Morton Subotnick orchestrates documentary film and 50th anniversary Silver Apples of the Moon LP reissue

My original title for this write-up had the word “seminal” in it. But “seminal” doesn’t even begin to describe Morton Subotnick’s caliber as a pioneering composer of electronic music; nor does it seem to do justice to the paramount influence of his 1967 full-length LP Silver Apples of the Moon.

Made with the use of the original Buchla synthesizer (whose very creation was, in fact, commissioned by Subotnick), this pioneering and otherworldly piece was created specifically for a release on Nonesuch Records as “a musical composition for which the performance was the recording” (Allmusic.com). But for all its historically significant backstory — and despite its rigorously experimental nature — Silver Apples of the Moon is also simply a gorgeous record to listen to.

Did I say 1967? Yes, it’s been exactly fifty years since the release of the album, and Subotnick is celebrating the anniversary in several ways. First, the composer has started an Indiegogo campaign to fund a documentary film about his life, produced by the I Dream of Wires team Waveshaper Media and featuring “a series of candid interviews and illuminating conversations with key figures from [Subotnick’s] past and present.” Secondly, the contributor perks for the campaign include black, orange, red, and blue anniversary vinyl represses of Silver Apples of the Moon, as well as a cassette version (for the first time since the original release)!

Finally, “the ‘founding father’ of electronica” is set to perform at New York’s Lincoln Center in July and premiere a new “multi-media tone poem for voice, electronic sound, and live imagery,” titled “Crowds and Power.” Tickets for that epic-sounding new work can be purchased here.

Once again, head over to Subotnick’s Indiegogo site now for more details and/or to lend your support to the project, and watch the official trailer of the documentary below:

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