"Watching and Waiting" by Robert Sharples
A somber, sinister entry from the Coloursound Library archives.
Less Than 1,000 Spins is a Micro-Chop side project, Spotify and YouTube playlist, daily newsletter, and a place to find great songs with less than 1,000 spins. You can support the project by sharing the newsletter, the playlists, and/or music from the playlists with other people.
I think it started sometime during the pandemic, but over the last three to four years I’ve found myself listening to a lot of library music. In short, library music consists of instrumental recordings created by work-for-hire musicians. The music is owned by labels/music libraries. Library music is usually licensed for commercials, radio slots, movies, and TV shows. The 1990s saw many library labels dumping excess stock of their records from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s in used vinyl stores, which led to an explosion in popularity for collectors and producers.
The history of library music is rich and complex and goes well beyond the scope of today’s article. If you’d like to learn more about it I’d recommend the Wikipedia page and these articles by Nate Patrin and Conor Herbert. You can also check out the library music playlist I made on Spotify and YouTube.
Today there are well-known library labels like De Wolfe Music and KPM. However, several lesser-known companies with expansive catalogs also put out quality releases. One of those labels is Coloursound Library - a Munich-based label known for a prolific string of experimental records released throughout the 1980s. Much of their catalog is available on streaming.
As a lesser-known player in the library field, many Coloursound recordings fall under the Less Than 1,000 Spins umbrella. I’ve had the privilege of listening to several in recent months. One of those is Suspense & Danger, 1985 a joint effort by Robert Sharples, Andre Tschaskovski, and Albert Jacob. This release has a growing audience on YouTube but hasn’t had the same success on Spotify.
I love Coloursound’s striking, unique cover art. Some of their records have a slightly clunky, DIY feel, and Suspense & Danger is one of those covers. There are some incredibly creepy numbers on this one and tracks like “Disorientation” would fit right into a classic horror movie score.
My selection for Less Than 1,000 Spins is “Watching and Waiting.” It falls more into the suspense category and is less creepy than “Disorientation,” but I love the carefully constructed groove and somber vibes. I can hear many sample-based producers going to work with this one and chopping it up a million different ways. It’s also a great point of entry for exploring the incredibly diverse Coloursound.
Perhaps Coloursound is not quite at the level of some of the famed De Wolfe and KPM records, but I still think their catalog deserves some time and energy.
Listen to “Watching and Waiting” on any platform here. Make sure to check out Less Than 1,000 Spins on Spotify and YouTube. You can also check out Formerly On Less Than 1,000 Spins on Spotify and YouTube.
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