John Scott / Tony Kinsey Cavendish Series Volume 1: Dramatic

KingUnderground to release a collection of 8 45s from the Cavendish Music catalogue. Paying homage to the genre of Library Music, furthering its exposure to a new generation of listeners. Library Music experienced its heyday in the 60s and 70s, as thousands of instrumental tracks were produced by musicians and composers for the purpose of placements in Radio, Television, and Film. This rich piece of European music history would go on to inform genres to come and speak heavily to the Jazz, Funk, and Hip Hop communities of the future.

This was often a musician’s first opportunity to become a composer, or what most would commonly know now as a producer of music. These composers would work with a stable of musicians to record 100s tracks that would go into a publishing Library. The pieces of music were recorded quickly and deliberately. The composers, musicians, and engineers understood their role in the process, it was an act of discipline amongst all involved. Often the composer was given a brief on what the end goal was for the client. The specifics would include tempo to lock into, song ending time, etc. In the early days of Library Music, there were 3 major companies that acted as publishers. KPM, De Wolfe, and Boosey & Hawkes, which is now known as Cavendish Music. None of this music was made commercially available, so these companies were collecting vaults worth of material, later to be discovered as some of the most influential music for current producers across experimental, dance, house, hip hop, jazz and more. This influence has no doubt infected the KU catalogue of music, and is present in such records as the 2020 release from Robohands ‘Shapes’.

Never before have these tracks from the Cavendish Music Library been pressed on 7” vinyl at 45rpm. In all there will be 8 individual 45s, licensed from Boosey & Hawkes & Cavendish Music Library. The collection includes compositions by Tony Kinsey, John Scott, Sam Fonteyn, Ray Davies, and more.

One of the unique things about the genre of Library music is the way that it has stood the test of time. One factor is that Library music was made up of so many different genres, but a key contributor to the timelessness and the reason why so many current DJs and producers have found this important and inspiring to their work is that the music was made over several decades and often depicted to times sonically. There’s a boldness to Library music. It’s in the forward nature of where the drums sit in the mix and the percussive playing of the keys that gives you something to grab hold of, it feels grounded yet exciting. Its music beamed in from a different galaxy! The first 45, titled ‘Dramatic’ features tracks from both John Scott and Tony Kinsey. Titling was important to Library music because it needed to clearly represent the emotions being expressed through the music, so it was easy for television and film executives to find what they needed to complete their projects. John Scott wasted no time getting into the dramatics with the opening track “Milky Way”, it displays the importance of grabbing a listener from the top, as well as being concise clocking in at just 47 seconds. Scott was not only a master composer but also known for his work on the Saxophone, including playing on John Barry’s soundtrack for ‘Goldfinger’ in the James Bond series. The juxtaposition of Tony Kinsey’s composition on the record offers a dynamic not present in the two tracks from Scott. Kinsey is more patient in his approach to “Kaleidoscope” building the tension with multiple movements and highlighting several instruments. The way the keys and bass play off each other leaves just enough room for a guitar lick to sneak in as if it is hinting toward something.