A collection of tracks created on the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument, this solo LP by Dave Vorhaus further explores the possibilities of the instrument, especially the sampling option (see also previous post). While the A-side is rather pastoral, even cosmic, the flip imaginatively explores different territories where Vorhaus’ whimsical creativity is given (almost) free reign. From John Carpenter’s film music echoes to The Residents-like foolery on The Rhesus Rhythm Band and Concentric Cacophony, it seems Vorhaus’ fancies found a perfect means of expression in the Fairlight. A track like the disturbing #9 Laughing Gas, for instance, is made of a unique sample of someone laughing. File under: imaginative library music.
01 Creation (1:58)
02 Inferno (1:18)
03 Seasons (2:46)
04 Hocus Pocus (a) (2:36)
05 Hocus Pocus (b) (3:01)
06 Evolution (3:14)
07 Midnight Suns (2:45)
08 Powers of Darkness (1:49)
09 Laughing Gas (1:08)
10 Echoes of War (3:46)
11 Counterpoints (a) (1:02)
12 Counterpoints (b) (:38)
13 Ripples (1:44)
14 Repercussions (a) (1:01)
15 Repercussions (b) (1:02)
16 The Rhesus Rhythm Band (1:08)
17 Concentric Cacophony (1:33)
18 Night Skies (1:59)
19 The Devil Rides Out (:51)
Total time 35:16
LP released by KPM Music, UK, 1982
Vorhaus’ library music:
1980 The Vorhaus Sound Experiments, LP, KPM Music
1982 Electro-graphics (w/ D. Bradnam), LP, Music De Wolfe
1982 Sleight Of Mind, LP, KPM Music
1983 Sound Conjurer (w/ D. Bradnam), LP, KPM Music >
1984 The Quest, LP, Music De Wolfe
1985 Out Of The Dark, LP, KPM Music >
1999 Atmos 6: Water/New Age, CD, Carlin #189
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Continuo's weblog 
Thanks for Vorhaus Continuo, i listen many kpm but not this one.Very nice.
For some reason, I keep stumbling upon Vorhaus LPs these days. I might be lucky or something.
not on megaupload !
all the best
LG
After taking a break from the world of music blogs for almost two years, I’m back at last & posts like these make me realize how much I missed them! Many thanks, Continuo, it’s good to see you’re still there with such excellent and rare contributions after all these years.
Sincerely,
A.
Welcome back, A. I try to maintain some unexpectedness on the blog, as when I started 3 years ago.
Bless ye! Dave Vorhaus – not only because of the legacy he represented, but simply for his own abilities – was the last composer of any interest or creativity at KPM.
Not sure I would endorse your bold statement, Carl. I posted other KPM stuff that was great (by Gryphon ex-members) and such a large catalogue has obviously plenty of surprises to offer.
I hope you’re right. I have been more disappointed than anything else I have heard in the 1250-1400 range. All the fire and glory of the Dales, the Mansfields, the Hawkshaws, and the Geesins and Derbyshires gave way – in my opinion – to workaday pabulum.
I guess you’ve just had too much of KPM already. As a relative newcomer to library music, I still have marvels to unearth. Makes me feel young.
Haaa! I can help you youngenate… but you have to get on SoulSeek!
My source for good music is my beloved turntable, mostly. By “unearthing” I meant: digging the thrift stores.
You find this stuff in thrift stores? Wow, you have good luck. I guess the Seattle thrifts get picked over fairly quickly and I’ve never found much to brag about, even with years of trying.
More precisely: flea markets and second hand record stores. All the library music I posted was bought for something like 3 to 6 Euros, that’s 5 to 10 USD. But I admittedly live in a magic city where record sellers have no idea who David Vorhaus is and think their stacks of KPM LPs will never go away.
You would love Paris, it seems.
Yes…Paris and eg http://waxidermy.com/features/mpi-library/
and many other great French labels.
:)
Very nice page indeed. Thanks for the link.
Yes I would love to hit the fleas markets in Paris, absolutely.
Yet another fine Vorhaus library album. Thanks big time!…(-;
Thanks for dropping by.
Thanks for sharing!
For a much less advanced, but very entertainingly silly early use of sampling in library music, check also the “singing” animal crazyness of “Plastic Zoo” by Harry Winkler and Gerhard Narholz, released on German library labels Sonoton and Intersound.
You might know it from the 365 days project:
http://wfmu.org/365/2003/253.shtml
Thanks. Will check “Plastic Zoo” soon.
I just finished reading Bernard Vorhaus’ autobiography in which he mentions that his son David composes electronic music. I didn’t recognize the name but through googling it I found out that I had purchased his first LP “White Noise – An Electric Storm” back in the early 70s.
Thanks for posting more of his music on your site.
http://www.mediafire.com/?dimh5dl218cs6kw
^neolink
Hi! Any chance to re-up by other ways? File removed
Thanks