Justin Bennett, Bjarni Gunnarsson, Kees Tazelaar, Richard Barrett

This collection of recordings aims to showcase music produced at the Institute of Sonology, including works with analogue modular synthesis, algorithmic compositions, live electronic music, and compositions based on field recordings.

The Institute of Sonology is one of the very few institutions active in the field of electronic music education, production and research worldwide that has an uninterrupted historical line tracing back to the origins of the medium. The electronic music production at the studio of Philips Research Laboratories (1956–1960) and the teaching programme at the studios of Delft University of Technology (1957–1960) were integrated in 1964, when Gottfried Michael Koenig assumed the post of artistic director of the Studio for Electronic Music (STEM) at Utrecht University. In three years, STEM evolved into the Institute of Sonology, which was housed in Utrecht until 1986 and then moved to the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.

The Institute of Sonology adopts a clear stance in terms of the use of technology in music: technology is not merely an adjunct to the existing music practice, but should be used primarily to explore new forms of composition and public presentation of music and art. At the same time, Sonology is not bound by any stylistic dogmas. It is the Institute of Sonology’s conviction that electronic music composition should not only be the domain of classically trained musicians: on the contrary, we find it crucial to understand that technology itself has opened up completely new ways for musicians from various backgrounds to become involved in music composition and performance.