Zdeněk Liška - Ikarie XB-1 LP

The FK crew deep in Czech movie rare territory.

"In an era where music lovers have almost become immune to adjectives like “lost”, “rare” and “unreleased” in a climate where previously lesser-known off-kilter master composers such as Vannier, Kirchin and Axelrod have become widely revered, it is perhaps the perfect time for discerning listeners to advance above the feeding trough and seek out this truly pioneering and revolutionary Eastern European composer. 

Rivalled only by the likes of Krzysztof Komeda and Andrzej Korzynski in Poland, alongside Alexandr Gradsky in Russia, and often splitting workloads with fellow Czech composers like Luboš Fišer, Zdenek Liška’s filmography of over almost 300 fully formed movie scores virtually eclipses the achievements of these socialist era luminaries. Respected unanimously in both Czech and Slovakian by studio bosses, producers, directors and actors alike Liška is widely known for his ability to take the existing energy in a reel of film and literally change the polarity to suit his own interpretation while maintaining the full support from his “client” who would in-turn end up working under this composer’s creative direction.

Not only was Liška a genius of emotive orchestral and coral composition, his grasp on small group arrangements and intimate, minimal scores set him above the competition. By utilising primitive sample techniques by “looping” a films existing ambient noise, or rearranging found sounds and dialog into subtle melodic arrangements, Liška would independently develop his own techniques which had simultaneously become known in Paris as musique concrète. It is a direct extension of these experiments that saw Liška also draw parallels with Walter Branchi (Ennio Morricone’s main electronic sidekick) in Italy as well as Daphne Oram in the UK, making Liška a relatively untravelled pioneer of early electronic composition and sound design due to his unlikely global environment. Imprisoned, preserved or reserved; time has been kind to Liška’s music."

Tracklisting:

A1. Ikarie XB-1
A2. Surveillance On Standby / Alpha Centauri
A3. A Small Stone In Space
A4. Sunflower For A New Star
A5. The Backwoods Of The Universe
A6. Silver Ball (Věra In Cameo)
A7. E.V.A Will Teach You
B1 . The Tiger´s Breath
B2. The Dark Star
B3. "Do Not Eat The Fruit"
B4. The Awakening
B5. Voyage To The End (Of The Universe)
B6. The White Planet

LP, Album

Finders Keepers Records

FKR092LP