I unfortunately was unable to attend Visiting Artist, William Basinski’s lecture at CU or his performance, “Disintegration Futures,” at the Black Box Theater in Boulder on April 15th. I was not familiar with his work so I started researching his background and music on the net. I found some substantial information regarding his life and was able to spend some quality time listening to a variety of his beautiful and soulful soundscape music creations, watching videos, and seeing pictures of his Installation. Some critics define his work as ambient music : music that evokes feeling and sets a mood, but I think there is much more depth in the poetic images and emotions that are felt and brought to mind.
William Basinski is a classically trained clarinetist and saxophonist. He is a composer and sound artist who has been producing soundscape music for over 25 years. “In 1978, inspired by minimalists such as Steve Reich and Brian Eno, he began developing his own vocabulary using tape loops and old reel to reel tape decks. He developed his meditative, melancholy style experimenting with short looped melodies played against themselves creating feedback loops. About the Disintegration Loops: In the process of archiving and digitizing analog tape loops from work I had done in 1982, I discovered some wonderful sweeping pastoral pieces I had forgotten about.”
I listened to segments of several of his, “The Disintegration Loops,” which was one of the top 50 albums in 2004 by Pitchfork Media. I generally have classical music playing in the background when I study or need a less tense environment. Listening to Basinski’s music made me feel the same way, calm and at ease. Although I have read that his music is temporal and melancholic it seems to me that it is very celestial and soothing. The series of “ The Disintegration Loops,” is really something to listen to. They are incredibly beautiful and made me feel emotionally connected to the collective consciousness of humanity. Apparently Basinski was finishing his recordings on September 11, 2001 and from his Brooklyn home he saw the Twin Towers disintegrate just like his old tapes. He has dedicated this work to the victims of 9/11 which seems very appropriate.
On Youtube “Melancholia,” is a black and white music video accompanied by a delicate and repetitive piano melody. This visual and auditory art piece was done by Basinski and James Elaine. While watching and listening to this piece I did not necessarily feel sad as the title would indicate but I definitely felt reflective. The viewer follows down a leafless tree arbored lane and comes upon a fragile wire globe of the world slowly turning. The globe then disappears. I think this quote is interesting, “Melancholia is a concise, darkly romantic psalm, an elegy, a love letter to a broken world.” I can understand why someone would feel this way while watching this video but when just listening to the music I only hear the sound of the beauty of the melody. Melancholia #2 is equally as beautiful musically but for me much more visually pleasant.
Basinski and James Elaine combined their talents to create an art installation at the Bleeding Edge Music Festival in Saratoga, CA. There are pictures on Flicker.
You can download his music through iTunes or Amazon.com.
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