Mad Music, Inc.

mad music, inc – st (self-released lp, 1977) album

This is a weird one, and I feel like I’m out of my depth in a good way… here goes. Not much is known about the single lp released as “Mad Music, Inc.” in 1977. The cover and labels contain nothing more than the name, a Michaelangelo-inspired painting and the character below. With nothing else to go on, all that remains is what’s most important: the music.

The album contains moods and textures rather than songs, and both side A and B are set up as a sort of continuous suite. The mood is mellow and introspective, mostly instrumental and well-suited to laying down in the dark. Whomever is behind “Mad Music, Inc.“  managed to combine strains from world music, early ambient recordings and spiritual jazz into something unique. At times the music seems to drift into New Age or Soundtrack-territory, but there’s always something unexpected around the corner.

Many a recent day has ended with a quiet spin of this record, and it always manages to balance me out. I hope it’ll do the same for you.

edit oct 2012: link removed because this has been reissued by Yoga Records / Drag City

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