Artifacts from the Archives

We are offering a FREE 349-page pdf compendium of Raymond Scott artifacts and ephemera, including previously uncirculated historic material. The contents of Artifacts from the Archives are intended as informational supplements to the Scott albums Three Willow Park, Manhattan Research Inc., and Soothing Sounds for Baby.

The chronological, annotated documents and images spotlight Scott’s career in the field of electronic music, from his 1920s Brooklyn high school days to his 1980s post-Motown years in Los Angeles. Much of the content focuses on Scott’s most productive period, from 1958 (when he began working on electronic music full-time) to 1972 (his first year at Motown). The collection features Scott’s handwritten and typed technical notes, photographs, sketches, correspondence, art, schematics, patents, circuit diagrams, vintage news articles, and family ephemera. The pdf is offered for download in two formats: high resolution (for viewing and printing), and reduced resolution, suitable for paging through on-screen.

The Portofino Variations

Raymond Scott's 1962 tune "Portofino" has become a belated "hit." It's been licensed for the TV show Narcos, the film Best of Enemies, used in a Gucci commercial, and garnered more single-track downloads than any track on Manhattan Research Inc., the Y2K anthology of vintage Scott electronica on which it was first released. Basta has commissioned 20 contemporary versions of the composition and collected them on a new album, The Portofino Variations. The album, officially released today, features "Portofino" recorded by Fay Lovsky, Arling & Cameron, the Metropole Orchestra, Ocobar, Davide Rossi (Goldfrapp, Coldplay, The Verve), Jacco Gardner, Eva Auad, and others. The tune is interpreted in a wide array of styles: surf guitar, whistling, electronica, chamber ensemble, minimalism, pop, rock guitar, and scat vocals. The compilation even contains two song versions with original lyrics. The album is available on CD and digitally on Basta, and on LP by Music on Vinyl (a limited edition of 1,000 numbered LPs on gold vinyl, featuring two previously unreleased 1962 takes by Scott). The cover art features an adaption of a painting by Jim Flora entitled Portofino—which by coincidence was rendered in 1962.

Listen here on Spotify.

Limited-Edition Color-Vinyl LPs

Basta's historic compilation of early Scott electronica, MANHATTAN RESEARCH INC., has been reissued in a tricolor 3-LP set by Music on Vinyl, under license from Basta. The newly designed package is officially available today. MRI, first issued in 2000, contains 69 tracks recorded 1953–69 — over two hours’ worth of Scott’s groundbreaking electronic work. Forays into abstract musique concrete are heard alongside film soundtrack collaborations with a young Jim Henson, and pan-galactic sonics seemingly beamed down from hovering UFOs. In addition, MRI presents some of the first TV and radio commercials to feature electronic music. ORDER: HERE

SOOTHING SOUNDS FOR BABY, Scott's 1963 proto-ambient music for infants and stressed-out adults, has been reissued in a 3-LP set by Music on Vinyl (also via Basta). Explore the overlooked roots of rhythmic minimalism, predating works by Eno, Fripp, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. Limited edition of 1,000 copies on silver vinyl, with liner notes and download coupon for all tracks. Purchase link in Euros, but if you're outside EU, Paypal will make the conversion. ORDER: HERE

Three Willow Park: Electronic Music from Inner Space, 1961–71

THREE WILLOW PARK: ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM INNER SPACE, 1961–71, a new collection of previously unreleased Raymond Scott electronica, will be issued June 30th by Basta Music. The album features 61 tracks, many showcasing the Motown-era Electronium — Scott's invention that composed using programmed intelligence — which will be heard for the first time on disc. This long-awaited followup to Manhattan Research Inc. (recorded 1953-69) will be available in 3-LP, 2-CD, and digital formats, and includes a 20-page book, plus a free 350-page downloadable PDF of archival artifacts. Produced By: Gert-Jan Blom and Irwin Chusid • Associate Producer: Jeff Winner • Art Direction: Piet Schreuders • Order from Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2q2NZ11

Gotye: State of the Art

Earlier this year we noted that Australian-based international pop star Gotye, with his multi-platinum album Making Mirrors, had (indirectly) put Raymond Scott back at the top of the charts. Scott's voice (from the Manhattan Research, Inc. 2-cd set) is sampled in the album track "State of the Art." We hadn't gotten around to posting the official video for the song, and herein rectify our oversight. Unfortunately, Scott's voice was omitted from the video soundtrack, but it's still a great recording, set to eye-popping animation by Greg Sharp and Ivan Dixon of Rubber House.

