william basinski - is this the best ambient/drone stuff around or what?

Also very good. I wonder if there's any truth the rumor that Madonna is a fan.

― libcrypt, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 05:23 (5 years ago) Permalink

I wouldn't be surprised, she's kind of a dilettante.

Is drone the opposite of Beethoven or what? I mean, it's the antithesis of structure, of arc. It's the anti-arc! Does that make sense? Sorry, I'm kind of a dilettante.

― Rich Smörgasbord, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 06:30 (5 years ago) Permalink

Disintegration Loops = one of the greatest recordings of the century. Seriously. river wolf, make it the next thing you buy, man!

― Manalishi, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 07:17 (5 years ago) Permalink

over-rated. Alva Novo's "Xerrox" does the sma ething better and in a more interesting way.

― baaderonixx, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 10:02 (5 years ago) Permalink

Wait, this is Billy Basinski aka Z-man?

Whoa, small world. He adopted/produced my first band in NYC. I've got to hear this, I bet it's incredible.

― Masonic Boom, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 10:17 (5 years ago) Permalink

Maybe Masonna is a fan, and someone thought there was a typo.

― libcrypt, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 15:35 (5 years ago) Permalink

I also really love the "River" double CD, I think Raster-Noton put it out. But it's all good.

― sleeve, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 22:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

which disintegration loops vol. is best? i'm about to give the first one a go

― am0n, Wednesday, 23 May 2007 03:23 (5 years ago) Permalink

i wish he would record under "Z-Man"

― circa1916, Wednesday, 23 May 2007 07:15 (5 years ago) Permalink

am0n, having only heard vols I & II I'd recommend the latter. Its "DLP3" is really haunting/captivating.

― willem, Wednesday, 23 May 2007 07:30 (5 years ago) Permalink

i got all four. loving them. the second track on II is the shit, the comment upthread about SAW II #19 on repeat is apt

― am0n, Monday, 28 May 2007 22:37 (5 years ago) Permalink

that would be loop 3. bliss.

― willem, Tuesday, 29 May 2007 08:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

I suppose non-drone music is anthropomorphic, in that it has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

― Rich Smörgasbord, Tuesday, 29 May 2007 09:32 (5 years ago) Permalink

who among us is enjoying El Camino Real?

Tape loop, recorded live, Los Angeles, July 2006.
First 300 copies came numbered and signed.

Want (and want to have been there)

― jergïns, Sunday, 15 July 2007 00:37 (5 years ago) Permalink

Yeah I could totally fall asleep listening to this.

― ledge, Sunday, 15 July 2007 16:21 (5 years ago) Permalink

(I gave up on falling asleep to The Disintegration Loops 'cause they're a bit too melancholic.)

― ledge, Sunday, 15 July 2007 16:27 (5 years ago) Permalink

word

― am0n, Thursday, 26 July 2007 00:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

totally.

― Drooone, Thursday, 26 July 2007 01:39 (5 years ago) Permalink

El Camino Real is some incredible stuff.

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 14 September 2007 22:19 (5 years ago) Permalink

When did this come out? Info? Link?

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Friday, 14 September 2007 22:35 (5 years ago) Permalink

http://www.mmlxii.com/home/home.html

May this year.

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 14 September 2007 22:37 (5 years ago) Permalink

El Camino Real

― jergïns, Friday, 14 September 2007 22:37 (5 years ago) Permalink

Gotta hear it. Was slightly disappointed with Shortwavemusic.

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Friday, 14 September 2007 22:43 (5 years ago) Permalink

To answer the thread title question: fuck yes! That's why I'm absolutely psyched for this, out on april 20th:

― Gerard (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 16 April 2009 18:26 (4 years ago) Permalink

And yes it is, indeed, fucking gorgeous. Is the love for Basinski really that marginal on ilm?

― Gerard (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 16 April 2009 23:35 (4 years ago) Permalink

No. I love the Disintegration Loops. There's a poll-thread devoted to those discs. If I remember that thread correctly, Ned is a big Basinski fan, too (but he hardly needs me to speak for him).

― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 16 April 2009 23:46 (4 years ago) Permalink

yeah i think that poll might be longer than this thread even!

i've loved most everything i've heard by him
disintegration loops
melancholia
silent night
el camino real

all A+

― listen to it...put yourself in los angeles (winston), Thursday, 16 April 2009 23:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

He opened up for Antony last month. Great stuff.

― Alex in SF, Thursday, 16 April 2009 23:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

I also really love the "River" double CD, I think Raster-Noton put it out. But it's all good.

― sleeve, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 22:56 (1 year ago)

― sleeve, Friday, 17 April 2009 03:42 (4 years ago) Permalink

Ah, this guy.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Saturday, 25 April 2009 03:53 (4 years ago) Permalink

Anyone got or heard the new one?

― krakow, Saturday, 25 April 2009 20:46 (4 years ago) Permalink

i have 92982, its v good

― Dr. Phil, Saturday, 25 April 2009 20:47 (4 years ago) Permalink

What's the new one, Krakow?

