EMF’s State of the Union 2.001 is probably one of the coolest ideas for a compilation CD that I have seen in some time. There are 171 (!) artists represented here from a major range of styles of the avant-garde, electro-acoustic, and experimental sort. The collection is compiled by Elliott Sharp and highlights one minute selections from each of the artists.
The one minute track length is perfect for those times when attention is short or someplace else. With all of the craziness and randomness over these 3CDs the affect is something like a schizoid attack! A couple names from the collection that were familiar to me were Merzbow and Foetus, but there are so many other composers from the avant-garde and academic music worlds that I have never heard before.
It’s great to have a slice of these artists’ work all in one place and there to follow up on when things get interesting.
list of composers