Would Daffy Approve?

The New York Times reviews the Dance Heginbotham/Raymond Scott Orchestrette collaborative choreographic premiere of Manhattan Research at Lincoln Center Out of Doors this past Thursday.

Excerpt:

Mr. Heginbotham — who founded his company, Dance Heginbotham, two years ago — comes with his own associations, primarily the 14 years he spent in the Mark Morris Dance Group. As a choreographer, his most obvious connection to Mr. Morris is a fidelity to music. With antic groupings, Egyptian arm bends and vaudeville steps, “Manhattan Research” doesn’t just capture the spirit of [Raymond] Scott; it makes visual the music’s form and offers an apt move or gesture for nearly every sound. Also, Mr. Heginbotham is funny.

Our take? Brilliant, exciting, vivacious, animated. We look forward to further collaborative projects between Heginbotham's young troupe and the RSO.

The Scott works performed by the RSO were: "Manhattan Minuet" (premiere), "Powerhouse," "Snake Woman" (premiere), "Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue," and "Siberian Sleighride."

Gotye puts Raymond back on the charts

It's probably been at least half a century since Ray scored a new hit, but thanks to Belgian-born Australian recording artist Gotye, Raymond Scott is back on top of the charts. Kinda. The Gotye song "State Of The Art" features a brief but memorable cameo of Raymond's voice as the track's finale, which was lifted from our Manhattan Research Inc. 2-CD/book compilation. The Gotye album, titled Making Mirrors, reached the Top 10 on the US Billboard 200, is currently the #2 US Rock Album (behind Bruce Springsteen, who holds the top slot at the moment), is the #1 US Alternative Album, and has already achieved global Gold, Platinum, and Triple Platinum sales status. Gotye will be this week's music guest on Saturday Night Live. • UPDATE: Gotye recently gave us this quote:

"Raymond Scott recorded some of the most unique and beguiling electronic sounds. An incessant inventor, designer, tinkerer — he's a big inspiration for me as a producer. His tightly orchestrated preudo-jazz with his Quintette was truly singular too. He was a real musical visionary."

Cindy + Me

Stereogum.com: "Caged Animals is Brooklyn denizen Vincent Cacchione, maker of homespun indie-pop that leverages electronics and guitars in the pursuit of sweetly endearing pop awkwardness. He has an album titled Eat Their Own and EP called This Summer, both on UK label Lucky Number, and he’s back with a new single. The clattering, theremin-y synth-bounce of 'Cindy + Me' is built on a sample from Raymond Scott's 'Cindy Electronium'."

Get Vincent's backstory on the tune and listen to it at Stereogum. Then watch the new video, which features a quintet of medical academy-trained monkeys:

The Guardian's take is here. The original "Cindy Electronium" appeared on the Manhattan Research Inc. collection of Scott's 1950s-60s electronica, and the sample was licensed thru Basta.

Dance Heginbotham: Manhattan Research (August 8, 2013)

Dance Heginbotham, led by choreographer John Heginbotham, creates highly structured, technically rigorous, and theatrical dance works. On August 8, at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the troupe presents the world premiere of Manhattan Research, a new work based on the music of Raymond Scott. LCOD describes the performance:

Best known for his Loony Tunes ditties, the composer, bandleader, and musical inventor’s spirit—leaping from zany to sultry—lives on with the Raymond Scott Orchestrette, whose dynamic performances of works like “Powerhouse” will provide the spark for Heginbotham’s vigor and humor. Athletic, meticulously rhythmic movement will run alongside cool, witty nods to the subject matter in Scott's melodies, instrumentation, and song titles.

The free concert takes place Thursday, August 8, 7:30 pm, at Damrosch Park Bandshell.

Hear the Orchestrette's album Pushbutton Parfait on Soundcloud.

"J Dilla Changed My Life"

Happy birthday to the late James Dewitt Yancey, aka Jay Dee, and J Dilla, who would have been 38 years-old. NPR said the Detroit-based producer and rapper was "one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists," working with De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Janet Jackson, Macy Gray, Common, The Roots, D'Angelo, and Erykah Badu. Dilla released his solo album, DONUTS — which he wrote and recorded while in and out of the hospital — only 3 days before his tragic passing in 2006 at age 32. (He'd been battling Lupus for 3 years.) 

