dworkin (unheard music 2)

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Unheard booklet.indd 1 31/8/09 22:57:3



© 2009 Craig Dwrki

www.ifrmatiasmatrial.cm

Frt cr:Pal Bchlr, 3'34"

istallati rsi

Ksthall Br, 2006

Back cr:

Pal Bchlr, LIVE

istallati iw

Atlirgmischaft Gramph

Har, 999

Pblishd i 2009 byifrmati as matrialto accompany a lm by

Sim Mrris

pavel büchlermaking nothing happen

eard booklet.indd 2 31/8/09 22:57:30



Heard melodies are sweet,

but those unheard are sweeter.

Jh Kats

JoHn CAGe: 4'33" (952). Th classic. I thr mmts.Prmird by Daid Tdr pia, althgh it sds prtty gd i trascriptis. nt t b cfsd with ithr th shwir0'00" (962), “t b prfrmd i ay way by ay” “i a sita-tion provided with maximum amplication,” or the watered-down

Tacet (960), which “may b prfrmd by (ay) istrmtalistr cmbiati f istrmtalists ad last ay lgth f tim.”Rcmmdd rcrdigs: Frak Zappa’s acstic rditi A

Chance Operation [Kch 7238], r Lassig Bdthas’ lctricrsi Render [KK Records 115]; the denitive recording of

0'00" is by Peter Pster [hat ART CD 2-6070]. For real range and

lts f artistic lics (wll, lts f lics at last), chck t Rl

Mlkp’s cmpilati f i diffrt prfrmacs 45:18 [Krm Plastics 3005].

PAveL BüCHLeR: 3'34" (2006). Shrwdly cllctd silcsfrm th lad-i tracks t Jh Cag albms frm Bchlr’srcrd cllcti. Ths grs ar lik th cai msicias iFraz Kafka’s 922 Forschungen eines hundes: “si rdt icht, sisag icht, si schwig im allgmi fast mit ir grßvrbisshit, abr as dm lr Ram zabrt si di Msikmpr [thy did t spak; thy did t sig; ach f thm r-maid silt — almst ccrtdly silt — bt thy cjrdmsic frm thi air].” That thi air, as wll as th msic cjrdfrm it, is what Dchamp wld trm “l’iframic [th thirtha thi; litrally: blw th thi].” Dchamp said that l’inframince could not be precisely dened but only approached by examples,

sch as “l brit la msiq faits par patal d lrscôtlé cmm cli ci qad l fait bgr [th is r msic




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mad by crdry pats lik ths rbbig wh ms];“Pantalons de velours—/ leur sifotement (dans la) marche

par/ frttmt ds 2 jambs st / sparati ifra-mic

sigalé/ par l s [lt trsrs—/ thir whistlig sd (i)walkig by/ brshig f th 2 lgs is a/ ifra-thi sparatisigald/ by sd].” Kafka’s dgs, accrdigly, mak thir wsilt msic by mig thir lgs: “Alls war Msik, das Hbd nidrstz ihrr Fß” [erythig was msic: th lift adlwr f thir limbs].”

I 3'34" th liftig ad lwrig f th t arm cjrs thmsic: a barly adibl phgraphic hiss, whistlig lik fr rlt, ab th prsistt crackls ad th dd rprts f dl-hppig pps which rtr th listr with a jlt t Dchamp’sthr xampl f th “séparati ifra mic tr l brit ddétonation d’ fsil (très prch) t l’apparition d la marq d laball sr la cibl [ifra thi sparati btw th dtatinoise of a rie (very close-range) and the apparition of the bullet

hl i th targt].” As this xampl sggsts, th iframic is

rlatd, i Dchamp’s lxic, t “dlay” — prcisly what thlad-i track is mat t ffct — ad it is ly th slight dlay f th t arm’s dsct, th iframic mmt f dfrral btwth drp ad th playback, that prsrs th silc i this prjct,sic th crchy is f scratch ad war bcms ldr withry spi. Idd, th sds f th rigial mastr ar aidx f hw ft Bchlr listd t his Cag albms; th discis as mch cfssi, r prf, as ccpt. Ad as a ccpt, it isa nearly perfect gesture, in which even the aws of deteriorating

iyl prid sic itrst. Th ly pssibl imprmt t3'34" wld b a adjstmt t th ttal timig, which is tidilypalidrmic bt t qit thr. Had Cag b mr sagiabt rcrdigs f his wrk drig th LP ra, r Bchlr mrf a cmpltist, h might ha maagd thr mr albms — gh fr athr 59 scds f silc [Ksthall Br].

Althgh th rsltig track is f gligibl msical itrst,mashp thsiasts shld t that Matt Wad sampld Bchlr’s




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disc fr his ctribti t Soundtrack for a Mersey Tunnel , a tribtalbm prdcd by Ala D t hr th nmbr 433 bs,which trals th Mrsy Tl btw Lirpl ad Birk-

had [limitd diti CD-R, hrs cmmrc].

ALPHonSe ALLAIS: Marche funèbre pour les funérailles d’un grand

homme sourd (897). Th grat graddaddy f silt pics. Allais — smthig f a crss btw erik Sati, Raymd Rssl,and Joel Stein — is probably best known for pioneering ction

strctrd hlrhyms, bt h was als a cmpsr. Srt f.The rst movement of his Funerary March is simply i mptymasrs [s th Album Primo-Avrilesque (Paris: olldrf, 897)].n rcrdig, t dat, bt a scald-dw rsi fr strig qarttwas prmird at th FstialMaké (nic) i 2000, dr thdircti f Ismaël Rbrt (wh prhaps tk a c frm HryFlyt’s 96 Flxs scr, which rads: “Th istrctis fr thispic ar th thr sid f this sht.” Th thr sid, f crs,is blak).

STePHen vITIeLLo: Fear of High Places and Natural Things

(2004). Lik a sbstatially mr aimatd dac mix f Allais’March, vitill’s istallati at th Lg Islad City SclptrCtr isalizs sd i a mt chrgraphy. A array f spakr cs hg frm ab i a smi-circl pls ad blg,dfrmig with th pwrfl sds that thy’r makig. Bt try as

y might — had cckd, ar cppd — y ca’t har a thig:ths sds ar at sch a lw frqcy thy ca’t b hard byhma ars. Th hffs ad pffs f xpdd air, hwr, caactally b flt as th wfrs pat with th xrti, dacig , witht a sd, trally sspdd i th grand jeté f thirarial ballt.

JAMeS WHITeHeAD (aka Jliat): Still Life #5 (2000). Six typs

f silc, all sdig th sam bt all mpirically diffrt. Adpttially damagig t bt. Th mdim is th mssag, ad




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i th cas f th 6 bit 44.khz cmpact disc th mssag caha 65,536 typs f silc, f which ar th sam: diffrtdata bt all sdig ll. I Still Life, Whithad wrt ths data

directly to a PCM le, creating 6 ten-minute pieces with all of theals i a gi track st t th sam biary als. As Whithadxplais:

pasig th playig f a track will shw this t b s, fr th data big

playd is haltd ad th CD systm jmps back t zr — rsltig i a

click (if th al ‘playig’ was t zr r ar t it). Itrstigly this

click is hard bt is t actally th rcrdig — it physically ds’t

xist! It is th itrfrc f th ctis stram f data which cassth sd.

Th scd track, “Swig” [+6383], is my farit. Sic th CDplayr traslats ry f th ctis st f biary alst DC ltag, playig th disc ca actally damag th spakr-systm cils ad lctrics i dirct-crrt cpld qipmt.Play at yr w risk [editi... 0].

