Anthology Recordings curates history of library music on Unusual Sounds compilation

The compilation collects 20 compositions from across the genre.

Anthology Recordings has announced the release of a 20-track compilation to accompany David Hollander’s recent book, Unusual Sounds: The Hidden History of Library Music.

Read next: How library music became the final frontier for record collectors

Unusual Sounds: The Hidden History of Library Music collects compositions by Brainticket founder Joel Vandroogenbroeck, KPM affiliates John Cameron and Keith Mansfield, Montenegrin-born composer Janko Nilović, and the Italian film composer Stefano Torossi amongst others.

Library music provided a lucrative overlap between art and commerce that granted composers the freedom to stray from convention, resulting in some of the most forward-thinking avant-garde compositions of the late 20th century.

Hollander’s book, which offers an in-depth look into the history of library music, contains a forward by George A. Romero, who used library compositions to great effect in his horror masterpiece Night Of The Living Dead. You can order the book now on Anthology Editions.

Unusual Sounds: The Hidden History of Library Music is released on November 9 and can be pre-ordered now. Check out the cover art and tracklist below.

Tracklist:

01. Keith Mansfield – ‘Funky Fanfare’
02. Stefano Torossi – ‘Running Fast’ [track not available digitally]
03. D. Patucchi – ‘La Dimostrazione’
04. Klaus Weiss – ‘Survivor’
05. Janko Nilovic – ‘Xenos Cosmos’
06. V. Geminiani – ‘Ophis Le Serpentaire’
07. Stringtronics – ‘Tropicola’
08. Stefano Torossi – ‘Feeling Tense’ [track not available digitally]
09. Gary Pacific Orchestra – ‘Soft Wind’
10. John Cameron – ‘Half Forgotten Daydreams’
11. F. Micalizzi – ‘Night Breeze’
12. Les Hurdle, Kathleen Poppy & Madeline Bell – ‘You’ve Got What It Takes’
13. Electric Machine – ‘Fancy Good’
14. C. Cordio & F. Vinciguerra – ‘Quips and Cranks’
15. Les Hurdle & Frank Ricotti – ‘Dissolves’
16. Joel Vandroogenbroeck & Walt Rockman – ‘Fairy Tale’
17. Mladen Franko – ‘Weeping Eelgrass’
18. Peter Patzer – ‘Mild Maniac’
19. Joel Vandroogenbroeck & Marc Monsen – ‘Group Meditation’
20. Roland Hollinger – ‘Dream Number Two’