Tomorrow’s Fashions: Library Electronica 1972 to 1987 - Various Artists

Compiled by Bob Stanley, Tomorrow’s Fashions varies from advertising jingles and TV themes to space exploration and gorgeous, beatless ambience. Though it’s 40-to-50 years old there’s a real freshness to this music. Older jazz players Brian Bennett, John Cameron, Alan Hawkshaw and others seized the chance to operate a synth; younger pups including John Saunders and Monica Beale were simply intrigued by the new technology being wheeled into the studios. There’s a tangible sense of adventure.

Tomorrow’s Fashions brand of electronica anticipated new age and ambient music. It also had both a direct and indirect influence on pop – the early Human League and the future sounds of Warp Records are all over this collection. Electronic library tracks have been sampled by everyone from MF Doom to Kendrick Lamar.

One person’s primitive and experimental is another person’s space-age lullaby. This was music made in the shadows – in Soho’s secretive music library studios – that has now become desirable and influential. The chances are chunks of it will be sampled and used on hit records that have yet to be written. If the musicians’ aim was to soundtrack tomorrow’s fashions, they couldn’t have got it more right.

SIDE ONE

1. COASTER - Simon Park
2. RIPPLING REEDS - Wozo
3. LEAVING - Sam Spence
4. NORTHERN LIGHTS 1 - John Cameron
5. SPAGHETTI JUNCTION - Peter Reno
6. SPACE WALK - Rubba
7. PROSPECT - Paul Hart

SIDE TWO

1. TOMORROW'S FASHIONS - Geoff Bastow
2. BLUE MOVIES - Brian Wade
3. VIDEODISC - Trevor Bastow
4. INTERFACE - Astral Sounds
5. STARWAYS - Brian Chatton
6. OPTICS - Unit 9
7. ATOMIC STATION - Wozo

SIDE THREE

1. FUTURE PROSPECT - Adrian Baker
2. PLANNED PRODUCTION - Warren Bennett
3. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES - Anthony Hobson aka Tektron
4. WATERFALL - Chameleon
5. TELECOM - James Asher
6. EAGLE - Simon Park aka Soul City Orchestra
7. ASTRAL PLAIN - Alan Hawkshaw

SIDE FOUR

1. DRIFTING IN TIME - Paul Williams
2. EARTH BORN - Brian Bennett
3. SOFT WAVES - Harry Forbes
4. TOPAZ - Astral Sounds
5. ETERNITY - Alan Hawkshaw
6. INFINITY - John Cameron
7. MORNING DEW - Andy Grossart & Paul Williams