Ken FRIeDMAn: Zen for Record (966). Blak phgraph rcrdi hmag t nam J Paik’s Zen for Film (1964): a 16mm lm

csistig ly f clar ladr (ft claimd t b a hr lg,th scrig I saw was adrtisd as 0 mits, thgh it clckdi at clsr t 8). nt t b cfsd with Christi Kzl’sTransparent Film #2 (6mm) frm 967, r Madis Brkshir’s2007 sound lm Five Times, a adi pdat f eri Ghr’s 970

History (“ve rolls of lm, unedited, spliced one after the other,”

as Brkshir dscribs his rsi: “Th ly imags ad sdscome from the light that reaches the lm when it is loaded into and

taken out of the camera”). The incidental soundtrack to Paik’s lm

is a lt ldr tha Fridma’s disc. If y gt a chac, sit arth prjctiist; aftr ly ight mits y’ll r frgtth rs clack ad twittr f th shttr, blikig lik a blidd

Cyclps i th day s...




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Christia Marclay: Record Without a Cover (985). Issd witht asl r cr, ad with th str istrcti “d t str i aprtcti packag,” sid f th 2" 33rpm disc ctais msic

mad by “maiplatd rcrds mltipl trtabls rcrdd4-track at Plgg nw Yrk City March 985” (as th iscripti th rs f th grd sid rads). Thgh msms adcllctrs prbably tak prtty gd car f thir cpis, thiitabl damag t th prtctd iyl was itdd ticras th msical iss r tim, i a cllabrati dtbtw chac iscripti ad th carflly rcrdd trtablimprisatis. o iitial rlas, th frmr mmbr f that dis tirly silt. Whil th sid grad with writt txt rmaissilt, its lgibility dcrass i a irs rati t th adibilityf th grd sid’s alatry dt [Rcycld Rcrds/rissd byLcs Sls i 999]. I ctrast, Marclay’s sphmr rlas,

Record Without a Groove (987) was issd i a swak sd prtctipackag. I mit cditi it rprtdly sds a lt lik a Cil B-Sid. editi f 50 [ecart editis].

W. MARK SuTHeRLAnD: Scratch (2002). Pir Mazi mtsChristia Marclay. I a mr articlat rsi f Jh Brdt’sist prfrmac at th Brli Apartmt Fstial (986), iwhich h adalizd a blak rcrd with ittial scratchs,Sthrlad rid a prfctly gd mtal mastr by scratchig th wrd “scratch” it th plat, frm which tw-hdrd ph-graph rcrds wr prssd. With rcrdd sd t gid it,th dl skats acrss a frz iyl lak, trippd p by writtrts i d f rsrfacig, as th LP spis t a prdictablypst-bb sycpatd st f skips ad pps. Rcrsily icic,th wrk rpatdly prfrms its titl: a hastily writt [ scratched ]wrd caclig [ scratching ] th mastr ad prdcig chac[ scratch ] msic, with bliq rfrcs t th cltral histry f th phgraph as it ct acrss msical grs, frm jazz [th

scratch, r my, that cmmrcializd rcrdig prmisd adt frqtly did t th playrs ad cmpsrs thmsls] t




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hip hp [th DJ’s scratching f th phgraph i a qick maalshufe for cross-faded rhythmic effect] [Kofer Gallery].

STeve ReICH: Pendulum Music (968). Lik yr high-schlphysics lab, bt witht fdgig th rslts. Sral micrphs( ipt) ar sspdd frm a cabl r a ldspakr, withampliers arranged so that they generate feedback only when the

micrph ad ldspakr ar i aligmt. Th mics ar stswinging along their pendular paths, honking briey each time

thy pass th spakr ad cmig atrally t a drig stp. Pr-mird i Bldr by Rich ad William Wily, th prfrmrs fr

th 969 Whity ccrt wr Rich, Brc nama, MichalSw, Richard Sirra, ad Jams Ty. Tw gd rcrdigsfrm th esmbl Aatgard (tw rsis) [Wrg 6630-2] adSic Yth Goodbye 20th Century [SYR4].

MATMoS: “Always Thr Wrds” (998). First wrd: 4-chaltap rcrdr. Scd wrd: walki-talki ( ipt). Third wrd:

athr walki-talki ( ipt). Bth f th had-hld walki-talkis ar pt i trasmit md ad md r th rcrdr;prdcig itrfrc which ca b maiplatd with gstralswps. Last wrd: smart ad fy ad it’s gt a bat [ Quasi-

objects, vag Trrai 00].

JARRoD FoWLeR: 70'00"/17 (2004). A prcisi stpwatchwitht that irritatig tickig is aggig at y cstatly — ray is at all, fr that mattr — Fwlr’s disc is a tmplat withwhich th cmpact-disc playr fctis mrly as a clck, withtay sic dcdig. With st tracks timd t xactly frmits ach, it’s itdd t xplr bdd aspcts f spacad xtsi, bt it’s als hady fr timig a brch’s wrthf prfct sft-bild ggs wh thy cm cld frm th fridg.Limitd diti CD-R [JMF 002]. Similarly silt chrgraphic

projects have included audio-le translations of texts, in which pag f th src qals scd f playig tim, ad




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a mashp adi traslati f Hidggr’s Being and Time adSartr’s Time and Nothingness, which results in an empty le. Clicking

th lik frm Fwlr’s wbsit prks Qicktim it placig

a traspart qsti mark r its clck-lik lg Q i a agst-ridd xisttial shrg f th MPeG- Adi Layr 3 shldrs.Th rslt is prbably a lt lik what La Mrt was listig t whilcmpsig Nudisme at th Café ds Pèts i Ccta’s Orphée.“Ac xcès,” as orphs is admishd, “’st ridicl!”

HACo: Stereo Bugscope 00 (2004). Lik rippig th pickps tf Tak Sgimt’s gitar ad rig thm r Tshimarnakamra’s -ipt mixr. Th aat-pp chats gis phr srral, aftr-dir crig ad ‘80s fashi frck, ds acrisp whit lab cat ad grabs a cpl f idcti micrphst amplify th rmally hard lctrmagtic iss gratdfrm cmm csmr lctrics: a cll ph’s hibratig hartbat clickig ff th scds i th slp md; a wirlssrouter sending out its uttering protocol pulse; cooling-fans and

mii-discs i spi; th tg ad strtch f btstraps as cmptrsstart thmsls p ad sht thmsls dw, still i cstat hm wh datalss ad aslp; th itrir itgratd circits f thir mthrbards ad lithim-dri ral-tim clcks scillat-ig with arly silt crrts. uplggd ad idl, th lctricwrld srrdig s stadby is i cstat whi ad chattr,tiy pltrgists ad bashs ad lrli with lrig whisprs ith ar dark ight f small rd idicatr lights [IMJ 523].

