Man In Space With Sounds

Recorded in 1951 but only released in conjunction with the 1962 Seattle World's Fair as the musical accompaniment to the Bubbelator, a transparent, spherical elevator that carried as many as 150 passengers, Attilio Mineo's Man in Space with Sounds remains one of the most foreboding and complex records in the cosmic exotica canon. A dark, dissonant exploration of interstellar travel rooted in the avant-garde ethos of Cage and Stockhausen, this is music that's alien not only in its presentation but also in its orientation, fusing traditional instrumentation and sound effects to the point that one becomes indistinguishable from the other. Electronic elements pulse, hum, and sputter their way to complete domination of Mineo's sonic palette, depicting a bleak, sterile future where mankind gives way to machinery. Two versions of the LP were released, one with World's Fair voice-over narration and the other without, and the former is all the more chilling for its seeming ambivalence to technology's awesome power. ~ Jason Ankeny|