{"product_id":"electric-weasel-ensemble","title":"ELECTRIC WEASEL ENSEMBLE - 2LP\/2CD - (Strange\/Buchla\/Ruppenthal\/Morse)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePRE-ORDER - Release Date: November 27, 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShifting continuously between minimalistic patterns, intricate soundscapes, and evolving textures of overlapping electronic sonorities, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble presents a missing link in the history of electronic music.\u003c\/strong\u003e It is a series of previously-unreleased live recordings from a little-known but trailblazing ensemble of improvisers—equipped with a unique embrace of invented instruments and distinctly 1970s avant-garde sensibilities. \u003cstrong\u003eThis historic music is available on both double LP and double CD.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2392657494\u0026amp;color=%23ff5500\u0026amp;auto_play=false\u0026amp;hide_related=false\u0026amp;show_comments=true\u0026amp;show_user=true\u0026amp;show_reposts=false\u0026amp;show_teaser=true\u0026amp;visual=true\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc; line-break: anywhere; word-break: normal; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-weight: 100;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/importantrecords\" title=\"IMPREC\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIMPREC\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/importantrecords\/the-electric-weasel-ensemble\" title=\"The Electric Weasel Ensemble Live At KTEH TV Studio - 2LP Available Via Important Records\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble Live At KTEH TV Studio - 2LP Available Via Important Records\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFounded in 1974\u003c\/strong\u003e by composer \u003cstrong\u003eAllen Strange\u003c\/strong\u003e and now-celebrated instrument designer \u003cstrong\u003eDonald Buchla\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e explored new directions in live performance with electronics, using \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla’s\u003c\/strong\u003e sophisticated and unusual instruments as a launching pad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaintained for decades by Ensemble member \u003cstrong\u003eStephen Ruppenthal,\u003c\/strong\u003e these recordings include some of the best-preserved examples of \u003cstrong\u003eAllen Strange’s pioneering compositions\u003c\/strong\u003e: graphically-notated directed improvisations for electronic and electronically processed acoustic instruments. They also offer rare insight into the radical sonic aesthetic that\u003cstrong\u003e Buchla’s \u003c\/strong\u003einventions enabled in the \u003cstrong\u003eBay Area music scene\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFocused on performance and DIY music distribution, the \u003cstrong\u003eElectric Weasel Ensemble\u003c\/strong\u003e never widely released their music. Transferred from the original quarter-inch reels at Imprec, \u003cstrong\u003emastered for vinyl by Tom Eaton at Sounds and Substance\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003epressed at Optimal in Germany\u003c\/strong\u003e, this record is a glimpse into the raw creativity and inventiveness that fueled the early decades of electronic music performance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is the Electric Weasel Ensemble?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do you build a new type of music from the ground up? \u003cem\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e continually orbited this very question: inventing new instruments and, through collective play, learning to communicate in their unfamiliar, emergent languages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Weasels\u003c\/strong\u003e operated along the fringes of \u003cstrong\u003eNorthern California’s 1970s music scene,\u003c\/strong\u003e drawing equally from \u003cstrong\u003eavant-garde \u003c\/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003eelectronic composition\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003efree improvisation\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecybernetics\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003ethe Bay Area’s psychedelic-fueled, countercultural spirit\u003c\/strong\u003e. A group of self-proclaimed “music outlaws,” their eclectic, anything-goes approach eschewed traditional notions of harmony, melody, form, and virtuosity—informed by their evolving relationships with new technology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe group coalesced around musicians \u003cstrong\u003eAllen Strange \u003c\/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003eDonald Buchla\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eStrange\u003c\/strong\u003e illuminated the new field of electronic music through his performances and writings, including his landmark textbook,\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e. His compositions assembled performers interested in spontaneous creation, experimentation, and the unique forms of expression enabled by then-new electronic musical instruments. A kindred spirit, \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla\u003c\/strong\u003e was an inventor whose electronic music systems had, since the mid-1960s, become pivotal to progressive institutions and musicians. \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla’s \u003c\/strong\u003eaesthetic sensibilities leaned toward the esoteric. Rather than emulating existing musical styles or techniques, his iconoclastic instruments offered a palette of unusual sounds and novel approaches to interaction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTogether, \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla and Strange\u003c\/strong\u003e conceptualized \u003cstrong\u003e1973’s Music Easel\u003c\/strong\u003e, a compact electronic performance instrument. Founded by \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAllen Strange\u003c\/strong\u003e, and violinist \u003cstrong\u003ePatricia Strange\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e was, in part, a consort of\u003cstrong\u003e Music