The History of The Interstellar Suite:

Amin Bhatia originally wanted to work with an orchestra but couldn't find space for them in his basement, so he settled for synthesizers instead. Before the advent of midi, synthesizers played one note at a time, and Bhatia simulated luscious orchestral music on a four-track recorder and a Minimoog.

In 1981, Amin submitted his unusual sci-fi sounding orchestral work for a synthesizer competition sponsored by Roland and won first prize out of 500 entrants worldwide. The judges included Oscar Peterson, synth veterans Robert Moog and Ralph Dyck, and Japanese artist Isao Tomita. The resulting exposure launched Bhatia's music career, leading to projects with David Foster, Steve Porcaro, and a solo album on Capitol records’ Cinema label titled Interstellar Suite.

A small run of The Interstellar Suite was distributed worldwide in 1987 moments before the Cinema label closed its doors. The popularity of The Interstellar Suite, however, has continued to grow on its own.

Many things made this recording unique: One was its lush orchestral stylings attributed to Amin’s love of Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams film scores. Another unique element was Amin's insistence on using analog synthesizers in a world where everyone else had gone digital. Rather than join the trend of sampling and abusing orchestral phrases, Amin combined and layered hundreds of electronic parts to achieve a warm orchestral sound that was not stolen from an orchestra. To this day Amin still gets requests from listeners and programmers asking for the orchestral sample libraries used. He has a hard time convincing them that it was all him.

Analog Synthesizers:

The orchestral textures and sound effects in The Intersteller Suite were created using analog synthesizers: Roland JX 10; Yamaha TX 816; Oberheim Expander; one pair of crash cymbals; and one Minimoog. No samplers or sound libraries were used.

Original Credits :

All tracks composed and arranged by Amin Bhatia.

Engineered and produced by Dan Lowe.

The original release was recorded and mixed January through March, ‘87 at Smoothrock Studios, Canada.

Mastered by Wally Traugott at Capitol Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California.

Original art direction: Roy Kohara / Roland Young

To capture the power of digital while preserving the warmth of analog all tracks were mixed and mastered using Dolby Sr.

Everyone Who Helped: David Strattford, Dave Kletke, Glenn Potter, Hal Redekop, Stan Morasch, Brad Steckel, Pete Winkleman, Candice babe Hanson, Mark Hartley, The Roland Corporation (especially Steve Mckay, and Graeme Browne at Roland Canada) Steve, Joan and Trent at Smoothrock, and all the staff at Arcade, Long & Mcquade and Mountain Music for their last minute patch cords, midi boxes and advice.

If you listen carefully, you will hear the voices of Bruce Ehlert, Dan Willmott, Louise Feroze, John Brenner and Brian Martell; Produced By Gord Dolny.

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The Re-release of The Interstellar Suite:

Restoration supervised and produced by David Greene.

Mastering by Ted Carson at Musiclane Mastering.

Track evaluations and transfers: James Porteous and Steve Royea.

Design and artwork by The Twelve Steves.

Prep and manufacturing: Oil City Press And Canada Disc And Tape.

The Interstellar Suite Track Listing:

1. Overture: Introduction And March (2:38)
2. The Ship: Main Theme (2:46)
3. Launch: Mission Control And Liftoff / Jumping To The Speed Of Light (4:26)
4. Walking In Space: Opening The Airlock / Weightless / Retrieving A Satellite (5:52)
5. Hostility: Intruder Alert / The Attack (6:30)
6. Distress Signal: The Beacon / A Damaged Ship / The Loneliness Of Space (5:48)
7. Rescue Fleet: Formation And Rescue Theme / Dive / Arrival At The Alien Fort (5:56)
8. Battle: Planning The Attack / Return Fire / The Last Missile (4:36)
9. Finale: Theme Reprise / March (3:20)

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