Tomita

16 May 2016

Isao Tomita bought an early Moog synthesiser in the early-nineteen-seventies; created the delightful album ‘Snowflakes Are Dancing’ - of Debussy’s music - and released it in 1974. It was done the hard way - recording one-note-at-a-time.

Seminal, groundbreaking, etc. Look it up. Really.

My uncle bought the album; I listened to it over and over, played on a Radiogram. A lovely, mellifluous sound. We inherited the vinyl collection when my uncle and auntie passed away.

Unfortunately we sold it all as the digital age intervened, the lack of convenience made the bulky collection quickly obsolete. Or so we thought. It’d be worth a fortune now. We thought the same about audio cassettes too. The CD, DVD and its derivatives will go the same way, of that I’ve no doubt.

Last year I repurchased Snowflakes Are Dancing. Or, more accurately, bought it for the first time. My first time.

Headphones on, volume elevated; it’s, if not pure joy, at least an unmeasurable pleasure. I can’t think of suitably superlative adjectives. There’s something missing though.

Digital perfection? Pah, it’s overrated!

Tomita, RIP and thanks.

Incidental: yes, I am that old.