Cold Worlds vinyl

A collection of horror electronics, supernatural soundscapes and sinister library muzak from Australian composer Don Harper. Centering on a previously unreleased score for the 1968 "Doctor Who" series "The Invasion" (a dark otherworldly sci-fi jazz suite), "Cold Worlds" is also a focus on the electronic music of this largely unsung composer.

Like many Australian film composers (Ron Grainer, Dudley Simpson, Don Banks) Don Harper based himself in the UK during the 1960s and subsequently found employment at the BBC and other British film and library companies. Probably best known for his BBC scores for "World of Sport", "Sexton Blake" and "The Inside Man", Harper also immersed himself in the world of electronics. A virtuoso jazz violinist, he notably produced a 1974 electronic/altered jazz session for Lansdowne Studios entitled "Homo Electronicus" (featuring Norma Winstone and other progressive UK jazz musicians). In addition to cutting a number of library sessions for Joseph Weinburger's Impress label, in which several tracks were later famously sampled by MF Doom, he also co-wrote the music (alongside Delia Derbyshire and David Vorhaus) for the essential Radiophonic KPM recording "Electrosonic". Also featured on this compilation are his nightmarish cues used in George Romero's cult zombie classic "Dawn Of The Dead".

Alan Gubby (Buried Treasure)