Jun 10, 2007
Stability/Change: Repetitive and Evolutionary Sound Structures
Cover art: Ryoji Ikeda “Dataplex” (Raster-Noton, 2005)
The same thing happens every day. We wake up, eat breakfast, go to work or college, maybe have some fun afterwards and then go back to sleep again. It is a continuous cycle that is so familiar that we are even unaware of its existence. It provides us stability and structure and when you are right in the middle of it (which you are, right now) you hardly recognize the changes that are taking place. You are simply too close to see them.
Only if you take a step backwards you will see that small details are slowly evolving. Patterns are emerging and others slowly fade away. We can only see and recognize those changes well afterwards when we are directly confronted with a comparison in time between point A and point B.
Stability and change go hand in hand together. You have to renovate a building to keep it in its original state. A war in Iraq takes place with big political interventions but without any real changes for its civilians and the relationship between the many and the few. Companies have to continuously change their strategies to keep their market share. I once read an interesting quote from an Italian novel which perfectly captures the essence of the relationship between stability and change.
‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change’
(The Leopard, G.T. di Lampedusa, 1958)
We like to think that most changes are actually caused by our own decisions and that all of our decisions are taken rationally and deliberate. However it is more often that we recognize change rather than that we actually initiate change. Strategies predominantly emerge rather than that we actually construct them.
This process of reflection and recognition of patterns and change afterwards is nothing more but an attempt to make sense of our own actions and the current position that we take within our surroundings. What was an intuitive and subconscious chain of events at that time, now – when faced with the consequences – is something we like to attribute to a predetermined and intentional path of choices. Simply for ourselves to learn from past experiences.
The intriguing relationship between stability and change is further explored throughout all of the tracks in this playlist, often with widely differing approaches and results. But they all build from distinct, repetitive sound structures that shift through time and evolve in an intuitive manner.
- Deathprod – Treetop Drive 1
Treetop Drive (Metal Art Disco, 1994) - William Basinski – Dlp1.3
The Disintegration Loops IV (2062, 2003) - Charlemagne Palestine – Strumming Music
Godbear (Barooni, 1998) - Tony Conrad with Faust – The Pyre Of Angus Was In Kathmandu
Outside The Dream Syndicate – 30th Anniversary Edition (Table of the Elements, 2002) - Ryoji Ikeda – Data.Superhelix
Dataplex (Raster-Noton, 2005) - Fennesz – Before I Leave
Endless Summer (Mego, 2001) - Steve Reich – Section V
Music for 18 Musicians (Nonesuch, 1998) - Baka Pygmies – Yeli
Heart of the Forest (Crammed Discs, 1993) - Philip Glass – Part 3
Music In Twelve Parts (Venture, 1975)
The list actually started with the Baka Pygmies track. A track which I recently heard on an old Crammed Discs cd-sampler and which has a surprising resemblance to minimal music like Steve Reich. This surprised me because this track actually comes from a field recording made in the rain forest of Cameroon during the early ’90s. I find the resemblance in their approach to shifting structures to be quite stunning. After that the other tracks followed naturally, obviously getting much inspiration from minimalism and related genres.
And when we speak of minimalism I think there are two albums especially that cannot go unmentioned. In my believe, “Outside The Dream Syndicate” by Tony Conrad with Faust and “Strumming Music” by Charlemagne Palestine are among the most important works of this genre. Both are minimal masterpieces that changed the musical landscape and inspired artists to extend their explorations. Both albums consist of quite lengthy tracks (with Strumming Music being a 45 minutes solo piano drone) so in order to keep the playlist practical I chose to include their shorter counterparts. The Tony Conrad with Faust track in this playlist comes from the bonus cd of the 30th anniversary edition of “Outside The Dream Syndicate”. The Charlemagne Palestine track comes from his “Godbear” album and is quite similar to the original Strumming Music release but only much shorter. If you like these shorter tracks I urge you to seek out the original longer parts.
See also: Charlemagne Palestine on YouTube
And totally unrelated but do make sure to check out the excellent mid-2007 best-of list at Raven Sings the Blues.
