Various ‎– Made To Measure Vol. 1 (1984, CD, Belgium)

Volume 1 initiated Made to Measure, a series of records of experimental soundtrack music, in high form as a compilation with several artists from Crammed Discs' roster. Minimal Compact offer some songs from a ballet, Tuxedomoon weigh in with three pieces from a film score, Benjamin Lew with a sound backdrop to a fashion exhibition, and Aksak Maboul bring in an excerpt from a private movie, as well as music composed for a play. Except for the Minimal Compact cuts, these are instrumentals of various moods and textures, and the various contributors complement each other with similar Euro-art rock aesthetics. Though Tuxedomoon expatriated from the U.S. and Minimal Compact from Israel, both groups have a very European sound, though Minimal Compact do throw some Middle Eastern flute and chanting on "Too Many of Them." Otherwise their tracks don't differ too much from what is on their regular albums, clunky rhythms, creepy and subdued art-rock songs. Lew's track is far more gothic, with symphonic overtones. Aksak Maboul end side one of the LP with the best track on the disc, "Scratch Holiday." Using only a turntable and an old 7" from the '60s, "Scratch Holiday" layers repetitive sound on top of repetitive sound to create hypnotic ambient textures of incredible beauty. The six Aksak pieces on the flip side of the LP are quite different, beginning with the baroque chamber music of "Odessa" and throwing in several piano solos, from the dreamy "Lili Danse" to the more sullen "Ossip et Lili." The three Tuxedomoon instrumentals also offer drastically different moods; "No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition" is a scary track with disturbing drones and breaking glass, while "Driving to Verdun" has a bouncy electro-rhythm and a droll melody. For the most part, excellent stuff with lots of dynamics that rise well above the concept of background music. (search: AllMusic)

Pieces For Nothing
1–Minimal Compact/ Bat-Yam (4:33)
2–Minimal Compact/ Too Many Of Them (4:32)
3–Minimal Compact/ Immer Vorbei (4:00)
4–Minimal Compact/ Animal Killers (3:33)
A La Recherche De B.
5–Benjamin Lew/ A La Rechèrche De B. (2:51)
Scratch Holiday
6–Aksak Maboul/ Scratch Holiday (4:15)
Featuring – The Honeymoon Killers
Recorded By – Aksak Maboul, Alig
Un Chien Merite Une Mort De Chien
7–Aksak Maboul/ Odessa (4:00)
8–Aksak Maboul/ Chez Les Futuristes Russes (1:23)
9–Aksak Maboul/ Ossip & Lili (1:05)
10–Aksak Maboul/ Lili Danse (1:42)
11–Aksak Maboul/ Retour Chez Les Futuristes (0:38)
12–Aksak Maboul/ Mort De Velimir (3:33)
Verdun
13–Tuxedomoon/ Fanfare (4:37)
14–Tuxedomoon/ No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition (4:50)
15–Tuxedomoon/ Driving To Verdun (2:33)

Producer – Gilles Martin (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 15), Marc Hollander (tracks: 7 to 12), Peter Principle (tracks: 1 to 4), Tuxedomoon (tracks: 12 to 15), Vincent Kenis (tracks: 7 to 12)
Recorded By – Gilles Martin (tracks: 1 to 4, 7 to 12), Marc Hollander (tracks: 7 to 12), Peter Principle (tracks: 1 to 4), Vincent Kenis (tracks: 7 to 12)
Saxophone, Clarinet – Steven Brown (tracks: 1 to 4)
Violin – Jeannot Gillis (tracks: 1 to 4)

Note
Tracks 1 to 4 made to measure for a ballet by Pierre Droulers.
Track 5 is an aural backdrop made to measure for a fashion exhibition ("Huit Jeunes Stylistes Limbourgeois").
Track 6 made to measure for The Honeymoon Killers' "Pan! Dans Les Vacances" private movie.
All sounds generated with a turntable.
Tracks 7 to 12 made to measure for a play by Michel Gheude based on the life of Maïakovsky.
Tracks 13 to 15 made to measure for "Het Veld Van Eer", a film by Bob Visser.
(search: Discog)