{"title":"Craig Leon","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"rervng04","title":"Craig Leon - Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1: Nommos \/ Visiting","description":"\u003ch3\u003eCAT#: ReRVNG04\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: July 8, 2014\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf your order contains a pre-order record, it will be held and shipped complete when pre-order stock arrives.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCraig Leon's\u003c\/b\u003e seminal synthesizer albums \u003cem\u003eNommos\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eVisiting\u003c\/em\u003e are finally re-editioned in definitive form as the \u003cem\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1\u003c\/em\u003e for RVNG Intl.’s archival series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued respectively by \u003cb\u003eJohn Fahey's\u003c\/b\u003e Takoma record label in 1980 and Leon's Arbitor private press in 1982, \u003cem\u003eNommos\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eVisiting\u003c\/em\u003e were the twin brainchildren of studio wizard Craig Leon. Leon’s production was pivotal in realizing the debut recordings by \u003cb\u003eRamones\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eBlondie\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eRichard Hell\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eSuicide\u003c\/b\u003e. While those albums broke ground in new worlds of sound, Leon's own debut album was arguably, if not literally, more alien.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1973, the Brooklyn Museum hosted a comprehensive collection of sculptures by the Dogon of the Republic of Mali, a tribe whose religion is based in reveries and recollections of a visit from an extraterrestrial species they named Nommos. Years after experiencing the exhibit, Leon remained fascinated by the idea of alien visitors sharing not just stories of their home-planet, but musical traditions as well. For the classically trained Leon, a puzzle was presented and a challenge in place: what would music sound like if handed down from an ancient alien species? And how best to imagine it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUpon meeting Fahey in the late 70s, Leon pitched the concept as an opportune time to employ the latest and greatest synthesizer technology available. An avant empathist and eternally free spirit, Fahey enthusiastically green-lighted the project for his Takoma imprint. After a secluded week in an Austin, Texas studio with his partner, wife and collaborator \u003cb\u003eCassell Webb\u003c\/b\u003e, Leon returned with a collection of incorporeal melodies generated by the Oberheim OB-X, Roland JP-4 and Arp 2600 synthesizers propelled by primitive rhythms programmed on a prototype of \u003cb\u003eRoger Linn's\u003c\/b\u003e nascent drum-machine, the LM-1.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued by Fahey with zero expectation of the same radio airplay Leon accomplished with his pop productions, \u003cem\u003eNommos\u003c\/em\u003e now stands as an innovative example of cosmic-synth composition that wasn’t made for its time or any other. For this edition, Leon has in fact re-animated \u003cem\u003eNommos\u003c\/em\u003e by \u003cem\u003ere-recording\u003c\/em\u003e the exact audio signals as preserved in the album's original studio notes. Every patch, tape-delay speed and outboard setting was transcribed as first scored, materializing the best possible audio of an album whose masters were unaccessible to Leon due to a major label merger milieu from years ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, the re-master of \u003cem\u003eVisiting\u003c\/em\u003e was supervised firsthand by Leon. As its title suggests, \u003cem\u003eVisiting\u003c\/em\u003e materialized in 1982 as a conceptual continuation of \u003cem\u003eNommos\u003c\/em\u003e. The album is in equal measure more improvisatory and constructed than its predecessor. Both albums were intended to be listened to as a set in the first volume of Leon’s \u003cem\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music\u003c\/em\u003e (the title was an homage to \u003cb\u003eHarry Smith's\u003c\/b\u003e influential collection of folk music issued two decades prior). A creative evolutionist, Leon made subtle edits and compositional additions to both albums to enhance the connectivity and encourage infinite interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile reissues and bootlegs have appeared to relieve the demand for these records, this collection will stand as definitive versions authorized by Craig Leon himself. The vinyl edition will be housed in a 2xLP set that includes detailed artwork and two essays by Leon. The first tells the complete story of the stargazing Dogon people and their prescient understanding of cosmology. The second details Leon's adventure in creating the \u003cem\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1\u003c\/em\u003e, an epic story bookended on this side of history as one seamless synth classic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCraig Leon’s \u003cem\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1\u003c\/em\u003e will be released June 24, 2014 as a double LP set on RVNG Intl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100 limited edition vinyl sets will be pressed on clear vinyl to encourage continuous, comprehensive listening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6LrWARBkqPE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FlYlb7Fvv_U\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ReRVNG04","offers":[{"title":"DIGITAL - $12","offer_id":16609649131589,"sku":"ReRVNG04DIGI","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"DBL LP - $25","offer_id":13131058249797,"sku":"ReRVNG04LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0026\/6993\/6709\/products\/p-5884-ReRVNG04_900px.jpg?v=1599777608"},{"product_id":"craig-leon-anthology-of-interplanetary-folk-music-vol-2","title":"Craig Leon - Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCAT: RVNGNL55\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelease Date:\u003cbr\u003eMay 10, 2019 (digital)\u003cbr\u003eMay 10, 2019 (physical)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCraig Leon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e revisits the extraterrestrial origins of civilization in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, a continuing