3xLP in deluxe Stoughton “tip-on” jackets and slipcase, with E=extraordinary cover art by astronomer / entomologist Étienne Trouvelot and in depth liner notes by Douglas Mcgowan and Jason Patrick Woodbury.
The follow up to Light In The Attic’s game-changing I Am The Center box set is finally here. The Microcosm: Visionary Music Of Continental Europe, 1970-1986 is the first major overview of key works from cosmically-taped in artists needing little introduction — Vangelis, Ash Ra Tempel, and Popol Vuh — and unknown masterpieces by criminally overlooked heroes like Bernard Xolotl, Robert Julian Horky and Enno Velthuys.
Whereas I Am The Center called for a reconsideration of an entire maligned genre, The Microcosm requests nothing more than an open mind to consider this ambient, new age, neuzeit, prog, krautrock, cosmic, holistic stuff, whatever one calls it — as a pulsating movement unto itself, a mirror refracting the American new age scene in unexpected, electrifying ways, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the universality of the timeless quest to express “the Ineffable” through music.
Drawing from major label budgets and homemade cassette distributed circumstances alike, The Microcosm demonstrates a depth of peace profound to behold, and clearly expands the boundaries. Lovingly conceived and lavishly presented by producer Douglas Mcgowan (Yoga Records) and liner notes contributor Jason Patrick Woodbury (Pitchfork, Aquarium Drunkard), The Microcosm features stunning cover paintings by Étienne Trouvelot, and labels by Finnish savant Aleksanda Ionowa. Remastered audio, including a previously unreleased track and several others previously cassette only.
| A1 | –Vangelis | Creation Du Monde | 10:05 |
| A2 | –Ralph Lundsten | Bön 5 - Förlåt Oss Våra Skulder = Prayer 5 - Forgive Us Our Trespasses | 5:11 |
| A3 | –Ash Ra Tempel | Le Sourire Volé | 6:08 |
| B1 | –Popol Vuh | Brüder Des Schattens - Söhne Des Lichts (Abridged) | 14:23 |
| B2 | –Ariel Kalma | Orguitar Soir | 9:13 |
| C1 | –Bernard Xolotl | Cometary Wailing (Valley Plateau) | 12:52 |
| C2 | –Peter Michael Hamel | Einklang | 10:08 |
| D1 | –Francesco Messina | Untitled | 7:39 |
| D2 | –Roedelius* | Wenn Der Südwind Weht | 4:14 |
| D3 | –Deutsche Wertarbeit | Der Grosse Atem | 9:59 |
| E1 | –Robert Julian Horky | Dance For A Warrior | 8:07 |
| E2 | –Karl Schaffner & Lothar Grimm | Caravan | 3:23 |
| E3 | –Suzanne Doucet & Christian Buehner* | Shivas Dance | 9:35 |
| F1 | –Enno Velthuys | Morning Glory | 10:15 |
| F2 | –Deuter | Spirales | 6:55 |
| F3 | –Gigi Masin | Ship Beetel | 6:04 |
