Starting November 29, 13 groundbreaking Norman McLaren compositions have been brought together for the first time in Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren, released by Phantom Limb (UK/EU) and We Are Busy Bodies (US/Canada/world), in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Now available on vinyl, compact disc and streaming, Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren represents an essential overview of the pioneering musical compositions of this legendary figure in animation, who has been called “the first electronic musician.”
Along with his genius visual storytelling, NFB animation founder McLaren was also a trailblazer in graphical or drawn sound. He ingeniously created synthetic sound and music by drawing, etching and photographing patterns directly onto the film soundtrack, becoming a pioneer of electronic music long before the invention of the synthesizer. These audio treasures formed the soundscapes for many of his most legendary films—while others were preserved in the NFB’s vaults, unheard, until now.
Quotes
“I’m thrilled that Norman’s sonic masterpieces will now get the attention they deserve, thanks to our collaboration with Phantom Limb and We Are Busy Bodies. A world leader in conservation, restoration and digitization, the National Film Board of Canada is caretaker of an accessible, living audiovisual heritage that belongs to all Canadians. The NFB’s archives are a rich and diverse cultural treasure that we’re committed to safeguarding and sharing with audiences everywhere.”
– Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson
“McLaren’s work has been with me for many years. Though our lives never intersected, through his films I feel like we came to know him. He inhabits the strange and rare camp of the modest genius. The dedicated pioneer that worked for the value of the work. There is, and always will be, so much to admire about his relationship to the creative practice—pulling, bending, reshaping convention to accommodate his vision rather than squashing it within. As a result, his legacy is like a supermassive star—its gravity affecting everything that comes within reach, impossible to resist. It is a privilege to contribute even this small part to the ongoing story of Norman McLaren, to help the light from his star to continue shining.”
– James Vella, Co-Director, Phantom Limb
How to purchase or stream
This new career retrospective has been released as a limited edition double vinyl album and compact disc, available from Bandcamp (purchase via UK/EU & US/CA pages) and better retailers.
It’s also available for streaming on such platforms as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Bandcamp.
Listen to lead single “Synchromy” on YouTube, taken from McLaren’s award-winning 1971 visual music animated short with the NFB.
To find out more, visit the NFB’s Norman McLaren channel featuring free streaming of all his classic works including Pen Point Percussion, a 1951 short doc where McLaren demonstrates how he makes synthetic sound on film.
More about Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren
Described by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and music theorist Milton Babbitt as “the first electronic musician,” Norman McLaren predated and forecasted the coming age of electronic music in his work from the 1940s to 1970s. The soundtracks McLaren created for his films display astonishing foresight, crystallizing his boundless creativity, wit and whimsy, and providing unique insights to his remarkable creative spirit.
Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren marks the first time his soundtracks have been released on record, carefully curated from his most important works, hours of archival resources and multiple versions of the same key compositions—all sourced from the NFB’s state-of-the-art archives.
This collection represents an essential overview of McLaren as a composer, in neat dovetail with McLaren the filmmaker. Both are crucial figures in the respective developments of their fields, opening doors to a future that might not have existed without McLaren.
Track listing
1. Now Is the Time
2. Rythmetic
3. Neighbours
4. Synchromy
5. Unreleased composition, 1945–1946
6. Dots
7. Loops
8. Mosaic
9. Unreleased composition, 1945–1946
10. Unreleased composition, 1945–1948
11. Unreleased composition, 1969
12. Unreleased composition, 1964–1965
13. Opening Speech: Norman McLaren
