Harley Gaber

One of our favorite screeching, abrasive violin drone albums of all time, Harley Gaber's The Winds Rise In the North, is set to be reissued this fall. A must for fans of post-Theatre of Eternal Music drone, as well as downtown music in general, as this classic has been out of print for quite a long time. The Winds Rise In the North was originally released on Titanic Records in 1976, and according to Alan Licht's Minimalism Top Ten III over at Volcanic Tounge, "Gaber gave up music not long after this record to pursue a career as a tennis instructor (!)…." Nutty. Anyways, a favorite in my household for some years now (purchased from Bob Fay on eBay, heh), it'll be nice to see this relatively unheard classic get a new leash on life (and hopefully up-to-date mastering). "This one’s probably more Spectralist than Minimalist (think Giacinto Scelsi, Gerard Grisey, or Horatiu Radulescu), but so be it. Released on a Boston-based record label that specialized in Early Music on period instruments, this is a long (over 100 minutes), sparse string quintet with slowly sustained dissonances that slide around like a pit full of snakes. Gaber gave up music not long after this record to pursue a career as a tennis instructor (!), although several years ago violinist Malcolm Goldstein told me that Gaber had returned to music and art making. Cool Tibetan demon painting cover too." A. Licht