Terry Riley’s Music for the Gift has been called the first remix ever, and the album’s claim to the title is not unwarranted. Recorded in Paris in 1963, the precursor to Riley’s In C saw the composer pioneer the use of tape delay to loop, cut up, and manipulate a piece recorded by Chet Baker’s quartet for the experimental theater play The Gift. Apparently, when Baker heard the final product, he simply remarked “Far out, man. This is some far-out s**t.”
Now, thanks to the international distribution network SoundOHM, Music for the Gift has been finally reissued on vinyl. Besides the piece, the edition includes two other early Riley compositions: a drug trip-inspired tape collage called “Mescalin Mix” and a live improvised piano piece with La Monte Young, “Concerto For Two Pianists And Five Tape Recorders.”
And speaking of gifts: Music for the Gift is available RIGHT NOW as a limited, black vinyl edition of 1000 copies only. Listen to samples and grab your copy of the LP here before it (inevitably) sells out — and watch Riley discuss his tape-looping technique below:
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