I haven't listened to Basinski in a while, but I really like what I have of him. I've only one Disintegration Loop (no. III) cos it would have been very pricey to buy them all at the time. Does anyone know where to get the others reasonably cheaply? are they still available? some sort of box would be perfect.
I also really like Movement in Chrome Primitive and The River. I have a vinyl-only release, A Red Score in Tile which is similar in style to the Chrome Primitive stuff. Then I have Melancholia, and a split with Richard Chartier, to which have In't really given enough time.

There were a few other Musex releases, such as Water Music I and II -- has anyone heard them?

― Duke, Saturday, 25 April 2009 21:39 (4 years ago) Permalink

erm... should read thread properly. So the new one is 92982. He says a shorter version of track 3 was included as variation #8 on A movement in chrome primitive, so I can imagine I'll like this one

― Duke, Saturday, 25 April 2009 21:57 (4 years ago) Permalink

oh God please keep this thread going; I completely adore The Disintegration Loops (to the point of buying everything of Basinski's still available - my favorite so far is the River, although the new one is pretty good too) and I'm such a sucker for anything even evoking a comparison.

anyway in the meantime, I've been enjoying this:

http://deletedscenesforgottendreams.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-kilda-st-kilda-ep.html

as a sort of Cliff's Notes to the Disintegration Loops. v v v v v v pretty. I was happy to buy it.

― jamescobo, Sunday, 26 April 2009 11:02 (4 years ago) Permalink

It started with the Disintegration Loops set for me as well, and have also bought everything still available. My possible favorite is El Camino Real, but he really hasn't made a mediocre record. 'The Garden of Brokenness´ is gorgeous as well. Hard to single one out, his whole output has been fantastic.
The new one sounds great, but I´ve yet to take the time to fully dive into it. I won´t be dissapointed though, I know that for a fact.

― Gerard (Le Bateau Ivre), Sunday, 26 April 2009 11:13 (4 years ago) Permalink

I haven't listened to Basinski in a while, but I really like what I have of him. I've only one Disintegration Loop (no. III) cos it would have been very pricey to buy them all at the time. Does anyone know where to get the others reasonably cheaply?

eMusic.

― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 26 April 2009 11:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

How about in a physical (CD) format for less than $20 each?

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Sunday, 26 April 2009 14:34 (4 years ago) Permalink

Thanks to this thread, I had to pull out "Disintegration Loops" and have been, um, looping dlp5 for half of the afternoon. So much for my day. Thanks you guys (=it was a beautiful day).

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Sunday, 26 April 2009 16:57 (4 years ago) Permalink

@ilxor try this guy on eBay http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/TWO-HEADEDDOG__W0QQ_sidZ273089502?_nkw=basinski&submit=Search

I've bought from him several times and he's totally spot on ("an excellent seller A++++++" etc.). Usually has a few Basinksi titles in stock for the best prices I can find and could probably get others if asked.

― krakow, Monday, 27 April 2009 22:21 (4 years ago) Permalink

Another new one out now from Basinski. Not heard it yet, will wait for it to filter through to the usual channels, but here's the link and Basinski's write-up:

http://www.mmlxii.com/music/music.html

Vivian & Ondine
Catalog#: 2062.0902

Price: $20.00
CD 45:10. Release date: December 2009

"...I got back to work and found yet another lunchbox of ancient tape-loops to go through for possible inclusion in the new piece. I came across the main theme and thought...well, this is gorgeous; let's see if we can use this to coax Viv to come out. I went through the rest of them and found another dozen or so that mixed well used randomly, just under the threshold.

"The next night I performed the piece at Issue with their 16 channel hemispherical speaker system set to move the sounds randomly around the room as if waves in a pool. We all had a really good time. It was mesmerizing."

This version was recorded with microphones and two Norelco tape decks live in my studio in Los Angeles in one take in September 2008.

― krakow, Friday, 4 December 2009 14:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

^sounds like a lot of his other work but that's not a bad thing. another dreamy single track, this one 45 minutes

― ra (ramon cora), Thursday, 4 February 2010 00:11 (3 years ago) Permalink

just got the first one and it's woooow

― dyao, Thursday, 4 February 2010 12:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'm excited to hear this!! I only have the four Disintegration Loops and I love all of them. I used to work at this all night cafe and around 4 the place would clear out and I would play these as I would mop and clean up. I miss jobs where I could play music late at night.

― Jacob Sanders, Thursday, 4 February 2010 12:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

available on emusic, btw

― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 4 February 2010 12:37 (3 years ago) Permalink

holy shit that sounds like the best thing ever xp

― dyao, Thursday, 4 February 2010 12:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

distingeration loops 1 is shifted heavily towards the right channel in the mix, right? really hard to listen to on headphones.