MATTIn AnD TAKu unAMI: Shyrio No Computer (2004). Hacmay ha tak hr ispirati frm Basq artist Matti, whhas b playig th cmptr i that mar fr yars, ad Takuami may wll b dig mch th sam thig his disc Intransigent

Towards the Detectives of Capital [w.m../r 8] thgh I dwladdth tracks ad t b hst ca’t rally har what’s gig r

th is f my w cmptr. o Shyrio [th Shit trm fr thspirit f th dad actig th liig], Matti ad uami facilitat




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th stdi imprisati btw a spakr c ad th cmptrfdback that dris it, slf-gratd wh th ipt ad tptprts f th sam machi ar cctd i f Matti’s trad-

mark prrs lps. Th rslt is lik th placid brbl f lctricbrks, barly adibl isid a slmbrig laptp dramig f Arcadia rls. Twigs sap w ad th, thr’s a rstl i thleaves just beyond the eld of vision, from somewhere a panting

picks p, t lat th dramr ad th ightmar ixtricably mld,prey and pursuer merge, the pacic pastoral shatters, awakened

by tbrsts f atphagic chk ad faild sqlch, th lctricrbrs gaggig i a tragd rar ad laig y shakig withth shakabl dram f a ihma silc w ca r attai.Cmpar with th arlir Matti ad uami dt Attention (997), which thy tr p th lm what it mas t list t aCD in the rst place [h.m.o./r 01 and h.m.o./r 3 respectively].

MIKe BATT: “o Mit f Silc” (2002). Th kid f thig that gis th aat-gard a bad am. Third-rat xcrpt frm

Cag’s 4'33" , impatitly arragd by British imprsari Batt adicldd th albm Classical Grafti by Th Plats. A impstrchild f Silc ad slw Tim, Batt was prmptly sd by Cag’spblishr fr cpyright ifrigmt. Th sit was tally sttldout of court for an undisclosed six-gure sum [EMI 5 57316 2].

LeIF eLGGRen, PeR JonSSon AnD KenT TAnKReD:“60 Scds f Silc fr Pr Jss” (2004). Far sprir tBatt’s similar-sdig cmpsiti, dciddly qitr thaHylad’s qally-timd mit, ad lss madli tha Smpr’s,Pr Jss’s pic plays as a dp sigh f rcprati, rlif adfortication programmed between two works of loud theatrical

absrdity. Cllctrs shld t that i a irsi f ThPhatm Prgacy’s tchphbia th stly stdi digital silcis aailabl ly th CD rlas, ad is t icldd th

2" rcrd frm which th pig Fylkig prfrmac wasrmastrd [ UGN/MAT , Ash Itratial 5.3].




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no noISe ReDuCTIon. “0'0,060" fr a Rck ad Rll Bad”(995). Rwdy pst-pk thrash frm Tia ad Th Tp T, fatr-ig th thsd gitars f Jhy Satii ad Pal Flicia,

with all th amps st t . Th prcisi dit by Prtgsccptalist Rafal Tral captrs th bad at thir tp-lmfll-blast blw-t fr xactly 60 milliscds — jst lg ght jlt y p t f th msh pit ad gi a palpabl ss f th bad’s arly xbrac ad d-skilld attack. Th rst f thpic is a irically skillfl 5 scds ad 40 milliscds f si-lc. Carfl listig rals that bad-mmbr Mimi is sittig ths milliscds t, ad frtatly is t hard this track[Mylad rcrds, MR0495].

YveS KLeIn. Symphonie Monoton-Silence (957). Mat t prida sic qialt f his mchrm paitigs, th scdmmt f Kli’s Symphony csists f twty mits f silc — jst gh tim t gi th adic a chac t shakthe sense of ringing from their ears: the rst twenty minutes

csist f a sstaid D-majr chrd. Th wrk was rigiallyccid fr fll Wagria rchstra, bt prfrmd i 960at th Galri Itratial d’Art Ctmprai by a smallchambr rchstra wh mmrizd th scr shrt tic(thgh prhaps aftr pkig at th scrplsly tatd rsiprpard by Pirr Hry a fw yars arlir). Thr is als alater, atmospheric version scored for mixed choir, strings, utes,

bs, ad hrs. nt t b cfsd with th similar-sdig conclusion to Guy Debord’s lm Hurlements en faveur de Sade (952),which strtchs aggrssily fr a fll fr mits lgr.Though he denies any inuence, Klein, not coincidentally, was

prst at th prmir scrig. Thr ar rmrs that Klials issd a cmpltly silt rcrdig, i 959, f a Concert

de vide [ Concert of Vacuum ] (t t b cfsd with Sir MalclmArld’s rghly ctmpras ccrt f acm cleaners

[op. 57, 956]).




0

DAvID HoYLAnD: “A Mit’s Silc fr th Q Mm”(2002). Th irs f Kli’s Symphonie, i sm rspcts. or dis-rspcts. Th patritic Brits at this ftball match chat th

Q t f abt 2 scds, bt th pmps athm thatfllws, with its slightly sr brass, maks stalgic fr ryscd f prcdig qit. Th shildd mic picks p a lt f wind noise, so this lo- recording is primarily of documentary

histrical itrst [Sic Arts ntwrk SA30-2].

JonTY SeMPeR: The 1 Minute Silence from the Funeral of Diana,

Princess of Wales (200). Mawkish tablid silc captrd i HydPark 6 Sptmbr, 997. ectristic dcmt f priatmtis pt pblic display as thy aspir t th baths f priattragdis pblishd as atial spctacl, with ry scd scriptdad cscriptd i tr. Limitd sigd ad mbrd diti (f 250) 7" iyl. Smpr’s Minute Silence stads as a ctmpraryfr-rs lyric prm t his histric pic Kenotaphion (200). Takig th lg iw f Matt Rgalsky’s -day sampl, Kenotaphion lls

tw CDs with abscs clld frm sty yars f BBC, BritishMit, ad Rtrs bradcasts f th aal tw-mitsilcs drig Britai’s Armistic Day crmis. each yar, whiltlph ad tlgraph xchags idld, trais brakd t a stp,ad factry machis pwrd dw, th BBC did t jst ct itssigal bt ctid t bradcast what at ay thr tim wld bthe journalistic sacrilege of dead air (a state that is in fact nable in

th uK at a rat f £25,000 pr mit fr statis that ctii silc witht alrtig thir listrs). ulik th Ctaphat Whithall, ths rcrdigs ar far frm mpty, with Big Bdrwig t th cghs ad cmprhdig childr f thrrt, amid atmsphric wathr ffcts, bradcast static, startldbirds and rie reports. The only truly silent Armistice minutes

ccrrd drig th Scd Wrld War, frm 94 t ‘44, wh thcrmy was sspdd. Abst frm Smpr’s discs, ths yars

spak th ldst ad ar by far th mst mig. Jit prdctisbtw Charrm ad Lcs+ [CH060887 / Keno].




JeAn-LuC GoDARD: Bande à part (964). I a mmt f brdm, abl t thik f hw t trtai thmsls adt agitatd t idlg i a tr Frch ennui , Fraz (Sami Fry)

prpss that th bande tak “ mit d silc.” Gdardbligs by cttig th sdtrack [ la bande sonore mise à part ]. “urai mit d silc, ça dr étrité” [a ral mit f silc ca last frr], Fraz ts, bt Gdard’s lasts ly 33scds. Accssibl, fy, arrati rpris f th acrbic ma-spirited abstract silence from the nal twenty-four minutes of Guy

Dbrd’s Hurlements en faveur de Sade (952). Th Sitatiists wlddc Gdard’s rsi as a “tardily plagiarizd ad slss[...] prttis fals lty” bt thy wr r kw fr thirss f hmr, ad it’s rally prtty fy. A similar ad shrtr cmpsiti, prsmably by Michl Lgrad, accmpaisthe tabletop nger performance of the lm’s iconic dance scene, in

which odil ad Arthr gtiat th stps thy’ll s dac tLgrad’s hipstr swig mbr “L Madis.” I m.

