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Kilkenny Electroacoustic Research Laboratory Anthology Vol. 1 (1965-89) (CD + Book + Poster)

FormatCD + Book + PosterLabelMiúinGenreExperimental

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A curated collection of music and sound experiments from the archives of the now defunct Kilkenny Electroacoustic Research Laboratory.

*2026 stock* Miúin Records presents the release of Kilkenny Electroacoustic Research Laboratory Anthology Vol. 1 (1965-1989), a meticulously curated collection resurrecting the groundbreaking sonic experiments from one of Ireland's most eccentric and overlooked electronic music labs. This anthology revives the archives of the now-defunct K.E.R.L., a pioneering hub for sound studies, linguistics, and early electronic technologies founded in the vibrant spirit of the 1960s counterculture. 

Established informally in late 1965 by visionary composers Jacinta Delaney (b. 1937) and Eoghan Comerford (b. 1935), K.E.R.L. drew inspiration from Paris's Groupe de Recherches Musicales—following Comerford's 1964 visit to RTF studios—and correspondences with the San Francisco Tape Music Center and Manhattan Research. The lab aimed to create a regional center for innovative sound exploration. Formalized in 1967 with Helga Hölzel (b. 1940) and a county council grant—sparked by Comerford's repair of Phil Coulter’s Tape Echo Machine—K.E.R.L. sustained itself through grants and a renowned repair service for stars like Phil Lynott (flanger), Big Tom (Echoplex), and Ronnie Drew (homebrew Ondes-Martenot). 

The 1970s brought T.V. Delaney (1939-1999), a chamber composer turned electroacoustic enthusiast inspired by Stockhausen, known for his O’Neills’ shorts; and Oisín Creegan (b. 1928), a real estate advisor leveraging artist tax exemptions—his tracks remain K.E.R.L.'s commercial hits. Internal tensions led Hölzel to depart for mainland Europe, later joining the RAF amid clashes with Creegan, whom she branded "blueshirt scum" in a Stammheim interview. Packie Bolger (b. 1939) joined in 1980 post-deportation from New York (arrested urinating on a Robert Indiana sculpture), debuting the PPG Wave 2 on "tuvahompi"—mistakenly thought Hopi for "unity" but actually "washing machine." Kenny Phelan (1951-2014), ex-Elvis impersonator and hurling fan, added water dowsing zeal, while the James Stephens String Trio's "Meascán" track shadowed Nazi cake controversies, triggering funding cuts and K.E.R.L.'s demise.

Details
Cat. number: MIÚIN 001
Year: 2022
Tracklist
1Arrythmic Patterns To Help Infants Accept Complex Temporal Relations
2Early Impulse Study 1 St. Mary's Cathedral
3The Golden Apples Of The Sun
4Androgynous Vowel Choir Experiment No.3
5Water, Bottle, Father, Mother - Analysis Of The Idiosyncrasies Of The North Tipperary And South Kilkenny Border Dialects
6Alles Hat Ein Ende, Nur Die Wurst Hat Zwei - Piece For Two Woodblocks (Each Played Through Three Discrete Spaces) And A Bank Of Six Sine Wave Oscillators
7Meascán, For Violin, Viola And Cello Each With Automated Ring Modulators (Extract)
8The Foggy Foggy Dew
9An English Country Garden
10Experiment No.36c (After Correspondence With a Mr. Karplus At Stanford, May '81)
11Experiment No.37a (After Correspondence With A Mr. Karplus At Stanford, July '81)
12Tuvahompi - Second Movement
13A Psychogeographic Sonification Of Fair Forts Located Near The Banks Of The Three Sisters - 1. The Nore
14A Psychogeographic Sonification Of Fair Forts Located Near The Banks Of The Three Sisters - 2. The Suir
15A Psychogeographic Sonification Of Fair Forts Located Near The Banks Of The Three Sisters - 3. The Barrow
16Piece For Recorder Quartet And 2 Synchronised Delay Lines Made Of Fragments From Planxty Eleanor Plunkett, In Celebration Of The Opening Of The Teletext Conference, Kilkenny 1989
Credits
Neil P. Quigley
Curated By, Assemblage, Design
Nixie Audio Mastering
Transferred By, Mixed By, Mastered By

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