Tony Clayton-Leahears the work of John Baker, a member of the BBC's vaunted Radiophonic Workshop in the 1960s, which now on release.

JOHN BAKER

The John Baker Tapes, Volume 1 & 2

BBC/Trunk Records

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Anyone with an interest in electronic/electronica music would have heard of the BBC's Delia Derbyshire; back in the 1960s, she, David Cain and John Baker were the brains behind the Beeb's Radiophonic Workshop, the fertile place of work where all manner of televisual and radio sounds - news bulletin idents, theme tunes, special effects - were created long before synthesisers, samplers and multi- trackers came along.

This was the period when sound was, literally, "built", sonic step by sonic step. Baker's pioneering work has long since seeped into the sonic firmament, to the point where his name isn't even recognised. Hopefully, these two volumes will correct this oversight; there's certainly enough groundbreaking material here that, while sounding innocuous by today's standards, undoubtedly influenced music acts such as Young Marble Giants and Brian Eno.

All this and a treasure trove of found sounds for today's DJs/mixers to plunder. Thank you, John Baker.

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TONY CLAYTON-LEA