ATA Records go from strength to strength with their recent issues, Work Money Death’s People of the Fast Flowing River and The Sorcerers’ Other Worlds and Habitats. 2025 sees the release of the fourth volume of their regular soundtrack series, the Library Archives. An honest and forthright homage to the golden age of library recording, this new release is no exception – with nods to David Shire, Roger Webb, 60s/70s Hollywood, early anime and golden era video games.
Hammond & Farfisa organ, soul flute and vibraphone are joined by the Baldwin electric harpsichord, alto flute and trumpet, all colouring the usual high-end rhythm section of drums and bongos, electric bass, piano and guitars. Moods range from the dynamic The Galata Extraction to the whimsical Travers and the romantic Redford in Sheepskin, from the brooding Tatsuya, the Sword to the sensual Dunaway’s Eyes. Walter in Gabardine and Sutherland fly the ATA library flag of 70s-era NYC soundtracks – and both A Dilemma for Holbrook and Roundtree are drenched in soul flute so funky, it should be on the cheese counter.
Now four volumes (and a couple of singles) in, The Library Archive will eventually stand as a testament to the love the ATA producers and artists have for the original composers and performers of the great music libraries of the past.