As space becomes a recurring topic in our current affairs, with the ever looming questions of can we live on another planets and are there different species living out there, artists seem to be reflecting this within their productions and using space as a means of exploration. Jeff Mills recently hosted a special on NTS in collaboration with NASA and remember when David Bowie released ‘Space Oddity’ literally nine days before the first man walked on the moon? Next up on this mission is LOR, an artist who released his debut album today titled ‘Lunar Orbit Rendezvous’ – a technique that is used in Apollo lunar missions and ‘charts a journey to the moon, translating the thrill of space exploration into 10 solid electro indebted numbers with retro sound splashes and cosmic flair’. With the album featuring weightless beats, erratic synths and bleepy club-ready cuts, ‘Lunar Orbit Rendezvous’ transports us into the Earth’s atmosphere. Marking the first release on his new label LOREC, LOR shares his favourite extraterrestrial tracks with us.
Arthur Russell – This Is How We Walk On The Moon
I had to start with this – I did a remix of this a few years ago, which got picked up by Roman Flügel and John Talabot and kinda kickstarted things for me.
Brian Eno – Under Stars II
I am as much of a fan of Eno the thinker as Eno the musician, he’s a big inspiration for me. He did this album with Daniel Lanois in the early eighties to accompany a documentary film about the Apollo missions.
Richard Strauss – Also sprach Zarathustra
Also known as the theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick was another massive influence on me growing up!
The Police – Walking On The Moon
I love the Police! The video features a lot of stock footage of the Apollo missions… I’ve been geeking out on a lot of that stuff of late.
Frank Sinatra – Fly Me To The Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hxibHJOE5E
I whistle this a lot.
David Bowie – Space Oddity
Perhaps a little too obvious – but I love David Bowie.
Ash – Girl From Mars
Ash are from a few miles down the road from me in Downpatrick… I had to include their paean to a girl from another planet 🙂
Gustav Holst – Venus, The Bringer of Peace
I love the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst… “Mars, Bringer of War” is the better known track but I thought I’d wind things down here with the beautiful “Venus” movement.
Buy ‘Lunar Orbit Rendezvous’ by LOR here