The Scottish-Canadian animator Norman McLaren (1914-1987), creator of groundbreaking short films such as Dots, Neighbours and Synchromy, is honoured with the first publication of his compositions that foreshadowed the half century of electronic music that followed. The electronic soundtracks he created for his own films are characterised by astonishing foresight and precise methodology. McLaren was described by Milton Babbitt (composer, music theorist, mathematician) as "the first electronic musician". John Cale and George Lucas were ardent fans, and his work is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With "Rythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren", his soundtracks are appearing on record for the first time, carefully compiled from the most important film works, hours of archive recordings and multiple versions of the same key compositions. It is an essential overview of McLaren as a composer, in close connection with McLaren as a filmmaker. Both are key figures in the development of their respective fields and are opening doors to a future that might not have existed without McLaren.