― 99. The Juggalo Teacher (dyao), Sunday, 7 February 2010 12:47 (3 years ago) Permalink

i don't think so, no

― ♖♕♖ (am0n), Sunday, 7 February 2010 18:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

hmm it definitely seems right-shifted to me, even in the iTunes samples. (NB I would buy it from eMusic but they won't let me join because I'm currently living out-of-the-states)

― 99. The Juggalo Teacher (dyao), Monday, 8 February 2010 00:49 (3 years ago) Permalink

i bought mine on Amazon Mp3 and it certainly sounds "right-shifted" to me

― kshighway (ksh), Monday, 8 February 2010 00:50 (3 years ago) Permalink

UK: http://www.normanrecords.com/records/135893-william-basinski--the-disintegration

― djh, Monday, 13 August 2012 20:51 (9 months ago) Permalink

Re: the live disintegration, in 2.1 the actual disintegrating tape noise was simulated with percussion - snare brushing, rim tapping, and as already mentioned amplified clingfilm (or cellophane? It looked like clingfilm but I would have thought that would be too soft and quiet.)

― kmfdotm (ledge), Monday, 13 August 2012 20:55 (9 months ago) Permalink

UK: http://www.normanrecords.com/records/135893-william-basinski--the-disintegration

― djh, Monday, August 13, 2012

Almost £300! You can have it shipped direct from the label to the UK for £175...

― Barnaby, Hardly, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 10:40 (9 months ago) Permalink

You will get hit with VAT + customs duty + handling charge on parcel that size from the USA, almost without doubt. I would also fear for the safety of such a mammoth box coming all on its lonesome from the USA, however well they pack it. Tough choices...

― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 11:25 (9 months ago) Permalink

Not that I'm saying that buying from Norman et al in the UK is an inherently 'better' choice, just that there may be more to consider than pure pricing.

― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 11:47 (9 months ago) Permalink

I hear you. But those additional charges won't get close to £125. I'm expecting then to be in the region of £50.

Also, the boxes still have to come from the US to get to Norman Records... Though they'll obviously be part of a larger, safer shipment.

I sold my unplayed Warp 20 boxset to fund this one, so you're mostly just reading me convincing myself that I've made the right decision to order direct...

― Barnaby, Hardly, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 12:02 (9 months ago) Permalink

Absolutely - the main thing is to enjoy it!

― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 12:19 (9 months ago) Permalink

"I hear you. But those additional charges won't get close to £125. I'm expecting then to be in the region of £50."

Recently bought the Can box from US Amazon 'cos with that price even in the likely event I got hit with the extortionate fees & tax, it was still going to work out at pretty much the same price as UK Amazon.

― Wandering Boy Poet, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:13 (9 months ago) Permalink

http://philsbootlegs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/william-basinski-disintegration-loops.html

― Barnaby, Hardly, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 15:04 (9 months ago) Permalink

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/11/12/164978574/divinity-from-dust-the-healing-power-of-the-disintegration-loops

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 16 November 2012 18:54 (6 months ago) Permalink

gr8 editing npr

"an old pile of old recordings"

"he keep the loops running"

― am0n, Friday, 16 November 2012 20:15 (6 months ago) Permalink

was listed in boomkat newsletter today, £299, free postage.

http://boomkat.com/vinyl/561223-william-basinski-the-disintegration-loops-deluxe-box-set

― koogs, Saturday, 17 November 2012 00:41 (6 months ago) Permalink

the frustrating thing, about being a record store that wanted to stock this, was that i placed a pre-order with a distributor. so it arrives and i'm trying to figure out what to price the damn thing at so that it's reasonably competitive, only to find that you can buy it direct from the label as a consumer for less than i paid for it wholesale. which is.. frustrating, wanting to be a retailed who carries something cool like this, but also being in a position where it's almost impossible to be competitive w/r/t pricing. meaning... i probably don't sell these things.

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Saturday, 17 November 2012 00:53 (6 months ago) Permalink

Just been listening to Radiolab's podcast (http://www.radiolab.org/2011/oct/04/) where they talk about the disintegration loops and interview WB himself. There's a little discussion about the relationship between the sounds on the tapes and the way in which the tape degrades; the decay parts of the chords decay first, the attack parts last. Do any of you have any idea why this might be?

― neilasimpson, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 13:07 (5 months ago) Permalink

i was just listening to that episode the other day! it's a great one. the only thing i could think of is that perhaps it has to do with the direction that the tape was looping. imagine a surface with a series of bumps. if you repeatedly ran your hand from right to left over the bumps, the bumps on the right might wear down faster than the ones on the left. maybe it's similar with the tape - with the attack on the left and the decay on the right.

― dexpresso (Z S), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 13:54 (5 months ago) Permalink

in other personal listening relationship to william basinski news, i love disintegration loops, but i think i love melancholia and 92982 even more. what a guy!

― dexpresso (Z S), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 13:55 (5 months ago) Permalink

new Basinski:

http://boomkat.com/cds/711685-william-basinski-nocturnes

― koogs, Thursday, 16 May 2013 19:24 (5 days ago) Permalink

Ausgezeichnet.

― the europan nikon is here (grauschleier), Friday, 17 May 2013 15:38 (4 days ago) Permalink