chronicle of his early 80s albums \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVisiting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. Exploring the cosmic lore of Leon’s earlier work, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe Canon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e expands upon the conceptual cycle based on the alien and mathematical relationships that backbone the creation of art, architecture, science, and music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn 1981, producer and composer Craig Leon, known in the downtown New York zeitgeist for his production on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Ramones\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eSuicide’s \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003edebut albums, released \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, a minimal, primitive electronic exploration based on a speculative, wildly imaginative anthropology. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAfter viewing an exhibition of Dogon art at the Brooklyn Museum in 1973, Leon remained fascinated by the Mali tribe’s creation myth that the Earth was visited in ancient times by the Nommos, a semi-amphibious alien race who travelled from the white dwarf Sirius B to impart their wisdom to mankind. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ecuriously released on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Fahey’s\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Takoma Records, manifested Leon’s obsession and investigation: an abstract, ascendent collection of music that could have soundtracked the interstellar visitors’ journey to Earth. Shimmering, mechanical, and anchored by an entrancing pulse of the Dogon’s ceremonial music, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and its sequel, the privately pressed 1982 album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVisiting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, careened into obscurity. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn the intervening years, while Leon pursued his career as a successful producer, cult interest in the albums grew, culminating in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e., the 2014 archival collection which presented \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVisiting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e as they were intended to be heard, two sides of the same coin. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe Canon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e picks up where \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVisiting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e left off, tracing the path of ancient wisdom imparted by the Dogon’s alien visitors spreading from Mali into Egypt and across the water to Greece as imagined in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam Stirling’s\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \"The Canon,\" an anonymous exposition of cosmic law published in a nearly invisible print edition in 1897.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough the music - propulsive and spacious - is clearly of a part with \u003ci\u003eNommos\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eVisiting\u003c\/i\u003e, the alien sounds of the Nommos become more familiar to western ears and musical vocabulary as the album narrative thrusts forward. \u003ci\u003eThe Canon\u003c\/i\u003e implies - through ecstatic, contemporary sound and synthesis - that the origins of Western thought, and civilization itself, lie in the great beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNearly four decades since their first collaboration on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNommos \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Visiting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, Leon is once again joined by his partner \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eCassell Webb\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e on vocals and album production. Leon composed, and both he and Cassell performed, and produced all of the music of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe Canon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, consciously engaging many of the same synthesizers and programs of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eVol. 2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe duo are touring \u003ci\u003eThe Canon\u003c\/i\u003e with an expanded ensemble throughout 2019 and 2020. Though Leon has performed \u003ci\u003eNommos\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eVisiting\u003c\/i\u003e with orchestral accompaniment over the years, this will be the first time the live cast will also include instrumentalists steeped in the Dogon and Mediterranean musical traditions that infuse both volumes of \u003ci\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCraig Leon’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ewill be available May 10, 2019 on LP, CD, and digital formats.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rPqnHRFdQ5U\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e \u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YhT2oS3JPKQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"RVNGNL55","offers":[{"title":"DIGITAL - $10","offer_id":19314911051845,"sku":"RVNGNL55DIGI","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - $24","offer_id":19235510812741,"sku":"RVNGNL55LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP Bundle + MP3 - $35","offer_id":19578163855429,"sku":"RVNGNL55BUNDLE-LP","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD - $15","offer_id":19235510845509,"sku":"RVNGNL55CD","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0026\/6993\/6709\/products\/RVNGNL55-Digital-Cover-1500px.png?v=1599774132"},{"product_id":"craig-leon-anthology-of-interplanetary-folk-music-vol-1-nommos-visiting-spatialized-mix","title":"Craig Leon - Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1: Nommos \/ Visiting (Spatialized Mix)","description":"","brand":"ReRVNG04","offers":[{"title":"Explore Spatialized Mix via link above","offer_id":40003280601151,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0026\/6993\/6709\/products\/RERVNG04-DA-Cover-1500px.png?v=1676390264"}],"url":"https:\/\/igetrvng.com\/collections\/craig-leon.oembed","provider":"RVNG Intl.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}