Experimental
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At a time when much of the developed world was growing increasingly worried about Japan’s emerging economic strength, a consumer electronics company called Nakamichi Corp., Ltd. began to establish itself as a respected manufacturer of high-end tape machines. Its introduction of the three-head cassette deck in the early 1970s was a radical step forward. Previously,…
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Haiku poetry is more often associated with its simplicity than its beauty. A five-syllable line, followed by a seven-syllable line, followed by another five-syllable line. Poetry so easy anyone can write it. The Japanese form dates back centuries. And it probably won’t surprise you to learn that there’s more to it than a beat count.…
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By the end of the 1980s, the excitement surrounding early ambient music artists like Brian Eno, Harold Budd and Daniel Lanois had given way to the artistically suspect new age movement. Truthfully, the word movement gives that dark period too much credit. The only thing labels like Wyndham Hill managed to move was units. Lots…
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New York duo Leena has won my attention. This is less difficult than I’ve made it sound. Truth is, I can be had in three easy steps. First, write me a somewhat cryptic email. Something along these lines: “All of our work is improvised electronic music using hardware, pedals and synths. Everything is 30 minutes longform…
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There is a floorboard outside my daughter’s bedroom that creaks loudly when stepped on. We have woken her more than once, trying to navigate our way around that particular piece of hardwood. Such is life in a house built more than a hundred years ago. Carlo Giustini’s new album La stanza di fronte (The Other…
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Billed as “an exploration of the techniques, methods and technologies used in post-war western avant-garde music and sound art,” this cassette from Bristol’s zoller is a punishing listen from start to finish. This is not, however, a simple matter of noise for shock value. (Although there are one or two jolts, to be sure.) Alex…
The Moderns 