BASINSKI, WILLIAM - Shortwavemusic

Re-issue after 10 years (first issue on CD), originally released in limited edition LP in 1997 on Noton (now Raster-Noton). Full length CD with bonus track not on original LP. "The works on Shortwavemusic resulted from a series of experiments in 1982 using lo-fi technology to extract sounds from the airwaves and weave them into musical tapestries. Using two reel-to-reel decks from the 60s, a radio and a shortwave radio, Basinski recorded samples of music from the radio, edited the tape into loops of varying lengths, and slowed them down. These themes were then layered together in real time to an accompaniment of randomly shifting shortwave radio static. The themes explored were often brief excerpts [3 or 4 notes] from muzak-type string versions of American popular standards. By manipulating these themes and mixing them with an existing symphony of electronic information, Basinski has created a series of glacial, atmospheric aural landscapes for the listener to inhabit. The music is timeless and compelling - a remarkably original experimental music album." -2062.