Erik Norgren is probably more well known for his work in film, especially in regards to the eighteen Ingmar Bergman films he had a part in. Others may know Nordgren from his orchestral pieces, as he was a Swedish composer. But what you might not know is that he dabbled a lottle in electronic music in the 1960s.
The problem, of course, comes in finding physical copies of these recordings or any general info regarding his electronic works. There’s a compilation available via Sinetone AMR that features some of it. Trust me, it took me hours just to find it, but I did at least see that it’s on a few streaming services such as Apple and Tidal. The compilation is called, “Electronic and Cosmic Music vol. 1” and features some science fiction themed orchestral movements from the Westway Studio Orchestra in addition to four of Norgren’s electronic and some other examples of his orchestral bits. There’s also a rather spicy electronic piece from Erich Sendel at the end. Essentially, these were all sourced from vinyl singles, most of which appeared originally on the Southern Library of Recorded Music label from the 60s… it’s library music! That stuff is a big deal now!
As far as physical copies of the original vinyl singles go, good luck. I’ve come across mere mentions of two releases so far: “Crazy Robots / Playhouse” (videos of this one are on YouTube) and “Aliens / Bathysphere.” I say “merely two” because I’m uncertain if there are more.
Anyway, the sound here isn’t as random, loud or as cacophonic as some of the electronic music that was available at the time; it’s not just oodles of loud pulses, beeps and eruptions of static. This feels far more thought out and methodical especially when effects, like reverb, are employed. That said, of course, the beeps, bleeps and swirls do seem to work well here, reminding me of some of the more modern experimental music. There’s a rich atmosphere even during quiet moments. And, in the case of “Crazy Robots,” there’s a clever little beat made from snippets of sound that makes this piece far more engaging.
Given that Nordgren’s electronic pieces were made ultimately as library pieces as part of a greater sound catalog, I can’t exactly say that these made any enormous impact on any artists from that time period. It’s kind of cool, however, to see that music like this was being made outside of music concrete and experimental electronic orchestral works that just kind of went over the heads of mainstream audiences. So I’d say, if you’re able, check out those two singles if you can. If I could, I’d love to incorporate them into an ambient mix.
The Far Out Fox 