JoHn CAGe: Silent Prayer (949, ralizd). Hits at th -dadarigis f 4'33" ad its latt crprat critiq. Cag’s pla was t“cmps a pic f itrrptd silc ad sll it t Mzak C.It will b thr r fr ad a half mits i lgth — ths big th stadard lgths f ‘cad msic’.” Cag, that still raishdmariée, wld ha mise à nu cad msic ad traslatd it it aDchampia “hasard en conserve [cad chac].” Always smdt b playig i th latr i my ld bildig.

CoIL: “Abslt elswhr” (984 et seq.). Richia msic (thghthat’s Wilhlm, t St), Cil’s eP is th sic qialt t tharchitctr f a rg bx: a lt f attitd ad BS with -thig isid. I this cas, BS stads fr B Sid: th rs f th 2"The Soundtrack to the Program HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS : Ritual

Music for the Accumulation of Male Sexual Energy (a lg way f sayig

what T. Rx smmd p with “bag a gg; gt it ”). ulikth gg-shw A Sid, “Abslt elswhr” maifsts itslf — d-




2

pdig th particlar prssig — as a track f shr is, acstat qartr-hr t, a sris f lck-gr tst ts, r asmth grlss slab (that is, a rcrd with “cil” at all). Th

CD rsi (999) csists f scd f silc [L.A.Y.L.A.H.Atircrds LAY05].

TeLIuM GRouP: Record 1 (99). occasially listd as slf-titld r “t” (frm th rtr lwrcas lttr circld th silk-scrd cr), this Magat Rcrds rlas is a grlss 7"(diti 354). Ad I ma grlss: Grg Clit wld bmortied [MGT 700-7].

ReYnoLS: Blank Tapes (999). Yp. Pics mad by th digitalad aalg prcssig f blak magtic taps. Bt spcial blaktaps, sm f which had b sad, with a kid f tchig s-timentality, since 1978. A lot noisier than the Argentine trio’s rst

rlas, Gordura Vegetal Hidrogenada, which was a “dmatrializdcd” (it cam as a mpty jwl cas, rprisig Psychdrama’s 984

rlas No Tape, a casstt shll that did t, as prmisd, ctaiay tap [th bad’s bst rlas t dat]). That (lack f a) dbtCD was apprpriat fr a grp whs ladr, Migl Tmasi,ccasially assrtd that thy d’t xist. Tmasi, whs Dw’sSydrm misprisis wr tak as raclar prcmtsby his partrs Ala Crtis ad Rbrt Claz, als rglarlyacd that th uitd Stats ds’t xist ithr. Whichsbstatially ct dw his trig thr. As Tmasi als says:todo afrazarmo de lo spolido cintas [Trtoisax 002].

LIneAR ReGReSSIonISTS: Living on the Regression Line (990).Th statistical tl f liar rgrssi aalyzs th rlati f idpdt ariabls fr sm qatity f itrst. Hr thariabls icld a rcrdd cmpact disc (X) drilld with hls(Y). Th qatity f msical itrst rapidly apprachs zr (0),

whil th qatity f cllctrs’ itrst riss r tim. obsrabldata plts th crrt al t cllctrs at $30 (+/-$0). Fid th




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sm f sqars wh will mak th prchas (HInT: th slp isdwward ad th itrcpt rar). editi f 50 [rrr 02].

PeeTeR väHI. Supreme Silence (999). Th third mmt f this estia cmpsr’s pic is idd scrd fr silc, whichwas prbably a ic brak fr Kristja Jri ad th m f thestia natial Chir. nt t mti th listr wh has t sitthrgh th w-ag ritalist mysticism f th thr mmts(the rst of which, just to give you an idea, is entitled “Mandala

offrig”). Fi silc, t b sr, pipig t th spirit dittis f t, ad it’s icly rcrdd this disk, bt “sprm” is prb-ably rstatig th cas [CCC 82].

*0: 0.000 (2002). Actally t s rigrs as th titl (r th psd-ym f nsi Sakata) sggsts, bt rathr th sbtl hm ad thmlclar war f air frm frqcis jst byd th thrshldf hma prcpti: a ltrasic 20200hz ad a sbsic 4hz(r, i th cas f racs track, th rt prdcd wh

th tw ar cmbid). Thgh that rlatily lwr frqcyis’t likly t b rprdcd mst sd systms. If y’ gt agd str, tr it p rally ld ad s hw th ighbr’s dg racts [M-Labl 002].

MIeKo SHIoMI: A Musical Dictionary of 80 People Around Fluxus (2002). Msic wrthy f th oLiP, i which Shimi “dscribs”ach f ths ppl ithr by ralizig f thir wrks, pt-tig a sigatr cmpsitial mthd it practic, r thrgha gral pastich f tchiq r timbr, bt i all ts sig ly th pitchs aailabl frm th lttrs i th ddicat’s am.Th disc frm Galri Hdrtmark ds’t match th rigr f its ccpt with msiciaship — a fw slctis fatr Shimi’slacklstr kybard wrk, whil thrs ar lft t a qally im-passid cmptr-dri sythsizr. “oh ,” y’r thikig,

“ighty ppl?” oh, ys, bt th bst pic is #56, fr Yk o,whs am wisly rfsd t spply ay ts [? Rcrds 0].




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Though no denitive recording ever emerged, the anti-expressivist

wig f th Japas onkyo-kei [sd rrbrati schl] bradf miimal gstr had b mig tward wrkig tirly

with -twrkd qipmt bfr th mmt passd. Thmsicias thmsls wld bjct, bt y might thik f it as ap-plid z. Mr asctic tha spirital, sm prfrmacs matchdotm Yshihid ad Akiyama Ttzi mpty trtabls withSachik Matsbara at th samplr, bt with sampls (ly itssi-wa tst) — all mixd tgthr by Tshimar nakamra’smixr witht ay ipt. Fr rfrc, aditi Good Morning Good

Night (2004) [erstwhil 042-2], which sds lik a ld grad-school hearing test, deep in some cinderblock nurse’s ofce, mis-

admiistrd with falty qipmt. Th agai, it may b bttrt mditat th ida tha t actally list; try t imagi thhad f clap sdig (i applas).

InSTITuT FüR FeInMoToRIK: Penetrans (2002). Fllwig Marti Ttralt’s miimalist wrk dirctly with t-arm pickps,

this Sthr Grma cllcti f trtablists spi thir machiswitht ay rcrds. Th rcrd playrs, hwr, ar ry wllprpard, i th Caga ss f th trm, with hshld itms:rbbr bads, tap, a tthbrsh, et cetera. As th harts f thhochwertige Discoplattenspielers bat away, a fw whz ad crampwith th rptiti strss, sm bgi t click ad thrm, adbfr y kw it th rsltat lw-tch tch crats a wryrts lctrica. Mst astishig f all, thgh, is that whatmight ha b a ispird ccptal gstr r a ’pataphysicalistigati it “prcisi mtricity” has b gig fr

yars w ad ld t i (!) albms. Pt yr arrw black-rimmd glasss ad chck t [Stabgld 25].

eRvín SCHuLHoFF: “I Ftrm” (99). Maic, axissilence. The inuence of early jazz and dada cabaret songs is

palpabl i th third mmt f th Czch mdrist’s Five

Picturesques fr pia. Thgh tirly silt, th scr bristls with




5

notation: from long, angst-lled tacets to jittery quintuplet rests.

