NEOTROPE RECORDS ARTISTS
Established in 1984, The Neotrope® Records label, based in California, USA, specializes in electronic music, and more often pure instrumental music. This music crosses numerous categories and trends, including: Electronica, Worldbeat, Techno, Dream House, Acid, Goa, Future Music, World, Dub, House Music, Dance Music, Electro, Remix, and more.
CHRISTOPHER LAIRD SIMMONS
Christopher Simmons (now recording as “Christopher Laird Simmons” due to way too many other musicians with the same name) has been a practicing synthesist since the late 1970s as a pre-teen. He has released music under his own name, and BLUETOY, with positive reviews in major magazines, airplay, and music used for two cable TV productions in California, USA where is is based. His commercial release on the Neotrope Records label, “BESERKER” can be found on Amazon, and major streaming services, enabled by the former CD Baby distribution service.
BLUETOY
During the early and mid-1980s, numerous electronic instrumental albums were released on cassette by Christopher Simmons, recording as “BLUETOY.” Music was widely reviewed, including positive reviews in Electronic Musician magazine, SYNE, Camera Obscura, and played on various “space music” radio shows of the time. During the mid 1980s as albums were re-issued with new artwork, Mr. Simmons began simply going by “Christopher Simmons” and discontinued the BLUETOY moniker.
ENTHRONEMENT
Originally based in Helsinki Lasipalatsi, Kristian Kouvo, a Finnish electronic music pioneer, recorded and release music as “Enthronement.” In the 80’s he made his first machine music experiments with Commodore-64, but moved fast to more serious equipment. Enthronement felt that the 80’s MIDI-technology synthesizers were difficult and expensive music tools. In the middle of the 90’s Enthronement started to make music using PC, and that kind of equipment he is using into the 21st century.
Kristian Kouvo was featured on the Neotrope Records label 2002-2004, with his CD release “OMNIPOTENT MAINFRAME.”
THE KLEFFEL-SIMMONS PROJECT
Synthesists Christopher Simmons and Rick Kleffel got together to jam in a room in South Redondo Beach on several weekends in 1983; the small 10×10 room was filled with their respective analog synthesizers, linked together and some elements clocked, others played live. Rick switched on a tape recorder and the duo improvised several hours of Berlin-school madness. A best-of, edited version of several sessions, was compiled by Christopher and issued as a limited edition cassette in 1984.
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