this album is the first of three, resulting from a series of experiments in 1982 using lo-fi technology to extract sounds from the airwaves and weave them into musical tapestries. two "norelco" reel-to-reel decks from the Â’60s were used, a radio and a shortwave radio.
basinski recorded samples of music from the radio, edited the tape into loops of varying lengths, and slowed them down. these themes were then layered together in real time to an accompaniment of randomly shifting shortwave radio static. the explored themes were often brief excerpts (3 or 4 notes) from popular standards. by manipulating these themes and mixing them with an existing symphony of electronic information, basinski created a series of melancholic, atmospheric aural landscapes for the listener to inhabit. the music is timeless and compelling. a remarkably original experimental music album.
william basinski is a classically trained musician who attended north texas state university in the late Â’70s to study jazz and composition.
tracklist:
01. on a frontier of wires - 23:40
02. evening scars - 8:35
03. cobalt pools - 5:30
04. fringe area - 7:15
