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MBTV: Ralph Lundsten's Galaxy

Ralph Lundsten started recording music in the roaring 60s. Unlike many of his equally-psychedelic contemporaries, he's gone on to have an epically prolific career with somewhere north of 100 albums under his belt, ranging from electronica to opera. But...

Ralph Lundsten started recording music in the roaring 60s. Unlike many of his equally-psychedelic contemporaries, he’s gone on to have an epically prolific career with somewhere north of 100 albums under his belt, ranging from electronica to ballet. But, wait, that’s not the crazy part. What’s so unbelievably awesome about Lundsten is that he’s recorded his music within Andromeda, his galaxy/recording studio that looks like an escape pod from Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock. It also happens to be its own micro-nation.

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I dug this video up from deep with the Motherboard archives, and it truly may be the trippiest thing we’ve produced.

After filling out a rather unconventional visa application to gain entry into Andromeda (really), Lundsten introduced us to his world. My best guess at describing it would be to say it’s what would have happened if Disney hired Kraftwerk to design It’s A Small World. The thing is, Lundsten’s brand of space travelin’ music predates Kraftwerk and the rest of the electro giants by a mile. He was kind enough to show us how it all the stardust-soaked magic happens, including pulling out his deep quiver of experimental instruments. (My favorite is theDIMI-S, or "Sexaphone," which bases its sounds on your own emotions.) He even showed us the incredible medal he was awarded by the Swedish government for his work in electronic music.

Basically, Lundsten is the legend you’ve never heard about, probably because he’s spent the last few decades in his own galaxy. Consider this your invite into one of the wildest worlds on our dear planet Earth, and remember: You haven’t made it until you run your own spacegaze country.

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