Th ctig is tricky, ad with ay bt th mst accmplishdpiaist it ca dtract frm th wrk’s pttial fr mtial t-

prig; accrdig t th cmpsr’s hadt, th pic is t bplayd with as mch hartflt xprssi as dsird — always, allth way thrgh [“ttt il caz c sprssi stimt adlibitum, sempre, sin al ne!”].

RICHARD eIGneR: Denoising Noise Music (2007). Th labratryndings of Eigner’s Master’s Thesis at the Fachhochschule Salzburg,

ths tw discs dcmt th s f is-rdcig tchlgis a rag f si-disat “is msic” — frm Iais Xakis adMrzbw t Ligi Rssl’s Risveglio ii una città ad L Rd’s

Metal Machine Music. Itdd t cla p -msical sdsad rstr damagd adi sigals, th disig algrithms stdiligtly t wrk a tir gr. With fw strctral cls rmldic sqcs t alrt th disig sftwar t th prscf “msic,” th rigial cmpsitis wr carflly rasd ad

ly a fw stray sigals srid th clasig. occasial ad sft,sqgd sqaks ad mtd blps brak prdictably frm thgralatd qit lik sar pigs frm th sk impls f thavant-garde, stied under the slowly shifting sands of some abys-

mal caic basi. Th c dspratly dafig SoS brad-casts f th mst stridt msical xtrm barly brak th srfacf eigr’s discs i dramy liqid chs, a fw drps f clasrstill cligig frm th scrb [Wald 0].

PAveL BüCHLeR: LIVE (2003). Th adic applas frm ththree-hundred-and-fty-one “live” albums in Büchler’s collection,

with f th msic. Althgh ay ca har th ccasialrwdy rck crwds ad std, 70s ctry, flk fa iclsis, c-issrs will t that mst f th adics sm t b cmpsdf aat-jazz hipstrs, with a mbr f disticti acstics dis-

cribl amg th p sasid spacs f nwprt ad Atibs:th haily crtaid crtd hcky rik i victriaill, Caada;




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th wd-bamd ad pald ccrt hall i Willisa, Switzrlad;the concrete and agstone bandshell in Montreux; the deep-echoing

ca cratd by th balcy at th ld Fillmr east. Ragig frm

957 t 998, th rcrdigs tilizd by Bchlr, t cicidtally,crrspd t th majr histrical shift i jazz adics ad thirrspss, as th gi-sakd swigrs wh rallid th bad fr crtaitmpi ad cmmal itsity ga way t th mr itllctalrspss f th pst-bbp ra, wh jazz fas stppd big alchlic dacrs agr fr trtaimt ad hpig t hk pad istad bcam frwig brw-crasd itrrts, mr iclidto subtle, alooy knowing head nods than any sort of vulgar foot-

stmpig. I The Sound, Rss Rssll pipits th mmt wh thdmgraphics shiftd t

th ‘alligatrs’ f th lat swig prid, ths sris typs, slf-styld

stdts f Amrica jazz, wh sd t dg p t th rchstra shll

ad rmai thr all ight, idfatigably listig. [...] Thy ga th

imprssi that thy had r dacd a stp i thir lis, r had ay

itti f s dig (54).

Dspit th histric swp f LIVE , crtai ky jazz rcrdigs arabst. At th bgiig f Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus [Amrica Rcrds AM6082], th athritaria pym adm-ishs: “ladis ad gtlm [...] rstrai yr applas [...] d’t tak ay driks, r cash rgistr rigig, t ctra.” Thadic cmpliac was prfct, ad s ca’t b hard LIVE (althgh I spps Mingus Presents wld’t ha mad th ctayway, sic dspit th badladr’s chattr it was actally astdi albm, which mad it a lt asir fr th chastd adict kp thmsls i li). A albm sch as Pharah Sadrs’972 Live at the East [Impls! AS-9227] prsts a trickir dcisi,sic — pace th titl — it was actally rcrdd i th stdiwh th lgistics f trasprtig rcrdig qipmt t Theast Afrctric cltral ctr i Brkly prd t cstly; bt

th habités did tramp acrss tw frm th ctr t th stdiistad. Similarly, Th Caball Addrly Qitt’s 966 Live at




7

“The Club” [Capitl ST-2663] was als rcrdd i th stdi witha imprtd adic, this tim paid with fr alchl. Pttig th“li” back i “li,” th disigs albm titl was a far t

Addrly’s frid, clb wr e. Rdy Js (batiflly gh,bkwst t jazz isidrs th Qitt had idd brcrdd li at Th Clb a fw mths arlir, althgh thatalbm was’t rlasd til 2005 wh th frgtt taps wrdiscrd, ad s it is’t LIVE ithr).

Hwr Bchlr might rsl ths ccptal isss, thrslt is iscral: th was f cllagd applas ar giddyig. Withall th mtial triggrs f aticipati ad catharsis bt ra rcgizabl mmt fr cathxis th listr is ctially bf-ftd frm a agr xpctati that bilds bt r climaxs tdénouements that always rig fals. LIVE , i this rspct, is ths athrgh ad rigrs aticlimax. Th ltimat ffct, hwr,is phric: all th ptimism f crwds xpctig a gd prfr-mac t cm ad all th gratitd fr th prfrmac jst past,bt with f th wrg ts, btchd timigs, r ayig

fdback. Th albm, hwr, is als a philsphical prpsitipsig as ccptal art: what ds it ma t b (a)li? Th titlprmpts t wdr what might cstitt a rcrdig that wasnot live. But then again, on reection, as the cheers and whistles and

clappig cti, starts t wdr what rcrdig might rin fact be truly “live”: experienced for the rst vibrant time and not

mrly a rcrdd dcmt f smthig always alrady trmi-atd, f sm garatd past i which th prfrmrs, hwrital at th mmt f rgistrati, might w lgr b liig.Bchlr’s disc, lik his 3'34" , wld sm t aswr bth qstisat c: pr-rcrdd sds raimatd i thir prcdtdw ctxt, as thy ha r b hard bfr. A paradxthat rsls itslf, LIVE w lis as a t li li albm. Limitdditi (t 35) [FACT].

PAveL BüCHLeR: Encore (2005). oc mr, frm th tp, withflig: a 7" iyl rprisig LIVE by icldig th adic rsps-




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es on the opening and closing tracks of the fty-two live albums

addd t Bchlr’s rcrd cllcti sic octbr, 999 (wh th LIVE prjct was prdcd). Arragd i th rdr f acqisiti

r a playig tim f fr mits ad thirty-thr scds, thisis a cllctr’s diti f cllctd ditis, limitd t a prssig f 433 discs. Pt it bfr gig t th xt big shw ad practicshtig t rqsts fr “Frbird” [Ksthall Br].

CHRISToPHeR DeLAuRenTI: Favorite Intermissions: Music Before

and Between Beethoven — Stravinsky — Holst (2007). Illgal, drcrsrillac as msical cmpsiti. DLarti wt wird tclassical msic ccrts, makig btlg biaral rcrdigs f rythig bt th prgrammd msic: laghtr ad ftstps adth scrap f chairs a mptid stag, th adic mill admmbl, th rtrig msicias’ arpggiatd warm-p scals, allsrts f dligs ad tigs ad atistic sippts f mldic lis.Hay prcssi, wdwids ad lw brass, wdrs whatth strig playrs ar all dig backstag drig ths braks. Th

rslt, i all ts, ft sds sspicisly lik a cmpsitiby Carl Alssadr Ladii. Th albm ds with a pblic-addrss acmt: “Ladis ad Gtlm, th Mastr adrchstra will t stp btw th Ral ad Strass, plas hld

yr applas.” Sch prgrammig t ly prts DLartifrm sakig i a bs track frm that ccrt, bt it als srsthat th rcrdig w’t shw p as part f a cr t Bchlr’s

Encore. Tw ditis (ithr t b mistak as th adibk version of the eponymous Victor Borge memoir), the rst with

a cr dsigd i th md f classic Dtsch Grammphalbms, th scd rdsigd t satisfy th lawyrs at uirsalMsic Grp (DG’s part crprati) [GD Str].

