William Basinski

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William Basinski

William James Basinski (born June 25, 1958 in Houston , Texas ) is an American ambient - avant-garde composer . He is also a clarinetist, saxophonist, sound and video artist . He is best known for his four-part album The Disintegration Loops (2002-03), which consists of recordings of decaying old tapes of his earlier ambient music.

Life

William Basinski was born in Houston in 1958. A classically trained clarinetist, he studied jazz saxophone and composition at North Texas State University in the late 1970s . In 1978 he began to develop his own music , inspired by minimal music work by musicians such as Steve Reich and Brian Eno . He used old tape loops and cassettes as well as short, looped melodies, which were reproduced several times and layered on top of each other, thus creating feedback . Thereby he inspired musicians like Philip Jeck .

His first release was Shortwave Music . Although it was produced in 1983, it was released in a limited edition in 1998 on the German Raster Noton label. This was followed by Watermusic , which was produced and distributed by Basinski's own record label 2062 Records . A 2CD set Variations: A Movement in Chrome Primitive: 1980 followed in 2004. It was released by David Tibet on the Durtro / Die Stadt label. At the time the album was made (1980), Basinski was experimenting with compositions for piano and tapes.

In the 1980s, Basinski created a large archive of experimental works using tape loops and echo devices, objets trouvés and shortwave radio noise. He was a member of experimental bands such as Gretchen Langheld Ensemble and House Afire. In 1989 he opened his gallery and the Arcadia cultural center . In the 1990s he performed there with various artists from New York, such as Antony Hegarty, Diamanda Galás , Rasputina and The Murmurs . He also produced and sold his records there and organized concerts for befriended acts and bands. He also promoted his own improvisation band Life on Mars on such occasions .

The Disintegration Loops

In August and September 2001 he set to work on his most famous work to date: The four- fold album The Disintegration Loops . When Basinski tried to digitize his own tape loops from the 1980s, the magnetic layer came off the tapes due to wear and tear. The composer took up this self-destruction and decay of the material.

Discography

  • 1998: Shortwave Music ( Raster-Noton Vinyl; 2007 CD, 2062)
  • 2000: Watermusic (2062 Records)
  • 2002: The Disintegration Loops (2062)
  • 2002: The River (Raster-Noton) (2008 CD)
  • 2003: The Disintegration Loops II (2062)
  • 2003: Watermusic II (2062)
  • 2003: Melancholia (2062)
  • 2003: The Disintegration Loops III (2062)
  • 2003: A Red Score in Tile (Three Poplars)
  • 2003: The Disintegration Loops IV (2062)
  • 2004: Variations: A Movement in Chrome Primitive (Durtro / Die Stadt )
  • 2004: Silent Night (2062)
  • 2006: The Garden of Brokenness (2062)
  • 2006: Variations for Piano and Tape (2062)
  • 2007: El Camino Real (2062)
  • 2009: 92982 (2062)
  • 2009: Vivian & Ondine (2062)
  • 2013: Aurora Liminalis (with Richard Chartier ) (Line)
  • 2013: Nocturnes (2062)
  • 2015: Cascade (2062)
  • 2015: The Deluge (Temporary Residence)
  • 2015: Divertissement (with Richard Chartier) (Important Records)
  • 2017: A Shadow in Time (2062)
  • 2018: Selva Oscura (with Lawrence English) (TRR)
  • 2019: On Time Out of Time (TRR)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Basinski: The Disintegration Loops I-IV at pitchforkmedia.com, accessed September 17, 2019.
  2. ↑ Time Becomes a Loop: William Basinski Interviewed Interview with John Doran for The Quietus, November 15, 2012, accessed November 14, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Basinski, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Basinski, William James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American ambient avant-garde composer, musician and video artist
DATE OF BIRTH June 25, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Houston , Texas , United States