DONUTS features several samples from Raymond Scott's vintage electronic tracks, including "The Tomorrow People," and "Melonball Bounce." But, as the LA TIMES reported this morning, "one of Dilla's most accomplished works comes via the idiosyncratic use of the Raymond Scott composition 'Lightworks,'" which has since been re-reworked by Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, MF Doom, Peanut Butter Wolf, Questlove, and Busta Rhymes. Along with other modern artists who cover Scott tunes (Gorillaz, El-P, Madlib), Dilla's work steers new fans to Raymond's originals. And like Scott, Dilla was a studio pioneer whose music and influence lives on. The J Dilla Foundation is hosting a series of global tribute concerts during the coming week, with Busta Rhymes and others. Info: here

YO GABBA GABBA! and DJ Lance Rock:"What’s In My Bag?" — watch the video

DJ Lance Rock is the host of YO GABBA GABBA!, a live-action TV show on Nick Jr. geared towards children, yet has a strong adult following too. The show regularly features guests like Biz Markie, Leslie Hall, Elijah Wood, the Shins, and Mark Mothersbaugh.

In this segment, DJ Lance Rock goes to Amoeba Records for presents for the show's characters. For Plex, he chooses the 3-LP vinyl version of the "MANHATTAN RESEARCH INC." 2-CD/144-page hardcover book set of Raymond Scott's electronic music. Watch it on YouTube: here <<<

NOTE: A slight but important correction to Mr. Rock's info — although the compilation does indeed contain recordings from the 1950s and '60s — there's in fact nothing from the 1970s. 

New birthday tribute album:"Tokyorkshire Research Inc" by kidkanevil

Happy 103rd birthday to Raymond Scott, born on September 10th, 1908. Just released today, in honor of this milestone — "Tokyorkshire Research Inc," a new Raymond Scott by tribute album by Kidkanevil, who writes:

"Thank you - Stan Warnow, Irwin Chusid, Jeff Winner. Source material used with kind permission of the Raymond Scott estate. Mastered by Matt Colton at AIR STUDIOS, London. NOTE - This beat tape is intended to be listened to on shuffle/make your own track listing." • UPDATE — Watch the new video: here

Red Bull Music Academy Daily News adds: "Samurai-style London Academy grad Kidkanevil just released a tribute beat-tape comprised in it's entirety from the music of Raymond Scott. An audacious feat no less, but the results are incredible: the thing goes hard. And in case you're worried, the tape is 100% cleared by the Scott estate so you can rest easily knowing no bad karmic repercussions are in store. Btw, we're on our third listen right now, and it keeps getting better."

Mark Mothersbaugh and The Electronium

Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) with the Motown version of Raymond Scott’s instantaneous-composition invention, THE ELECTRONIUM (and a Yamaha DX-7), in Scott’s guesthouse in Van Nuys, CA, 1993. [Photo by Mr. Bonzai, published in BILLBOARD magazine]

“Raymond Scott was like an audio version of Andy Warhol. He preceded Pop-Art sensibilities, and he played with that line between commercial art and fine art, mixing elements of both worlds together. I love and respect Raymond Scott's work, and it influenced me a lot. I'm a big fan.” —Mark Mothersbaugh

UPDATE — Synthtopia.com reblogged, and adds: 

Saturday Synth Porn:
There are multiple layers of music history captured in the photo. Scott’s work was an inspiration to Bob Moog, who created the Minimoog that was used extensively on Devo’s early albums. The Electronium is now owned by Mothersbaugh, but is not in working order.
Image: Mr. Bonzai, via Jeff Winner’s Raymond Scott blog

Toy Story: Taki76 Strikes Back

Last year, I reported that funk/soul/electro artist Taki76 had created a stop-motion video featuring the Raymond Scott figurine, with a home-made doll of himself. Now, Taki has made this new 1-minute animated film to celebrate the recent DVD release of the documentary, DECONSTRUCTING DAD. See Taki's original vid: here

Part 2: Full Circle

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that an engineer, David Brown, was developing a replica of Raymond Scott's sequencer invention, The Circle Machine. Mr. Brown reports progress:

I mounted the base plate on a panel along with the 16 lamp rheostats and three control jacks. I built a separate desktop wood enclosure with an external power supply. I removed three of the vanes and the counterbalance weights to lighten the armature. This was rather a fun project and my first using a stepper motor. I built it for fun since I thought it would be visually interesting. I didn't intend for this to be a precision sequencer nor a faithful recreation of the Raymond Scott Circle Machine. However I am pleased with the results as it works well to generate interesting sequences and is fun to watch.

