Has there ever been a book that tells us about the history of broken harmoniums? Once upon a time, Simon Jeffes, the late mastermind of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, found one on the streets of Osaka, and he composed his „Music for a Found Harmonium“. Later, Sigbjorn Apeland released a beautiful harmonium solo album, called „Glossolalia“ (on Hubro). With a lot of broken sounds, really, and noises that make you think, sometimes, of vintage synthesizers. Then there is the unique music of Germany’s „Kammerflimmer Kollektief“ who also make a subtle use of this ancient instrument (I don’t know how broken their harmonium is, sometimes you can hear a deep, deep breath coming from its lungs.) And now, on the small Canadian label called Komino Records, one of the most haunting records ever made with the living and dying sounds of an old harmonium, is available, 500 vinyl albums and digital download. Chris Dooks & Machinefabriek: The Eskdalemuir Harmonium. I was simply stunned when I listened to it, for the first time, in the wee hours. Then, with kind permission of the label owner Alex, I started a big mail-out and sent the music to Jan Bang, Erik Honore, Eivind Aarset, Guy Sigsworth, Lilly Baldwin, Ian McCartney, Henning Bolte, Thomas Weber, Jenny Hval and Brian Eno. I emailed Brian that, if he wouldn’t fall in love with this album, it might be time to retire for me :) So, maybe, there is someone out there in the hinterland of Canada, in the western parts of Scotland, or deep down in Texas who will, one day, write the book and tell all the stories about broken harmoniums.
Betamax and Dictaphones (from The Eskdalemuir Harmonium)
by Chris Dooks and Machinefabriek