THe PHAnToM PReGnAnCIeS: “Prjct P.Ko.” Rit Grrlmts Mik Batt. narly a mit f prgat silc, th pha-

tm sd this ctribti t th Damagd Gds cmp Hey

Mom, The Garage Is On My Foot is appartly t th rslt f sm




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dskilld mastrig rsight bt rathr a maifstati f th PP’shatrd f digital tchlgy, maifstd i a rfsal t ctribtaythig thr tha mardy silc t a CD prjct. Bst track

the comp: garage punk never sounded so good, and here it nallylis p t th prtss f its attitd [DAMGooD 02].

nICK THuRSTon: Erased Motion Poems (2008). I th adiqialt f airbrshig a phtgraph t rm blmishs,Thrst ditd t th pms f eglad’s Pt Larat frmth 2005 Ptry Archi CD Andrew Motion Reading from His Poems,acatig th acs rs ad laig ly Mti’s itrdc-try xplaatis f what th pms ar abt: “This xt pm iscalld ‘A Blw t th Had,’ ad is abt jst that.... This pm iscalld ‘Th Spild Child’.... This xt pm is calld ‘Gth ith Park’ ad is a kid f miiatr bigraphy f a bit f wd....”Th bst rasr hr is a ptic rtllig f Jty Smpr’s 1

Minute, “a shrt pm abt th dath f Pricss Diaa.” Thgrat paradx f th prjct cms frm what Clath Brks

called “the heresy of paraphrase”: if poetry, by denition, is whatcat b paraphrasd, th Thrst has’t rally rmd aypoetry at all [self-released mp3 le].

LAnGuAGe ReMovAL SeRvICe: Static Language Sampler

(2003). Stat f th art i spch limiati, LRS clas ad p-ries recordings of all language. Sources from their archive include

tris frm aris catgris: “dias” (Callas, Mr, Ditrich),“critics” (Ssa Stag, nam Chmsky), “msicias” (Migs,Mk, Cag), “artists” — wll, I gss thy’r actally all diasc y thik abt it. I ry cas, LRS taks t th wrdsbt las all th thr sds tchd: air whistlig i bccalcaitis, th pl ad drai f salia ad phlgm, th glttal ppsad dgltiatis that pctat th iframic spacs btw th mst rapid spch. With that spch libratd frm th

distractig clamr f lagag, th clasd rcrdigs lt y sftpips play r . With a gd pair f hadphs y ca almst




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imagi th ala ch f ispirati ad th calciatd drip ff stalactits i th cars f bclic grtts... [prmtial CD].

MATT RoGALSKY: S (2002). Lik th LRS bt clar.Rgalsky plays Dktr Mrks with this prjct, actally cllct-ig th gesammeltes schweigen [cllctd silc] that Hirich Böll’scharactr sppsdly splics tgthr tap. Dktr Mrkswrks i a radi stdi, ad S, t cicidtally, cmpils all f th silcs i day f BBC radi bradcast. Tstig bth thprpsiti that “th tdim is th mssag” (as Darr Wrshlr-Hry phrasd it) ad that “silc is gld,” th rslt was

rlasd as a limitd diti bxd st (24 adi CDs ad a CD-RoM dcmtati) pricd at £300. n dbt flig smpressure from the masses, Rogalsky later used ltering software to

distill th st it a sigl disc f xcrpts — a “bst f ” albm,f srts, ctaiig ly th qitst silcs — which was latrrlasd i a mr dmcratic limitd diti (thgh still kidapricy at £5). Althgh thy cgratlatd thmsls tratig

th whl prjct lighthartdly, th BBC did assrt its rights t thsilcs, riskig a shwdw with Cag’s pblishr.

TAC: Lapse of silence (2003). A prjct f sch ccptal itgritythat th alrady ry qit rcrdigs ar t cmprmisd by a-dibl ts. Th rslt is a srt f “irtal arality” taitd bysd. A distictly rmatic pastralism, hwr, ca thlssb flt. With a clar ch f Yk o’s 963 Tape Piece I (“StPic: tak th sd f th st agig”) ad Snow Piece (“Taka tap f th sd f sw fallig./ This shld b d i thig./ D t list t th tap....”), th s brif tracks

Lapse dcmt th sds f shadws mig, s shiig, icmltig, watr apratig, grass grwig, cadls brig, ad

— i a ic d t Cag — mshrms drppig sprs. With thisd-it-yrslf kit Tm Cx taks th tac t f tacet . Limitd t a

diti f ly 50, th 3" slf-rlasd CD-R cms i a iqsclptral casmt f papier-mâché ad ggshlls [taccdr 006].




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JenS BRAnD: Stille-Landschaft [ Silence–Landscape ] (2002). Ral,athtic, dcmtary silc. Th sdtrack t Brad’s idistallati (a fll-circl pa acrss a dsrt ladscap) is almst as

mpty as th iw, which rcrds a spt i Btswaa that is f th fw placs i th wrld whr, at crtai tims, thr is iddalmst abslt silc. Sic th ly way t rally har what wasthr is t t har it, a fll apprciati f th sdtrack rqirsits site-specic installation in an anechoic chamber. Brand’s video

art is lss i th traditi f th 9th-ctry ladscap paitig rth spctacl f th parama tha th philsphical prpsiti:if thr ar trs i th frst t fall...?

JoSePH BeuYS: Grammophon aus knochen [Rcrd Playr f B](1958). A higher-delity version of Beuys’ tonband in lzstapel [aditap i stackd flt], th stummes grammophon [mt phgraph]displays a crd phgraph rcrd, prhaps with a rcrdig f Bys’ flt-wrappd pia (flt, f crs, is a matrial kwfr dampig sd, as it’s sd ard th hammrs inside a pia).

Thgh w’ll r kw, bcas th swig-arm ad dl hab rplacd by a b, bltly irtig Rair Rilk’s hallci-atry dram f playig th jaggd cral str f th skll witha phgraph cartridg.

BAuDouIn ooSTeRLYnCK: Variations du silence, opp. 73-04(1990-1). Twenty-three preludes, ve oratorios, three overtures and

a sata — a qartr ctry f cfssial, rmatic, gtisticallyatbigraphical silc. Fllwig xtsi rsarch crig 5,000 kilmtrs r wstr erp, ostrlyck dcmtssilt lcatis that wr f particlar imprtac t him. ntsufciently outsider to excuse the visionary pretentiousness,

ostrlyck is lik Jsph Bys witht all th dad rabbits adflt (bt kpig th gfy habrdashry i a silt tip f th hat tth Grma mastr).




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PIeRRe HuYGHe: Partition du Silence [ Score of Silence ] (997).Wh says y ca’t gt smthig fr thig? Hygh tk adigital rcrdig f Cag’s 4'33" ad sd cmptr sftwar t

larg th scal f th digital prit. Lik blwig p a phtgraphto reveal what couldn’t be seen, the result of Huyghe’s magnica-

tion amplied what was previously inaudible. Huyghe then scored

ths sds sig traditial msical tati t crat a playabltrascripti f Cag’s pic. Lik a map draw t a scal that’sgratr tha -t-, th Scr is ths simltasly a grsslyiaccrat distrti ad a mitly faithfl facsimil.

