Tod Dockstader - Electronic Vol.1

I’ve had some secret knowledge of this release for like over a year or something and I’ve been waiting impatiently for it like an insomniac 5 year old on Christmas eve.

Tod Dockstader is a fookin genius, one of electronic music’s all-time greats. This LP, the first part of two volumes was originally released in 1979 on the Boosy & Hawkes label and has been like gold dust for some time since. It did sneak out on Creel Pone at some point but never has it been reissued on vinyl until now when the house of Mordant Music bestow upon us this cherished masterpiece of electronic sound.

Twenty three tracks in all, none longer than just over two minutes yet each piece is a perfectly formed, exquisitely realized slice of pure technicolor audio bliss. None of them remotely resemble “sketches”. I guess you could describe them as vignettes as I’m sure they’d taste great on a lovely goats cheese, beetroot and rocket salad. The tracks are like both macrocosms and microcosms simultaneously. This is thee definition of pure beauty through sound and an absolute masterclass in making machines sing while transporting the listener to uncharted meridians. Beauty, darkness, hopes, fears... You'll laugh, you'll cry.

I could be accused of being lazy for not writing in depth about individual sounds and tracks but honestly I think that stuff is a waste of time. The music needs no explanation, all it needs is ears.

The graphic layout of the artwork is faithful to the original but has been updated to include a rather endearing portrait of the man himself. Volume 2 can’t come round quick enough, and well as for the accompanying remix 10” from Mordant Music and Ekoplekz - HOLY SHIT! Timeless audio alert! Highest possible recommendation.