- A bittersweet celebration of one of the past decade's defining electronic music labels.
- The death of Music From Memory cofounder Jamie Tiller was among the most tragic events in electronic music in 2023. Over the years, Tiller built up an enormous amount of good will—for his friendships, his relentless support of artists he admired and his sheer love for sharing music. Music From Memory, which he started with Tako Reyenga and Abel Nagengast in Amsterdam, was first responsible for helping restart the careers of artists like Gigi Masin, Suso Saíz and Michal Turtle, people whose music was originally distributed via private press or largely forgotten to the sands of time. The label's appeal wasn't just about rarity or novelty, though. The records on Music From Memory hit so hard because the music was excellent, paving the way for a reissue craze that still goes on today, as well as an open-mindedness that lingers across clubland. Without Tiller, Nagengast and Reyenga, would today's DJs be so fond of playing jazz fusion, New Age and soft rock along with their ambient techno and trip-hop records?
10 marks ten years of the label, but more importantly it highlights how the label has developed over its era-defining lifespan. The music here is split almost evenly between the older artists (who provided its early output) and the community of younger musicians who sprung up into a scene that Music From Memory almost singlehandedly created. Now the label features eye-opening reissues side by side with new records from the likes of Yu Su, Alex Ho, Loveshadow and Dam-Funk. The output of the label these days represents what happens when people inspired by obscure reissues start making their own records. The result is a style that feels gloriously out of time.
So if you don't read the liner notes, it's hard to tell what's from when on 10. Is Gigi Masin's shimmering, vaguely dub techno-styled "Panama Girl" from the '80s, or now? What about Joan Biblioni's beautiful acoustic intro "NIts De La Sultana," or the DIY electronic waltz of Michal Turtle's "Borrowed Times?" Does it matter? The answer is no. The way that core Music From Memory artists like Jonny Nash—whose "Dream It Right" is among his sparest, most diaphanous compositions—and Kuniyuki Takahashi paint in slow, careful brush strokes with mostly analogue or acoustic instrumentation is the throughline here, not age or provenance. (That being said, Vito Ricci's 24-minute, CD-and-digital-only guitar-and-synth duet "Da Hamptons" is all the more impressive for being from 1985, and is worth picking up the CD package for alone.)
There are some extra special highlights here: Yu Su & J. Wilson's "Mitti Attar" works with a tantric groove as serene and bubbly as Steve Reich, while Terekke's gentle "Just Ducking Around" should be twice as long. It's always exciting to hear from quirky Bay Area synth head Joel Graham, whose 2015 12-inch of rediscovered '80s tracks remains the most mysterious and alluring release in the label's entire discography. (At least if you ask me.) But nearly every tune here is worthwhile. Music From Memory's more recent signings, like the The Zenmenn and their rural jazz stylings, or the cosy experimentalism of Swiss artist Androo, showcase that the label's future is in as good hands as it's ever been.
That last fact makes 10 bittersweet. The compilation, and the celebration it's meant to kick off, happens in the shadow of the death of one of the men who made it possible in the first place. He won't even get to see it released. So it's also a celebration of life for Tiller, and a celebration of the life he breathed into his corner of electronic music. Music From Memory has since grown into a global movement. Australia, Canada, South America, Asia, Eastern Europe—all of these places are connected by his legacy, whether he was releasing the work of international touring musicians or small-town hobbyists who made brilliant, future-predicting music in their bedrooms. Tiller might be gone, but as 10 shows, the label he birthed is alive and well. He was always about sharing with friends, and Reyenga and Nagengast—as well as the cast of characters assembled across these four sides of vinyl—are making sure his legacy flourishes for many years to come.
TracklistA1 Joan Bibiloni - Nits De La Sultana
A2 The Zenmenn - The Legend Of Haziz
A3 Ströer - When You Stopped Sleeping
A4 Androo - W.I.O. (micmac mix)
A5 Joel Graham - Cool Blue Pool
B1 Jonny Nash - Dream It Right
B2 Terekke - Just Ducking Around
B3 Mei Honeycomb - Squeaky Eye Syndrome
B4 Tombolo - Continental Drift
C1 Kuniyuki Takahashi - Forest Dust
C2 Yu Su & J. Wilson - Mitti Attar
C3 Gigi Masin - Panama Girl
D1 Ocean Moon - The Ecstatic Alarm
D2 Michal Turtle - Borrowed Times
D3 RAMZi - baci
D4 Suso Sáiz - Kailas
D5 Dea - Undecenial