Anthology, by Benjamin Vraja

Anthology

by Benjamin Vraja

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$6 USD or more

1.	Side A, Part 1 14:10	info
2.	Side A, Part 2 12:40	info
3.	Side B - Clybourn Raga 02:08
4.	Side B - Experiment in FM 06:20
5.	Side B - Differential Introspective (Edit) 04:52
6.	Side B - Arthropod Legs (Edit) 05:22
7.	Side B - Petoskey Dawn 08:32

about

Benjamin Vraja was an uncle I heard about growing up but never met in life. I was told he was a musician who made “strange sounds”. This aspect of Benjamin’s life always fascinated me, especially as I began to use synthesizers as a teenager, but he passed away before I could make contact. Benjamin was not close with his family, but through discussions with them, living friends, and notes, I have been able to construct a picture of him as an electronic musician.

Born to second generation Romanian immigrants in South Chicago in 1950, Benjamin was raised in a musically rich family. Along with classical training, he became familiar with experimental music through his uncle, Laszlo, who had a strong interest in musique concrete and other avant garde music. After Laszlo died in 1972, Benjamin used money left by Laszlo to build a small electronic recording studio comprising EML synthesizers (models 101, 200, and 400/401) and tape and spring reverb effects.

Benjamin made numerous recordings in this studio, and common themes included his ancestry and nature. He rarely shared his work beyond close friends, however, and eventually sold off his studio around 1979. Friends have suggested this was in part due to his increasing frustration with the fusion of synthesizers and popular music that swept the 1970s. Nevertheless, Benjamin continued to record electronic music into the mid-1980s, using academic connections to access music department studios and newer technology. After this time Benjamin’s interest returned to traditional classical composition until his sudden death in 1996.

Thinking Benjamin’s recordings were lost, I was thrilled to find his tapes while clearing out the family estate in 2014. After discussion, the family agreed that the best way to honor Benjamin would be to present his music to an audience that he never had in life. In this anthology I have attempted to capture his diverse output over two decades.

Side 1 includes work from Benjamin’s studio period that I compiled following notes on an album that he apparently envisioned but never completed. Side 2 includes an early collaboration with a friend, and modular and digital synthesis pieces from his post-studio period.

During this project, I came to feel a bond with Benjamin through his music; I hope that you will make a similar connection while listening.

Matt Vrazo
March, 2020

credits

released June 12, 2020

All songs written and performed by Benjamin Vraja, except for “Clybourn Raga”, written and performed by B. Vraja & Mathieu Weirauch.

Mastered by Andy Williamson

Compiled and produced by Matt Vrazo

Thanks to Candace Price for graphical assistance and Eric Hanss for encouragement.

license

Some rights reserved. Please refer to individual track pages for license info.

about

Benjamin Vraja Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Benjamin Vraja (1950-1996) was an unsung electronic musician whose work explored EML synthesizers and others.

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