I 953, Rbrt Raschbrg cicd Willm d Kig tgi him a drawig, which Raschbrg prmptly ad stdislyrasd (playig t a dada prfrmac frm dcads arlir,i which Adré Brt chasd Fracis Picabia ard a shtf papr, immdiatly rasig whatr Picabia drw, as sas it appard). nw y ca har th crsatial rsi.Fidig that h had accidtally rasd a itriw h’d jst

cdctd with J. G. Ballard, Jrmy Millar xhibitd it as th Erased JG Ballard Interview (nthig exhibiti, Rsm, 200). Jst gh mtallic hiss t mak Ryls rit ad had backt th stdi. Whil it’s ic t s a stpid mistak trasfrmdit a gis istallati, it wld ha b bttr if h’d wipdt a spcially cmmissid lctracstic cmpsiti frmsm at Dartmth, r gi a fll prfrmac f Macias’

Homage.

GeoRGe MACIunAS: Homage to Richard Maxeld (962). A stdt i Jh Cag’s cmpsiti crs at Th nw SchlFor Social Research (and the rst professor of electronic music

i Amrica wh h tk r th class as Cag’s sccssr),Richard Maxeld must have heard the story Cage liked to tell

abt his w stdt days: “o day wh I was stdyig with

Schöbrg, h pitd t th rasr his pcil ad said, ‘Thisend is more important than the other’.” Maxeld, who seems to




23

ha tak gd ts, was bst kw fr sig th ras btt th tap machi as a cmpsitial tl. Macias’ Homage,accrdigly, istrcts th msicia t fllw a prfrmac f

one of Maxeld’s compositions by ippantly ipping the eraseswitch while rewinding Maxeld’s master tape. There is no

rcrd that Macias’ pic was r prfrmd, althgh h didprid a “chick ariati th sam thm” (“jst rwidthe previously played tape of R. Maxeld without erasing”), thus

xptially icrasig th liklihd f a prfrmac adpig th pssibility fr a cr. Macias’ slf-caclig cmpsiti bcam a kid f tombeau in 1969 when Maxeld

prfrmd a fatal dfstrati.

WAnDeLWeISeR GRouP. nw Yrk (Schl) by way f via,on a direct ight with one of those noise-canceling headphones on.

Fdd i th arly 990s by Brkhard Schlthar ad AtiBgr (latr jid by Jrg Fry, Michal Pisar, Rad Malfatti, adMafrd Wrdr amg thrs), th grp has rcrdd smial

prfrmacs f Jh Cag’s Branches ad Christia Wlff ’s Stones.Gi th frmal ccits f thir w cmpsitis — wrks withdratis xtdig frm ly fr scds t mr tha a wk,cmpsitis fr tw CD playrs, i mits f lad-i silc,et cetera — might mistak thm fr pst-Flxs aat-gardprakstrs (mis th sqaky tys ad smashd istrmts).Bt dspit th rs f tbas ad accrdis, ths gysrally sm t ma it. Ths ar t jst silcs, bt rigrs,dlibrat, prpsi silcs. Dissrtatis phmlgy,architctr, ad mmry, Wadlwisr cmpsitis cm ff asphilsphical istigatis it th gati tlgy f silc.Ad yt, i th patitly ctrlld qit f th prfrmacs thymaag t d p as mr wighd tha wighty, mr stdidtha stdis. Tak tgthr, thir rcrdigs ar argmts frmsical plaig (alg th lis f “family plaig”): f

th pass hr ar prgat.




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RoBeRT WATTS: -iyl rcrds (969-72). Startig with thString Record , Watts bga mafactrig rcrds with aris grdpths ad matrial prprtis, bt with sd rprdcti, t

playd at a mbr f spds. As Watts xplais:I bga xprimts with th mafactr f a sris f rcrds i

diffrt matrials sch as mtals, plastics, wd, clay ad latx. Mst f

ths wr mad a machi lath at Rtgrs uirsity, ad I thght

f thm as big sd prtraits f this machi.

At 20rpm, with lts f rippig scratchs brakig th dr, thString Record sds lik th cabi is f jmb jt as its almimski sffrs a catastrphic strctral failr.

TIM uLRICHS: Schlifpapir-Schallplatt (968). A sris f maral discs mad frm thirt grads f cmmrcial sad-paper in a nuanced mood-music suite orchestration of V. A. Wöli’s

idstrial is cmpsiti “Pfrd/Hrs/elastic,” amd aftrthe Pferd company’s steel-cutting discs. Wöli apparently just

slappd a hdrd f th cstrcti-dty gridig whls isidrcrd crs (saf t 500rpm if y ca crak th playr that fast,bt try ly at yr systm’s risk). Pttig th dst i idstrial,th aarch-dchampias Dst Brdrs (Michal Hritzi withThirry Dllès ad Ys Btz, aka Micky H ad Yri Ptlatch),issued their rst single, “Sandpaper Mantra” (1989), as a 7" piece

f sadpapr garatd t elevage de poussière wh r dr adiamd styls. Thir 995 dac classic “I’m Psych 4 Yr L”th swappd th matrials, s that iyl was hsd isid asadpapr rcrd sl, makig th psychdlic is isirry tim th disc is rmd [rrr062/ePP02]. A aymsrlas i 980 had sd th sam stratgy a micrhs track,issig a blak grd disc isid a sadpapr sl f Adlr/nrt P80 G2 abrasi shts; startig as miimal tch, thtrack bcms icrasigly glitch with rpatd play (ariabl

spd). Ths discs ar all itrrtd ad csidrat rsis f aris atiscial packagig fr albms frm Th Drtti Clm




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(979: The Return of the Durutti Column [FACT4]); Illsi f Safty(999: Illusion of Safety [Mrt Ax vachs 2]); ad Fdrz (984:

Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss? [Stal ]). Hsd i sadpapr crs

with th abrasi srfac th tsid, i hmag t vrrPrmild’s dsig fr Gy Dbrd ad Asgr Jr’s bk Mémoires,thy dfac th albms xt t thm with ry rshlig.

ALvIn LuCIeR. “Qit Cff.” udrcaffiatd cmpsitiby th mastr f ccptal msic. I spps it’s th sicqialt t ths slpy arly-mrig mmts lst starig atth stam risig frm th cff mg, bt t b hst, I ca’t harmch gig hr — wid awak with hadphs adth lm trd p all th way. Bt it ds gis m a xcst mti th cllcti A Call for Silence, cratd by niclasCllis fr Sic Arts ntwrk. Thgh it ft cfss qitwith silt, th cmpilati highlights icld Christia Marclay’sUnused Space, which wld mak a gd cr fr a Istitt frFimtrik shw, ad Matt Rgalsky’s “Tw Mits ad Fifty-

Fi Scds...,” i which h bllis Grg W. Bsh it rshig thrgh a patritic prfrmac f Cag’s mastrpic ad gtshim t say a lt mr tha sal i th prcss. Th CD alsctais a cpl f tracks i hmag t Lcir’s fams I Am

Sitting in a Room: th Kapital Bad’s racs party gam “HwMay Ppl Ar i This Rm” ad Richard Bard’s ctraria“I Am nt Sittig i a Rm.” Th lattr is t qit silt ithr

— y ca har th tick-tck allsi t Lcir’s Clocker as wll assome shufing and dget — but it demonstrates with conviction

that Bard is’t gig t tak this kid f aat-gard sssittig dw [SA30-2].

