Now we're listening to Michael Burakoff's (Beryl's 18 year old son's) gorgeous new CD- "Crimson Format." (thecrimsonformat@aol.com).
Great rhythmic electronic music, incredibly easy and pleasant to listen to, though sublty complex and varied containing innumerable moments of odd and shimmering sonic landscapes. LIke Michael himself, there is much charm and not a little whimsicality and humor. Michael has collaged sounds from many elements of his childhood using old tapes. Also, he creates his own instruments, for example, taking apart a music box and programming his own melodies. Michael's obsession is to create electronic instruments out of children's toy electronic instruments.There are 12 cuts, including 1)crows and concrete; 2)orion; 3)primer; 4)phoneme; 5)ruby; 6)the crimson format; 7)wash; 8)heliotaxis; 9)sysyphalus; 10)sertraline; 11)winter for the animals; 12) chrysalis and the cold outside. A musical remembrance of things past, Michael has also incorporated musical instruments from the collection of his grandfather Bill Simon, the jazz saxophonist and music critic, who wrote about and befriended Tony Scott, the great jazz clarinetist, who created the famous "Music for Zen Meditation" in the 60's and frequently recorded with Billie Holiday. My favorite cut on the album is "winter for the animals." Until now, Mike's work has been completely instrumental but on this cut he sings with a light sweetness and a haunting strangeness akin to Neil Young, evoking the aching dreams and nostalgia for and of childhood.