Anthology is set to issue a collection of recordings from Philadelphia / New Jersey experimental synth ensemble, The Nightcrawlers, in the Spring of 2017. The retrospective will cull from a staggering amount of material - 40+ cassette tapes - the trio released from 1979 through their demise in the early 90s under their Synkronos Music label imprint. Brothers Tom and Peter Gulch began recording as The Nightcrawlers in 1979 and recruited Dave Lunt shortly thereafter. Their collaborations drew influence from the cosmic minimalism of the Berlin School (Klaus Schulze / Tangerine Dream) and other European MIDI forebears (Cluster, Popul Vuh, et al). As early 80s Philly leaned hard into radical politics and New Wave zeal, the Nightcrawlers retreated to light-less spaces, capturing their fully improvised, all-nighter sessions on cassette + JVC boombox. Minimal, filmic tones livened with the spacey intricacies of early Moog experimentation ("Phase II: Orbital Descent") were balanced in biotic, New Age themes true to their appellation ("Fungi [Fungus, Molds, Mushrooms]"). While a Nightcrawlers "reunion" performance is not a viable option, a record release celebration inspired by and in gratitude to this rich yet little-known community will be an exciting addition to the promotion of this project.
