Manhattan Research Inc. (compilation album)
by Raymond Scott

From meccalecca 12/04/2013 20:04 | #96345

You may recognize Raymond Scott’s name as the musical mastermind whose work was made famous through its use in Looney Tunes cartoons. But Manhattan Research Inc is a much different collection of sounds. Comprised of recordings between 1953 and 1969, Manhattan Research Inc combines early electronic music experiments with commercial jingles. Long before the likes of Eno or Kraftwerk, Scott’s recordings seem ridiculously ahead of their time. “The Bass-line Generator” sounds like a sketch for peak Kraftwerk, but with the warped sensibilities of Silver Apples. The spoken tracks are reminiscent of hip hop sampling. Meanwhile, the Jim Henson narrated “Limbo: The Organized Mind” brings to mind the bizarre spoken works of Tom Waits. Applying his orchestral sensibilities to electronic soundscapes, even the commercial jingles appear as profound technical achievements.