The first of two
Dockstader reissues on Starkland,
Quatermass consists of three compositions, the short works "Water Music" and "Two Moons of Quatermass," plus the 45-minute title work. The first begins predictably with a few water drips but gradually builds to a series of climaxes via sequences of amazing electronic transformations, while the second "Two Moons of Quatermass" consists mostly of veering waves of electronics. The title composition, consisting of five separate pieces, is
Dockstader's tour de force. The echoed pounding of the beat in "Tango" reveals
Dockstader playing with a variety of shadings and different sounds. Alternately based on composition-based classical as well as pulse music reminiscent of later synthesizer music,
Quatermass is a warm, passionate tape-music classic that proves
Dockstader was the master of American musique concrète and author of quite possibly the most alien recordings ever produced. ~ John Bush