American New Age 1950-1990

Good morning. Today we have a guest recommendation from Flow State Records artist Corntuth. We’re fundraising for our first vinyl release — a limited edition vinyl of Corntuth’s new album The Desert Is Paper Thin.

Hey everyone. Today we’re listening to I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music In America 1950-1990 from Seattle label Light in the Attic. Released in 2013, this compilation gathers some of the most obscure and adventurous New Age music from the mid-century. It starts the clock on the genre earlier than is common — the 1950s rather than the 1970s - and stops it before New Age became synonymous with muzak. This is Atomic Age music as much as it is New Age. Here are searching precursors to drone, oceanic electric compositions, and eerie works for harp; rainstorms, gongs, and celestial bells. These artists walk right up to the line between transcendent and flat-out goofy. Artists range from the little-known (Alice Damon’s digital home-recording from 1981) to the more familiar (Joanna Brouk, Laraaji). If you think of New Age as music for yoga studios and massage parlors, this will challenge, delight, and, yes, perhaps even center you.

I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music In America 1950-1990 - Various Artists (2 hours 12 minutes, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a really good Wednesday.