"It’s been such a privilege to work with Daphne’s sounds": Daphne Oram's centenary celebrated in compilation featuring previously unheard archival material

This December marks the centenary of pioneering composer and electronic musician Daphne Oram's birth, and a new compilation album celebrating her legacy is being released to mark the occasion.

Titled vari/ations - Ode To Oram, the project invites a diverse line-up of female, non-binary and trans electronic artists to create original compositions that draw on the Oram Archive.

This is an extensive collection of sounds taken from over 280 of Oram's audio tapes, many of which have never been heard before, featuring recordings of the Oramics Machine and Oram's voice alongside "match strikes, cat purrs, scraped objects and commercial jingles".

Announced today with a preview of Cosey Fanni Tutti's atmospheric contribution, Tributum, the compilation features sound engineer Marta Salogni, modular synthesist Arushi Jain and DJ/producer TAAHLIAH, alongside contributions from Deena Abdelwahed, Nwando Ebizie, Lola de la Mata and more. (A full tracklist is copied below.)

The ten-track project is being released on 14th November 2025 via UK-based label Nonclassical in partnership with the the Daphne Oram Trust, an organization dedicated to honouring Oram's legacy. Several artists involved in the compilation have previously been recognized at the Oram Awards, an event celebrating female and gender-diverse artists innovating in the fields of music and sound.

Daphne Oram was a trailblazing figure within early electronic music, co-founding the BBC's influential Radiophonic Workshop and inventing the Oramics Machine, a pioneering device that used markings drawn on strips of 35mm film to control electronic sound generators. Essentially a rudimentary synthesizer, the machine allowed the user to sequence musical patterns with control over pitch, amplitude, timbre and reverb.

"It’s been such a privilege to work with Daphne’s sounds. She has been an inspiration for so many years," Cosey Fanni Tutti said in a press release.

"I’m proud to be a part of this project that marks her centenary and in acknowledgement of her influence, remarkable experimental vision and unique approach to the concept of sound, which has been key to the development of electronic music."

Later this year, the artists featured on vari/ations will perform at a series of concerts across the UK, including a show at London's Barbican Centre on 14th November.

Pre-order vari/ations - Ode to Oram here.

Listen to Cosey Fanni Tutti's Tributum below.

• Side A
  • Cosey Fanni Tutti - Tributum
  • TAAHLIAH - Gosamour
  • Magz Hall & Mieko Shimizu - Folly Tower Blooms
  • Nwando Ebizie - The Art Of Living
  • xname - SEANCE
• Side B
  • Deena Abdelwahed - Eidolon
  • Lola de la Mata - Folly Folly Folly
  • Arushi Jain - Electronic Music Is Loud
  • afromerm & abi asisa - 1966 interrupted
  • Marta Salogni - An Individual Note