Been studying for exams for nearly three months now, nonstop, everyday the same day. No noticeable change except maybe the gradually increasing feeling of going more and more insane as the exams approach…
Your playlist soothes my soul, keeps me calm, makes going / maintaining the cycle easier. I really liked it, thanks!
(I already liked your Return to Sea playlist.)
I recall you once told you’ve been trying to write a post about Charlemagne Palestine for a while but all the records you had of him only consisted of one 50 min + track.
I would recommend you to check Eliane Radigue’s incredible and often overlooked experiments with arp & drones present throughout her discography and specially the work of Phill Niblock, he’s one of the few minimalist composers along Charlemagne Palestine who will always keep releasing his most contemporary works & never rest on laurels (unlike other composers of the genre from the 60′s/70′s like Terry Riley, Pauline Oliveros, and John Cale that did under the premise they ‘ had found what they were looking for’) and just as him has continued in the experimental, surprising vein of his earliest clamor. I have only heard snippets of it but I’ve been told Rhys Chatham’s A Crimson Grail (For 400 Guitars) released earlier this year is a really good pick for minimalist album of the year. I need to check that one out.
The baka pygmies song is very interesting, definitely got me researching about the album when I should be waving people I will never see again goodbye & preparing my bag for the trip. No harm done, of course, this will provide an interesting music companion on the train/plane/horse travelogue ;)
Thank you very much for this ones Bubba, see you soon!
Hey Bubbachups,
Nice list I really dig that Deathprod track, goes nicely with some of the Miasmah releases I’ve been listening to lately. Thanks for the link, I’ve always enjoyed your comments on RSTB. Keep up the great work.
Lol, hope you’re doing ok with your exams Thomas. They can be quite nerve wrecking, I know. Strange thing though, for the last two years, every time the exam dates were approaching and I was expecting that good old buzz and anticipation, nothing happened. I always needed that nerve wrecking anticipation as some kind of drug to really get me going. I don’t know why but I don’t get that feeling anymore. Exam weeks go smooth and calm now, no stress, no hurry. I’m not sure whether I feel happy about that or not. I kind of miss that race against the clock. :)
But good job man, studying for three months nonstop is really awesome, that takes quite some dedication. Good luck and thanks for your comment.
@ Moka: Thanks for your great-as-ever suggestions! You know, Pauline Oliveros was originally in my playlist (Suiren from Deep Listening) but somehow I always try to end up with 9 songs. Don’t ask me why, there is no reason. I’ve heard some good things also about Rhys Chatham but don’t have any of his stuff. So much I need to check out, I need a vacation or something… But keep them coming, your suggestions are always welcome, I’m eager to learn. ;-)
The William Basinski piece is stunning. It has haunted me since the first time I heard it.
i agree with you bubba… tell me, how long i’ve been alive? :D
i’m probably listening too much the endless drones these days. including the Eliane Radigue that moka has mentioned. all those more than an hours tracks, kind of making me go weird. anyway, i still strongly recommend stuart dempster. really nice stuff.
and again, i really wish i’m half good as you in writing!
so dig Deathprod tune as well
fantastic mix…fer real!
and i got your hello message from Sara….i hope you enjoyed the Paul D. record :)
some of our friends who played on that record also play with Rhys Chatham!
take care, and maybe i’ll take a stab at wordpress and see if i can figure out how to post sometime soon…
Thanks everyone! :-)
@ Adam: Looking forward to see you posting again and hopefully spam the visitors with the latest Paul Duncan. Which is a fantastic album I think, definitely one of my favorites so far this year. Amazingly good production also.
Treetop Drive 1 is absolutely wonderful. Really really sad but I love it.
Bubba, change your picture or email the owner. I don’t have time to deal with this.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055146764&page=4
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p298/Bubbachups/piano.jpg
[...] The central piece here is the overwhelming performance by Lubomyr Melnyk of his so-called Continuous Music on piano. A tidal wave of notes comes crashing down on the listener. An endlessly swirling composition that constantly changes only in the tiniest details. Comparisons could be made with Charlemagne Palestine’s Strumming Music (see and listen here), but Melnyk is more of a romanticist and his work feels less abstract. [...]
Erotic art http://www.lcangels.com