From Kevin Ryan Sent Mon, Aug 23rd 1999, 18:30
From Kevin Ryan Sent Mon, Aug 23rd 1999, 18:30
Nicholas W Zammuto <xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx> writes: >>we were driving through wyoming. we had just entered yellowstone national >>park and i had Aphex SAW II on at a comfortable listening level. it >>struck me at that moment how amazing it was that the music seemed to have >>the ability to seemlessly absorb its surroundings. the variegated hum of >>the engine, the wind around the car, the smell of sulphur, the fluffy >>big clouds... i felt the need to awaken my friend, asleep in the passenger >>seat, so she could experience the way the turning of the car on the road >>seemed to perfectly accompany the rhythm of the music, but i didn't >>because the slow sound of her breathing was such a perfect counterpoint to >>the tightening of the brakes as we rolled into the valley. >> >>resonance, my friends, is why we listen, right? we are more than playback >>engineers, music is bigger than we are. It's kind of ironic--the very reason I usually refuse to listen to ambient works (like the SAWs) or classical music in a car is all the background noise and the usually crappy stereos. But you took the background noise and made it part of the music--how very Cagean of you! On a vaguely related note, Autechre seems to be pretty cliche on this list. What is the name of the last track on the second disc of "Tri Repetae++"? I know this track was released previously. I must say--it is probably the most moving piece of modern music I've ever heard. Whenever I listen to it--but esp. when I first heard it-- I get almost painful attacks of nostalgia. I can't explain it any better than that; I just become overwhelmed by nostalgia of my youth to a point where I can hardly stand it. Must be a mental fluke of mine! Unlike John Cage, Autechre creates music I have a lot of trouble talking about. And you know what they (read: Eno) say about "talking about music"! kevin M R.