Recorded in 1957, is this the world’s first electronic pop song?

The Fascinating World Of Electronic Music
Dick Raaijmakers (left) and T Dissevelt (right), photographed in 1958. (Image credit: Royal Philips / Philips Company Archives)

Recorded in 1957, Kid Baltan (AKA Dick Raaijmakers) and Tom Dissevelt’s Song Of The Second Moon has been called the world’s first ever electronic pop composition. It ended up on 1963 album The Fascinating World of Electronic Music, and this is now set to be reissued by Canadian label We Are Busy Bodies.

A bleepy blend of jazz and musique concrete, Song Of The Second Moon has a prescient intro that calls to mind a lot of electronic music that came much later. In fact, the whole album sounds remarkably ahead of its time - it became a favourite of David Bowie and has been sampled by the likes of DJ Premier and David Holmes.

The Fascinating World of Electronic Music comprises music recorded between 1957 and 1961, and has been remastered for the reissue, which will land on 12 November. Tom Dissevelt's follow up 1965 album, Fantasy in Orbit, will be re-released on the same day.

Both records are available for pre-order on Bandcamp.

The Fascinating World Of Electronic Music

(Image credit: We Are Busy Bodies)
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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