White, John / Gavin Bryars

Between 1975 and 1978, Brian Eno’s Obscure imprint produced ten LPs to document the work of virtually unknown composers at the time. These records continue to inspire both practitioners and fans of experimental, ambient and modern classical music.

Machine Music, Obscure No. 8 and the third title to feature Gavin Bryars, showcases “systems music” pioneer John White. Largely known for his compositions for tuba and piano, White was a stylistically omnivorous artist who felt at home in his position as musical director at the Western Theatre Ballet as well as playing alongside Cornelius Cardew and Bryars in the radical Scratch Orchestra.

Performed by the composer, Christopher Hobbs, Michael Nyman and Bryars, the album’s first side is comprised of four White pieces. Short, repetitive themes—for brass, woodwinds, strings, piano and jaw harp—share common ground with the minimalist work of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Splendid timbral variations reveal a trance-inducing listening experience. “Drinking And Hooting Machine,” the side’s eerie finale, features the sound of five musicians (including Eno himself) blowing into empty milk bottles—a reminder that serious avant-garde music can sometimes be puckish and strange.

Side two consists of Bryars’ “The Squirrel And The Ricketty Racketty Bridge,” a mesmeric piece that finds Derek Bailey, Fred Firth, Bryars and Eno each striking a pair of tabletop guitars. Fans of Michael O’Shea and Eno’s own protege Laraaji will find much to love here. Machine Music serves as an ideal entry point to the kind of compelling art music that would become Obscure’s stock and trade.