Tomita – Snowflakes Are Dancing

i was just thinking the other day that early synth covers of classical music (switched to bach, etc.) are very similar to dub remixes. they flatten some elements of the music, - in case of albums like Tomita´s Snowflakes are Dancing - they flatten the colour of the music and only leave the bare melody played on calculators. it does not play the palette of music, the size of it, so the music is really one dimensional and (sorry to say) boring. but hey, it´s freaking 1974 and this was max the synths could play! so respect. but dull anyway. maybe if i was a freak about debussy i might enjoy it more.

I have avoided buying this album for so many years, concerns that it would be a rather cheesy affair (as almost every popular Moog album from this time is). But I got into vintage electronic music several years ago, and coming across this album for the 20th time at a thrift store finally had me made the plunge. Honestly, I don't think I would have been ready for this album before this time. The Moog system was a terribly unruly instrument for its time and that's typically why any album that relied on it came off sounding underdeveloped or dated. Tomita in this case was not only a clear expert of the instrument but also rarely fell into the trappings of his time. Yes, there are some "cheesy" sounds here and there, but they are surprisingly brief. He manages to create a timeless sound for the most part and one that clearly informed everything that came after it, including into the 1980s and into the synth revival period of today. It's a landmark album and holds up extraordinarily well. I'm so glad I was now ready to come to it with open ears.

One of my favorite records ever. Beautiful and otherworldly. . .

Mindblowing 1970's abum, delivered with both artistic delicacy & musical chops. So damn cool it kind of defies description. You have to listen to it to dig it, man. Also a sonic marvel of the highest order. Go Dynaflex go!

This is an amazing Dynaflex pressing. Very quiet vinyl and magical music. I was introduced to this when it came out in the early 70s and it holds its place now. Wonderfully transporting. Debussy might even like it!

Morrissey (yes THAT Morrissey) had this to say upon the passing of Tomita ..."for there are some people who are lucky enough to leave such a powerful mark on life that not even death can wipe them out. In this Year Of Death ... from Richard Davalos to Frank Finlay to Prince to my very dear friend Victoria Wood ... I struggled most of all with the death of TOMITA, whose Snowflakes are dancing (RCA) I have listened to constantly for 40 years, especially on hard days of self-judgment. It is a recording that you can listen to repeatedly until you hear nothing else. All you need to do is to keep quiet. In a few minutes all the right answers come through and you will find that there had never been any reason, after all, to feel angry.If you do not know this recording, I envy your first listen. Track 5 especially will stay with you for always, as the best music does ... never outside time. It might take you back to the lost years of personal honesty in music, when artists gave everything that they had and everything that they were. MORRISSEY December 2016

Every time I see this I think it's Leonard Nimoy. That is all.

First heard when I bought it at 16, now I am 63 and listened again for the first time in 47 years. It is as good now as then. I have no idea what ‘dated sound’ some are referring to. Perhaps not overblown digital studio sound, but the beautiful clear analogue synth noise and production. Ah yes. At his best when he restrained himself. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair and Footsteps in the Snow are the ones, the former is a desert island disc for me. But even the slightly overdone glissandi and fairground surges have their place. The thing is, he really loved Debussy, you can tell. Superb.

Proof a synthesizer given a creative mind behind it is anything but sterile, mechanical or emotion-less. Tomita's debut is a megalith of synthesizer driven music and a testament to man's creative visions beyond the mundane visions of popular music trends. RIP Isao your music will continue keep us an awe in time everlasting.....

Utterly remarkable genius ability to create such wonder with such little technology, one of the 1st and still one of the best ever synth LPs.