William Basinski — Variations for Piano and tape

Variations for Piano and tape  music seems to echo  it’s cover  artwork- the cover picture is of bleak,  but  beautiful costal village and the surrounding coastline. The middle of the photograph is out of line with the rest. The music is just the same -a set of melodic piano notes are taken out of their  original setting, then looped and sculptured with- like a few seconds film re -running endlessly, with each new revolution it takes on a new context and beauty.

The album consist of one four forty minute track, that repeats ,but skilful alters slightly an few piano notes and various tape ambience and noises. As the piece progress, it seems to become more haunted and out of time, the tape ambience seeming to growing the melody slipping very slowly into the background, but never fully disappearing. It’s like looking at a precious jewel, turning it in the light finding new elements of shades and  colour with in it.  The track is  a simple idea, but executed beautiful. The other bizarre thing that seems to occur, is that time plays a trick on you. You’ll sit down and play the piece, your mind becoming so interlocked with the repartition and slight altering of sound, that the piece slips away with in what seems half the time- making you want to replay it all again.

Another rewarding piece from William Basinski, who is surely making some of the most natural and beautiful music around today. Of interested to fans of all forms of ambience and loop based music or simply beautiful, but haunted sounds.