JoHn LevACK DReveR. “Pastral Pas.” Athr track f tfrm th Call for Silence CD, this is mis, dg-f-yr-sat silcrcrdd lcati i Dartmr. A sdd pic pig, in medias

res, jst mmts aftr a car has passd r a cattl grid i th sicfrgrd: th drm-rll clag ad rrb f th gratig di with




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a qick dcay ad th mtr fads it th distac, rplacd withsm slitary birdcalls, th slic f a rill, ad th sd f wid ra impdd xpas (Drr’s wrk is t fr th agraphbic).

Bt wait, what was that? A is i th distac? Th apprach f athr car? Wh cld b cmig? et i Arcadia g? Th sspsbilds, bt w r har what happs wh it gts t th crssig.With a ch f th crp-dstr sc i North by Northwest, this isirmtal art rimagid as a hrrr mi. Trrifyig.

JACoB KIRKeGAARD: Four Rooms (2006). Ali Lcir mtsAndrei Tarkovsky. Sounding at rst like the title-menu cue music

to a creepy science-ction lm — with slowly pulsing drones,

mtallic-tap abrasis, disqitig high-frqcy crackls,ad mis chig pigs rrbratig lik ihma cris impty spac — th lpig f Kirkgaard’s tracks cms tfrm failig t prss Play bt frm th rcrsi lgic f thirw cstrcti. Th spacs smmd by th sds, hwr,ar idd hatd. Kirkgaard mad his rcrdigs i fr f

th silt, acatd pblic spacs f Pripyat (ad ighbrig Kras), ukrai, grd zr fr th clar ractr that srdChrbyl til 986. Rcrdig th silt spacs dp isid thdsrtd Aliati Z fr t mits, h th playd back thtap isid th sam spac, rcrdig agai; th rslt was playdback agai, rcrdd, ad s , prcdig lik Lcir’s I Am

Sitting in a Room, bt witht th arrati ad i rms whr ca sit fr lg. Th rslts sd lik th graly static f aGigr ctr, strtchd t th thirty-yar drati f a Csimhalf-lif. Th arrati pll f th icrasigly lamiar sicspacs is cmpllig, ad sspsfl, bt th tracks wld hab jst as ffcti witht thir irradiatd mise-en-scene: all spacsar hatd by thir w itririty [Tch T26].

BRACo DIMITRIJevIC: Njeqove Dovke Glas[ His Pencil’s Voice ] (973).

Pr-pst-histrical wrk frm th Saraj-br ccptalist, whhas writt: “I wat a styl as tral as pssibl, a kid f irsal




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writig.” I this cas, th tral styl taks th frm f a styls,th carb f th diamd trasfrmd it a sftd graphit:th irsal phgraphy hr was d with a sharpd pcil

a pic f whit cardbard, cratig a iq ariabl-spdphgraph rcrd (6, 33, 45, r 78 rpm). I’ r hard this (wll, y kw what I ma), bt appartly th albm was xhibitdi Zagrb ad Chicag i th ‘70s. Whrf cat spak....

nICK THuRSTon: 33 1/3 (2009). Lik machi-ag assmbly-li rsis f Dimitrijic’s old-Mastr, had-sktchd artisaalcraft bjct, Thrst’s cctrically ridgd papr rcrds — prssd frm a prcisi, lasr-tchd tmplat — play th papritslf rathr tha trasmittig ay prrcrdd sd. Whil thmatrics ar smth ad hard-dgd, th irrprssibly rgh graif th papr is a rdr f magitd largr tha th cla di f th tmplat prssd it it (t t mti th mit wars f a typical phgraph gr), ad s ffrs itslf p as a src f amplied variance and vibration. With its recording lter larger

tha ay ifrmati it might b rqird t rcrd, th sbstratf th phgraph is maifst as “is” i bth th adi admdia-thry ss. Th mdim itslf, i th absc f ay i-frmati frm th matrix, gladly spplis th mssag. With asimilar tr, Thrst’s prjct stablishs a md f mchaicalrprdcti i which th rigial mastr cat mak rplicas:ach disc sds distictly diffrt, dpdig th chac ar-rangement of its pulp’s pressed bers and the type of paper used.

Lik Aplliair’s Mrli, th chatd dl maks “ds gstsblacs parmi ls slitds,” spiig lik a dsrt drish tward actrifgal cllaps as th styls srgically iciss, slwly abradsand ultimately cuts through with sufcient playings, revealing the

black hmr f ub’s spirald gidouille bath. Sizd s that thdl cmplts its crs i xactly sixty scds (wh sp atth pyms thirty-thr-ad--half rltis pr mit),

these inexibly exible pages are little clocks each timing a perfect

mit waltz.




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vASILII GneDov: “Smrt’ Isksst” [“Dath t Art”] (93).Sd ptry rdcd t th blak pag. “Silc i this ss,as trmiati, prpss a md f ltimacy,” as Ssa Stag

wld writ abt th rhtric f silc i 967, framig thpst-war asthtics f silc as a reductio f mdr art: th lgicalcclsi f Grbrgia mdrism arriig at a “pit f nal simplication.” As James Sherry has observed, a blank sheet

f papr is wrth abt 4 cts, bt as s as y prit a pm it, it’s rdrd cmically wrthlss; “Smrt’ Isksst,”accrdigly, kps its al ad is wrth ry ct. Whil might csidr Jas Kah ad Jh Mllr’s 2004 Papercuts [Crt 22] r St Rd’s 2005 Forms of Paper [Li_007] tbe versions, the denitive recording of Gnedov’s page was realized

by Migl Mlia i 2007 ad prssd by RR Mgacrp i 2009i a diti f 50 prsalizd cpis, strictly hors commerce. Ahistrically ifrmd prdcti that wld mak all thr Kijkbrthrs prd, that disc rcrds playback frm a rgistrdwax cylidr, rcratig th sd f silc circa 93. Mlia’s

ralizati ths trasfrms Gd’s pm it a ctaph fr thparticlar silc f wax, which was rplacd by ambrl clllidplastic i 92, jst as Gd cmpsd his txt. Fllwig thrcitati f Gd’s altrat titl, Poema kontsa [“Pm f thed”], th disc hisss ad pps with th acm sqall f a brittlwax wid fr 93 mits ad 55 scds. As Mlia’s CD-Rics, Stag’s aishig pit is always a pit f dpartr aswll; Gd dsigatd his wrk as a pic pm ( poema ), rathrtha a lyric (stikhotvorenye ), ad his histriic dclamatis f thwrk wr immsly pplar with adics wh clamrd frrditis at ptry radigs ad brght dw th hs withthir applas. All f which mst ha sdd a lt lik a PalBchlr albm.




earlir ad sbstatially shrtr rsis f this ssay appardi th WPRB Program Guide (vl. 0, Sptmbr 2003); ubWb;

His Voice 3 (Prag, 2006), ad Western Humanities Review (l. 60,

. [2006]). Thaks t Jh Cag, Barry ess, Barry Wllr,

Ky Gldsmith, Ja Sti, ry wh st m msic

ad scrs r th yars, ad all my cllags at WPRB.

Craig Dwrki

Prfssr f eglish

Th uirsity f utah




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dworkin (unheard music 2)

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