November 29, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada
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
- Now Is the Time
- Rythmetic
- Neighbours
- Synchromy
- Unreleased composition, 1945–1946
- Dots
- Loops
- Mosaic
- Unreleased composition, 1945–1946
- Unreleased composition, 1945–1948
- Unreleased composition, 1969
- Unreleased composition, 1964–1965
- Opening Speech: Norman McLaren
– 30 –
Version française ici | French version here.
About the NFB:
Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.
About Phantom Limb:
James Vella formed Phantom Limb (label, publishing, touring) in 2017. Ken Li (former publicist at Thrill Jockey) and George Clift (Hot Salvation) joined the team shortly after. The in-house label has released diverse music by Loraine James, MC Yallah, Kevin Richard Martin, Myst Milano, Richard Skelton, Senyawa and more. Five Worlds was formed in 2022, in partnership with Dean Wengrow to offer publicity & label services for the independent music industry.
About We Are Busy Bodies:
We Are Busy Bodies is a globally minded record label and management company founded by Eric Warner in 2005. The label side has issued over 200 releases, including seminal South African jazz discovery series, Canadian ambient and experimental music composers, early Danish electronic music and Thai phin music among its varied offerings.