LP from 1987, originally on the Point label, remastered and reissued in 2019 by Jonas Olesen on his label Institut for Dansk Lydarkaeologi.

The composer (1935-2018) Bent Lorentzen is widely considered one of the key figures and pioneers of early Danish electronic music and he was one of a few classically trained composers seeking out the possibilities of the new technology in the 1960s.

The three works clearly demonstrate Lorentzen’s close familiarity with his equipment and his great technical proficiency regarding the creation and manipulation of all sorts of electronic and recorded acoustic sounds – typically in the form of speed changes, reversed sounds, and reverb and filter effects. The music is often quite dramatic with distinct narratives and multiple dynamic layers of sound, but still with a clear sense of disposition and restraint, possibly stemming from Lorentzen’s experience with classical instrumentation, and orchestration.

‘The Bottomless Pit’ (originally Afgrundens brønd) on side A was composed as the musical score for a ballet by the Norwegian dance company Høvik Ballett, commissioned by NOMUS (Nordic Music Commitee) and staged at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo during the Nordic Music Days festival in 1972. The piece was originally composed for four channels, but mixed down to stereo for the 1987 release.

Side B’s ‘Visions’ (originally Visione) and ‘Cloud-Drift ‘(originally NUBES) were also both composed as 4-channel works. The back of the original LP-sleeve contains small prints of graphic notations accompanying the two compositions, here reproduced in enlarged versions for better readability.

Side A:

The Bottomless Pit (1972)

1. The Heavens
2. The Sea
3. The Mountains
4. The Sun
5. The Bottomless Pit
6. Shining Rainbows, Drifting Clouds, Flowing Lava And Running Water

Side B:

1. Visions (1978)
2. Cloud-Drift (1973, revised 1975)