Easels\u003c\/strong\u003e that acted as a platform for discovering new musical modalities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1976, the Ensemble had grown to include trumpeter and sound poet\u003cstrong\u003e Stephen Ruppenthal\u003c\/strong\u003e and guitarist and violinist\u003cstrong\u003e David Morse\u003c\/strong\u003e. Together, they staged festivals, offered workshops, and toured the United States and Europe. While \u003cstrong\u003eBuchla’s\u003c\/strong\u003e instruments served as their point of departure, the Weasels developed a distinctive identity that extended beyond the technology itself. They emphasized improvisation and collective listening, creating evolving sonic environments that shifted between dense, clangorous textures and hypnotic impromptu rhythms and harmonies. They were, all at once, an improvisation collective, a Renaissance ensemble for the electronic era, and an experiment in performative cybernetics: instruments impacting music, which impacted the performers, who impacted the instruments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollectively, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Electric Weasel Ensemble \u003c\/strong\u003eoffers an unprecedented glimpse into the groundbreaking work of a unique group of musicians and the underground instrument designer who enabled their idiosyncratic approaches to composition and performance—at a time when the future of electronic music was still vast, open-ended, and full of unexplored promise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom The 1977 Electric Weasel Ensemble brochure:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese musicians were experienced in various aspects of music for electric instruments and wished to collaborate in the exploration and creation of new works for this media.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Weasels have presented concerts and workshops throughout the United States and Europe, and the various members have worked with composers and performers: \u003cstrong\u003eJohn Cage\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Rosenboom\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Tudor\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDaniel Lentz\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJackson MacLow\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Amirkhanian\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJ.B. Floyd\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMorton Subotnick\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAlvin Lucier\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAnthony Braxton\u003c\/strong\u003e, and others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEWE \u003c\/strong\u003enow performs internationally presenting concerts of live electronic music, composer's theater, and sound poetry, all in application of current technology of the sonic arts.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAllen Strange: The Electric Music Box: Series 200 \u0026amp; Music Easel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDonald Buchla: The Electric Music Box: Series 200 \u0026amp; Music Easel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePat Strange: Music Easel, violin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStehen Ruppenthal: Music Easel, trumpet\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Morse: Music Easel, violin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecommended if you like: \u003cstrong\u003eMorton Subotnick\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSuzanne Ciani\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co.\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eTonto’s Expanding Head Band\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eTangerine Dream\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cstrong\u003e Terry Riley\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cstrong\u003e Steve Reich\u003c\/strong\u003e,\u003cstrong\u003e Philip Glass\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Rosenboom\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Imprec","offers":[{"title":"2LP Black","offer_id":44027858419786,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear","offer_id":44027862614090,"sku":null,"price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD","offer_id":44027858452554,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear \/ Shirt Combo - Small","offer_id":44027858485322,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear \/ Shirt Combo - Medium","offer_id":44027858518090,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear \/ Shirt Combo - Large","offer_id":44027858550858,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear \/ Shirt Combo - XLarge","offer_id":44027858583626,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Clear \/ Shirt Combo - XXLarge","offer_id":44027858616394,"sku":null,"price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Black \/ Shirt Combo - Small","offer_id":44027858649162,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Black \/ Shirt Combo - Medium","offer_id":44027858681930,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Black \/ Shirt Combo - Large","offer_id":44027858714698,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Black \/ Shirt Combo - XLarge","offer_id":44027858747466,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2LP Black \/ Shirt Combo - XXLarge","offer_id":44027858780234,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD \/ Shirt Combo - Small","offer_id":44027858813002,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD \/ Shirt Combo - Medium","offer_id":44027858845770,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD \/ Shirt Combo - Large","offer_id":44027858878538,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD \/ Shirt Combo - XLarge","offer_id":44027858911306,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2CD \/ Shirt Combo - XXLarge","offer_id":44027858944074,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0972\/4654\/files\/AFinalEWESleeveRGBweb.jpg?v=1785169455","url":"https:\/\/importantrecords.com\/products\/electric-weasel-ensemble","provider":"Imprec","version":"1.0","type":"link"}