A compendium of 100 essential early British electronic musicians is now available

Image: Velocity Press

A new book celebrating pioneering electronic music composers from the UK has been released. Tape Leaders: A Compendium Of Early British Electronic Music Composers, published by Velocity Press, is a richly illustrated A-Z compendium of 100 essential British electronic musicians, including  William Burroughs, Roy Cooper, Janet Beat and Brian Eno.

First published in 2016 for Sound on Sound magazine, the book also looks at a number of artists who have incorporated experimental electronics into their music such as The Beatles and White Noise, and will shine “a fresh light on many sound experimenters unacknowledged in the history of British electronic music.” The book also covers the pioneering BBC Radiophonic Workshop which was founded by Desmond Briscoe and Daphne Oram and whose ad-hoc approach to sound manipulation had a major influence on a number of artists from Paul McCartney to Aphex Twin. 

Tape Leaders is released with an accompanying 15 track compilation of rare and unreleased early synth and tape recordings. Purchase a copy of the book here.