Roland Kayn

Roland Kayn (born 3 September 1933 in Reutlingen, Germany; died 5 January 2011 in Nieuwe Pekela, Netherlands) was a composer of electronic music.^[1] He is known for his lengthy works of cybernetic music.^[2]^[3]

From 1952 to 1955 he studied composition and organ at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. From 1956 to 1958 he studied with Boris Blacher and Josef Rufer in Berlin. After 1960 he lived in Rome and then in Venice. In 1964 he co-founded the free improvisation group Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. Beginning in 1970 he worked at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht, (which later moved to The Hague) and lived in the Netherlands until his death in 2011.^[1] In 1995 he created the label Reiger-records-reeks to release his own works.^[1]^[3]

His 14-hour composition A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound (2009) was released on 16 CDs in October 2017 by the Finnish label Frozen Reeds.^[4] Since May 2020, the Kayn estate has released a recording every month on the digital distribution platform Bandcamp. At the current rate, they estimate that it will take 20 years for his complete catalog to be released.^[5] Since 2017, releases have been restored and mastered by Jim O'Rourke.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Discography edit

Physical Releases edit

1977 – Simultan (Colosseum, 3 LPs)
1977 – Elektroakustische Projekte (Colosseum, 3 LPs)
1981 – Makro I–III (Colosseum, 3 LPs)
1981 – Infra (Colosseum, 4 LPs)
1984 – Tektra (Colosseum, 6 LPs)
1994 – Keyboard-Works 1 (Reiger-records-reeks, 2 CDs)
1995 – Works for Orchestra / Ensemble (RRR, 2 CDs)
1995 – Cybernetic Music (RRR, 2 CDs)
1997 – Cybernetic Music II (RRR, 1 CD)
1996 – Cybernetic Music III (RRR, 2 CDs)
1997 – Electronic Symphony I–III / Equivalence Sonore II–III (RRR, 2 CDs)
1998 – Electronic Symphony IV / Frottage – Minimax (RRR, 2 CDs)
1998 – Electronic Symphony V / Emissioni trasformati I–II (RRR, 2 CDs)
1999 – Electronic Symphony VI–VII / Frottage II (RRR, 2 CDs)
2000 – Electronic Symphony VIII–X (RRR, 2 CDs)
2000 – Gärten der Lüste / Cybernetics II / L’innominata (RRR, 2 CDs)
2003 – Ultra / Redunancy TR / Megaphonie (RRR, 2 CDs)
2004 – Requiem pour Patrice Lumumba / Interations / Composizione AD / Prismes Reflectes (RRR, 2 CDs)
2005 – Etoile du nord / Ghyress für Ilse-Emily Kayn (RRR, 2 CDs)
2006 – Invisible Music / Hommage à K.R.H. Sonderborg (RRR, 2 CDs)
2017 – A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound (Frozen Reeds, 16 CDs)
2019 – Scanning (RRR, 10 CDs)

Digital Releases edit

2020 – The Man and the Biosphere
2020 – Music for the Isle of Man
2020 – Made in the NL After the Sixties and Beyond
2020 – Sound-Hydra
2020 – November Music
2020 – Dino Concerto
2020 – A Pan-Air Music
2021 – Electronic Symphony I–III
2021 – Matego I–II
2021 – Electronic Symphony IV
2021 – Accumulation
2021 – Electronic Symphony V
2021 – Xutus
2021 – Electronic Symphony VI & VII
2021 – Spectral
2021 – Reflets du Spectral
2021 – Extensity
2021 – Zone Senza Silenzio
2021 – Remake A
2021 – Remake B
2021 – Transit
2021 – Cybernet AS & TLS
2021 – Agila
2021 – An Algorithm MA 71
2022 – Impactions
2022 – The Art of Sound
2022 – Triades
2022 – Contra-Compositie
2022 – De-Compositie
2022 – Atix
2022 – Reversioni Comprimati
2022 – Abstracta
2022 – Mutenaces
2022 – Cyber Panoramical Music
2022 – Sonority ERT
2022 – Audiogenic Events
2023 – Otron
2023 – Yellowings Conglomerations
2023 – Rathan
2023 – Ghyress
2023 – Actual Basic Elements
2023 – Oktrol
2023 – Constellations
2023 – Decares
2023 – Sorales I
2023 – Sorales II
2023 – Superficies
2023 – Residual Sounds
2023 – La Ranar
2024 – Hybriditys
2024 – Demodulations
2024 – Athary NLX
2024 – TLS
2024 – Random Distributions

References edit

^ ^a ^b ^c "Biography". kayn.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
^ Spekle, Roland (5 July 2011). "Roland Kayn – Tektra". rolandspekle.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b Frere-Jones, Sasha (21 September 2017). "The Sound of Cybernetics: Roland Kayn And the Voice of Electricity". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
^ "Monumental late piece by composer Roland Kayn set for debut release". The Wire. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b Dayan, Levi (14 November 2022). "Rediscovering the Work of Roland Kayn, Overlooked Electronic Music Pioneer". Bandcamp Daily. Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ "Austen Interviews Jim O'Rourke". The Needle Drop. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ Dayan, Levi (9 December 2022). "An interview with Jim O'Rourke". Unknown Rhythms. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

External links edit

[biography-1] "Biography". kayn.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[rolandspekle-2] Spekle, Roland (5 July 2011). "Roland Kayn – Tektra". rolandspekle.nl. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[villagevoice-3] Frere-Jones, Sasha (21 September 2017). "The Sound of Cybernetics: Roland Kayn And the Voice of Electricity". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[wire-4] "Monumental late piece by composer Roland Kayn set for debut release". The Wire. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

[bandcampdaily-5] Dayan, Levi (14 November 2022). "Rediscovering the Work of Roland Kayn, Overlooked Electronic Music Pioneer". Bandcamp Daily. Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

[6] "Austen Interviews Jim O'Rourke". The Needle Drop. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

[7] Dayan, Levi (9 December 2022). "An interview with Jim O'Rourke". Unknown Rhythms. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

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