New video & details: here

Full Circle

Retired Tektronix engineering executive David Brown is constructing a working replica of Raymond Scott's sequencer invention, The Circle Machine. “I thought it would be fun to build something with motors and lamps," Mr. Brown says. "The only information I have is the picture on the Raymond Scott site. I used a Hammond vibrato scanner base as the base for the Circle Machine and mounted it on a plate with 16 potentiometers around it. I only have 8 lamps installed but I have it playing an octave scale. I’m not sure how practical it is but it’s kind of fun to watch."

See & hear Brown's replica in action: here

Bump In The Night

Adult Swim, the adult-oriented cable TV network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network at night, features shows and commercial breaks that are interrupted by creative bumpers that use short jokes or Internet fan feedback, usually broadcast in simple white letters over a black screen.

If you took a bathroom break and missed them, here's a trio of bumps featuring a mutated mix of Raymond Scott's "In The Hall Of The Mountain Queen" obsessively archived at BumpWorthy.com.

Egg Money

These two clever commercials for the UK-based Egg Bank have been perched on the web (and forgotten about, by us) for several years. Both spots feature super furry animals—in fact, some of the top names in the guinea pig acting community.

The musical scores are by Raymond Scott—specifically, two licensed tracks from Manhattan Research, Inc.: "Domino" and "Baltimore Gas & Electric," both composed and recorded in the early 1960s. Ironic that two works intended by Scott for commercials wound up almost 50 years later being used in ... commercials.

Raymond Scott 101: Happy Birthday

Today is the 101st anniversary of Raymond Scott's birth. But before we eat cake & ice cream, let's review some basics for the kids who were late to class.

Q: When was Raymond Scott born?

A: On September 10, 1908.

Q: Is Raymond Scott still alive?

A: He passed away in 1994 at the age of 85.

Q: Did Raymond Scott write music for cartoons?

A: No, but 20 of his compositions have been immortalized in countless classic animations, from BUGS BUNNY to THE SIMPSONS.

Q: Did BOB MOOG, the inventor of Moog Synthesizers, work for Raymond Scott?

A: Although Bob Moog was more than 25 years younger than Raymond, they were professional colleagues & friends for nearly two decades. Bob acknowledged Ray as an early influence during the 1950s & '60s. Details about Scott-Moog connections here.

Q: Was Johnny Williams, drummer for the 1930s Raymond Scott Quintette, related to JOHN WILLIAMS, the famous film score composer of music for JAWS, STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, HARRY POTTER, etc.?

A: Yes, they are father & son.

Q: Did Raymond Scott work for MOTOWN?

A: During the 1950s & '60s, Scott perfected his 'Electronium,' an electronic music machine which attracted the attention of Motown owner Berry Gordy, who purchased an Electronium for Motown in September 1970. Scott then became Motown's Director of Electronic Research and Development for several years. Following a serious heart attack in 1977, Scott retired from Motown at age 69.

Q: I've heard that Raymond Scott worked with MUPPETS creator JIM HENSON. Fact or fiction?

A: Henson was more than a quarter-century younger than Scott when they met in the mid-1960s, and they collaborated on experimental art films, industrial reels, and TV projects. Many of the Scott-Henson collaborations are showcased in the 2-CD/144-page book package MANHATTAN RESEARCH INC.

HOMEWORK & FURTHER STUDY:

• Raymond Scott Timeline

• Raymond Scott FAQ

• RaymondScott.com

OK, now it's time for the birthday party!

Lullatone Will Rock You ... To Sleep

THE NEW YORK TIMES reports:

Lullatone are a husband-and-wife team based in Nagoya, Japan, who revere the electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott the way House reveres Facetti. Taking Scott’s 1963 Soothing Sounds for Baby albums as their starting point, Lullatone have developed a hypnotic, childlike sound that attains a lapidary brevity in their sound stamps (basically audio logos) for the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Lullatone's newest collection, We Will Rock You… to Sleep (an introduction to Lullatone), is a sampler CD with tracks from all of their previous albums, including one track from their upcoming disc of loops for babies.