes of light “techno” music with soft voices looping in the background. In a way, the piece criticizes itself. E-mu and Roland synthesizers and the Vision sequencer were used for this piece, partially realized at MlT, then mixed down at the Bregman Electronic Music Studio at Dartmouth College (of which Mr. Appleton is the director).

Originally published by Computer Music Journal.Read the full review on Computer Music Journal

10 other reviews

Earwaves

“… a beautiful recording of computer music…”

Sonomu

“A startling piece of digital composition and yet another example of Appleton’s warmth and irrepressible humanness…”

CMJ (College Media Journal)

“Jon Appleton has been composing and constructing electronic music since the early ’60s, and a professor at Dartmouth for nearly as long.”

Option

“The popularity of computer music being what it is, even a distinguished electronic musician/composer like Appleton is heard largely on compilations or in retrospectives like this one, with selections spanning 30 years of artistic labor.”

Outsight

“This CD begins and ends with random street interviews on computer generated music. The techniques employed are varied as the answers of the interview participants.”

Village Voice

“The guru of the synclavier has released a couple of new works, but mostly old pieces that hadn’t been available in decades.”

The War Against Silence

“Jon Appleton’s Contes de la mémoire, takes a much less abrasive approach to electroacoustic music. Until a giant, sadistic, gong-playing praying mantis infiltrates the album toward the very end, carrying a frazzled television set, most of these pieces sound like Eno, Dr.”

Musicworks

“American Jon Appleton and Brit Jonty Harrison are pioneers of electroacoustic music, and the pivotal moments of their enterprising work are marvellously captured on these two retrospectives issued by the empreintes DIGITALes label.”

Artefakt

“Jon Appletons Lebenslauf wirkt mächtig. Er wird als Mitglied einer Gruppe Forscher, die das Synclavier hervorbrachten und aufgrund seines weltweiten Engagements um die Elektroakustik gewürdigt.”

Splendid E-Zine

“Jon Appleton has been a central figure in electroacoustic music for close to 3 decades now. Contes de la mémoire is sort of like his “Greatest Hits” compilation — a collection of ten electronic pieces from throughout his career.”