Environments 5: Ultimate Heartbeat

by Environments

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	1.	Ultimate Heartbeat 40:25		buy track
	2.	Wind in the Trees 33:39		buy track

about

Playable at both 33⅓ and 45 rpm, side A of Environments 5 features the slow heartbeat of a female athlete. Heavily marketed as a soundtrack for lovemaking, the recording stirred up a bit of controversy in the press. In interviews Teibel called it an update to Ravel’s “Bolero,” which was often used for sex because of its steady rhythm and slow climax. On the other hand, “Ultimate Heartbeat” was also marketed as a tool for meditation, and to calm infants. From the album's press release: “Our experiments show us that the most effective sound for this purpose was a heart that doesn't exist: a heart beating 40 beats per minute (70 is about normal) and reversed.”

“Wind in the Trees” was one of Irv Teibel’s personal favorite recordings. It was his response to “canned music” and Muzak in elevators and offices, specifically conceived as “the most pleasing background sound which can be used for the ceiling speakers normally found in offices.” Since wind is so difficult to record accurately, Teibel manufactured the sound with a synthesizer and layered it into the mix. Teibel was so pleased with the result that he played the recording at Syntonic’s office in the Flatiron Building for weeks at a time. From the liner notes: “To watch a person's expression as he silently listens on stereo earphones is to fully realize the potential of this superb sound.”

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released January 2, 1974

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Environments Chicago, Illinois

Environments is a historic catalog of long form field recordings created for the way you live. Whether you need to work, meditate, sleep, or any other use, Environments is the only ambient sound app based on extended recordings created in the 1960s and ’70s on analog tape. Environments began as an unprecedented series of vinyl records, garnering widespread acclaim and selling millions of units. ... more

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