Includes liner notes by The Millionaire. Peter Thomas was a German composer of scores to an impressive multitude of Western European B-movies in the 1960s and '70s. And were it not for the renewed interest in lesser-documented instrumental music spurred by the DJs and sampling mavericks of the lounge and electronic music movements, Thomas' achievements would have probably remained stuck in a record company vault, collecting dust. Instead, FUTUREMUZIK, a compilation of sixteen mid-'60s pieces that range from themes ("Space Patrol") to lounge tunes ("Monster") to orchestral suites ("The Hunchback of Soho"), reveals Thomas to be in league with such compositional mavericks as Moondog and Jean-Jacques Perrey, mixing jazzy pomp, classically-oriented structure, and futuristic technology. Picture a brass-intensive big band full of young talents early in their musical careers (keyboardist Jan Hammer, drummer Keith Forsey, saxophonist Klaus Doldinger) swinging, cross-rhythms percolating and various sound effects taking up whatever sonic space is available. The pieces themselves are freakish pop variations on Ellington and Mancini, with Moogs and various other modern analog applications (including the first documented use of a vocoder) adding to the wall of sound. FUTUREMUZIK is another victory for the secret histories of twentieth century music, and more proof that innovations hide in the weirdest places.

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Includes liner notes by The Millionaire. Peter Thomas was a German composer of scores to an impressive multitude of Western European B-movies in the 1960s and '70s. And were it not for the renewed interest in lesser-documented instrumental music spurred by the DJs and sampling mavericks of the lounge and electronic music movements, Thomas' achievements would have probably remained stuck in a record company vault, collecting dust. Instead, FUTUREMUZIK, a compilation of sixteen mid-'60s pieces that range from themes ("Space Patrol") to lounge tunes ("Monster") to orchestral suites ("The Hunchback of Soho"), reveals Thomas to be in league with such compositional mavericks as Moondog and Jean-Jacques Perrey, mixing jazzy pomp, classically-oriented structure, and futuristic technology. Picture a brass-intensive big band full of young talents early in their musical careers (keyboardist Jan Hammer, drummer Keith Forsey, saxophonist Klaus Doldinger) swinging, cross-rhythms percolating and various sound effects taking up whatever sonic space is available. The pieces themselves are freakish pop variations on Ellington and Mancini, with Moogs and various other modern analog applications (including the first documented use of a vocoder) adding to the wall of sound. FUTUREMUZIK is another victory for the secret histories of twentieth century music, and more proof that innovations hide in the weirdest places.