First things first; if you want to listen to MUSIC FOR AN UNKNOWN WORLD online using the streaming service of your choice, click below...or just buy the album!
Back to the album. This has been years in the making.
In 2017 I launched a Kickstarter to produce an album called "Forbidden Sounds for a Future Age." It was going to be a collection of sounds, dialogue, and music from some of my favorite science fiction movies. All was going well until I ran into problems with music licensing for clips from the movies, due to my inexperience. It became a big headache and I had to cancel the project.
No one had been more excited about this idea than my dad. He loved sci-fi movies and music and was very interested in the vinyl revival that was happening. He loved telling me about his vintage tube amp and even stopped in the record plant that was going to be pressing my album so he could see what it was like.
Amidst the grief and uncertainty, I kept coming back to this album idea, and how excited he was about it. I knew that I wanted to make an album in his honor, as well as something everyone could enjoy. My dad gifted me his love of 1950s and 60s music as well as science-fiction movies, so I decided to combine those loves for this album, and make a sort of soundtrack, a travelogue of space age sounds and more.
I reached out to the Numero Group, a label and publishing company that reissues music from that era (and beyond) as well as bringing lots of new music to light. They were enormously helpful and kind, guiding me through the process and helping me locate rights and licensing to produce the album. It was a delight to dig through their archives to find music and then weave it all together; some space-age pop, some garage rock, some soul music, a little bit of everything. Thanks to Rob, Addison, Jacob, Lucas, Madelyn, Colten, Jessica, and everyone at Numero/Secretly.
My friend and audio engineer Madeleine Campbell mastered the album for me. And I was also fortunate to work with the great folks at Third Man Pressing in Detroit, who once again guided a newbie through the process, even giving me a tour of the plant when I went to pick up the clear green vinyl records at their amazing pressing plant and record store in Cass Corridor. Thanks to Madeleine and everyone at Third Man, especially TJ.
This album was a labor of love: collecting the music I love and sharing it with you as an act of love for my dad.