Various Artists - Spectra Ex Machina / A Sound Anthology of Occult P [Sub Rosa Records - 2023]Philippe Baudouin is back with his second installment of Spectra Ex Machina, an interesting look at the occult through various sonic approaches. Whether recorded seances with some little known folk like Elvis Presley and Chopin, strange songs sent from other planets, or recordings of satanic black masses, Spectra Ex Machina promises to provide the listener with a variety of occult obscurities. While not really listenable on the whole, each piece presented has merit and carries with it something beyond what is just available to one's ears. Baudouin understands that the recordings themselves speak volumes, their being saved for posterity shows how important they were at the time and provide an exciting look at an oft-avoided part of our history. Anthology is a great word choice for this collection of occult oddities. Not a straight up compilation, this collection is more about archiving and sharing intriguing pieces from history rather than sitting the listener down for thirty minutes or so of grooves with a motif. For instance, Spectra Ex Machina begins on the extremely interesting foot of David Behr's "A Séance With Elvis" from 1979 and ends the side with a different recording from the same year, Carmen Rogers' "The Elvis Presley Séance." Add to this the 1956 "Séance with Chopin," and one can see what the majority of Side 1 consists of. One familiar with psychic mediumship readings would do well being skeptical of these recordings, but one cannot argue their place in parapsychological history. The first half of this anthology is rounded out with musical and singing performances by well known spiritualists and psychic mediums, adding an interesting flair to this side dealing with connecting with the deceased. Side two further explores the musical abilities of occult figures, seeing the likes of Uri Geller, Aleister Crowley, and Anton LaVey all showcasing their vocal talents (though LaVey to a lesser extent here). This side of the album has a lot of upbeat and really fun musical numbers, such as Howard Menger's "The Song of Saturn," Joe Meek's "I Hear A New World," and Rev. Patrick J. Berkery, Ph. D's "Ron Aimee Fugue." Far easier to listen to than the first, the flip side adds another dimension to the anthology and helps put the importance of side one into perspective.
A fascinating curio, Philippe Baudouin's Spectra Ex Machina / A Sound Anthology of Occult Phenomena 1920-2017, Vol 2 focuses on mediumship and the musical abilities of those mediums and others of similar ilk (Crowley and LaVey, for example). A natural progression from the first volume (an audio history of parapsychology through the exploration of spiritualism and haunted houses) and a perfect set up for the third and final part, (experiences of extrasensory perceptions (clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc.) and electronic voice phenomena), Baudouin's anthologies bring together a somewhat taboo world and present it to an eager and willing audience. Experimental music takes all forms, and this collection expresses that wonderfully. What may seen by some as performative may be seen as truth by others. However, the recordings still stand and in the right light, their classification and collection is art in its own right. To find out more   Paul Casey
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