William Basinski — Shortwavemusic
The first four track here where original released on an ltd vinyl only pressing on Raster-Norton in 1997, there joined here by a firth track Particle Showers that comes in at near 15 minutes, all making up a running time of an hour. Due to the shorter track lengths it give Basinski to investigate a lot of different atmospheric and crumbling looped cinematic states. Evening Scars opens up proceedings looping out an elegant and melancholy string swoon, that feels like your slowly travelling above a end of battle scene and all the emotion and sadness that would conjure up. As brave soliders stager there last breath and victories raise ragged flags with exhausted bodies. Later we have Fringe Area, which loops out a slow waltz of eerier/ decaying once fine and bright melodies, like watching a ghost couple slowly dance on and on around a abandoned ballroom, but instead of just simply looping the same element Basinski investigates several loops over it’s seven minute running time, but always returning to the same eerier ghost like loop.
On a Frontier of Wires is the longest track here at just about 25 minutes, which loops out this surprising almost mambo type riff every now and then though the decaying loop states. Again it brings to mind elegant dances moving over dance floors, but this time with more joy and sun playing off their hair and faces, like watching old super eight footage that’s slowly crackling and decaying before your eyes. The extra track Particle showers title is very apt as it feels like stepping back in time to an 50’s like sci-fi novel situation. Been a brave star ship captain guiding your awkward look ship though this sea of eerier and strangle green glowing shower of lights. The loops ringing with wonderful hypnotic and aged gamelan like tones.
An enchanting, hypnotic and get-lost-in selection of tracks that conjure up many diffrent times and places. To find out more and buy direct go directly to Mr Basinski home world here.