Phonos was created in 1974 by Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny, Andrés Lewin-Richter, and Lluis Callejo. For many years, it remained the only electroacoustic music studio in Spain. Most Spanish composers working with technology attended the classes by Chilean composer Gabriel Brnčić at Phonos. Phonos has spent five decades serving as a vital bridge between avant-garde sound exploration and technological innovation. In 1994, Phonos became affiliated with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and the then-director of Phonos, Xavier Serra, joined the UPF as a professor, creating the Music Technology Group. From that moment on, Phonos works closely with the MTG.

To commemorate the Phonos 50th anniversary (1974-2024), a series of activities, talks, and concerts has been organized. A recent exhibition at the Biblioteca de Catalunya titled “50 Years of the Phonos Foundation: Electroacoustics and Musical Avant-Garde” offered a journey through the institution’s history via graphic and sound archives.

Phonos Inèdit: Recovering Musical Heritage

The label La Membrana has released Phonos Inèdit, a new triple-album that recovers historical recordings from the Phonos archives, available at Bandcamp and all streaming platforms.

Phonos Inèdit is a compilation of original tape pieces from a handful of representative composers associated with Phonos, a historical electronic music lab in Barcelona. All the works are remastered as high-res digital audio by Anxe Faraldo, who has been artistic director of Phonos between 2018 and 2022.

With this edition, La Membrana absorbs the catalog of former Phonos Netlabel, and initiates its publishing endeavour, celebrating and commemorating Phonos 50th anniversary.

Curated by Andrés Lewin-Richter and Anxe Faraldo.
Mastering and digital restoration by Anxe Faraldo.