Kat Epple & Bob Stohl Sanctus Spiritus

The Andy Votel curated / Finders Keepers sub-label are doing a mighty fine job at unearthing some long lost obscurities, digging deeper than many current reissue labels. This husband / wife duo operated out of Florida from the late 70’s through to the very tail end of the 80’s. In their DIY studio they would create soundtracks for natural history television features, planetariums etc. using both acoustic instruments and electronic gear/ synthesizers (Arp 2600, Mini Moog, EML Synkey, Roland RS202 String Ensemble and Electro-Harmonix Vocode).

‘Sanctus Spiritus’ compiles tracks from private tapes dating back to 1980-1982 and fuses new-age sounds with science fiction electronics. There’s some fantastic space music within these grooves, at times recalling moments from the Vangelis soundtrack to Blade Runner. There is some deeply soulful playing of the Lyricon I flute/ synthesizer Hybrid which really give the space age sounds a contrasting human/ earthy feel.

Sadly Bob made his transition to the stars at the young age of 34 years old. His vision and legacy lives on through his music, lovingly reissued here to be discovered by a new generation of listeners.