Skip to main content

John Oswald - Plexure (full album)

John Oswald, a Canadian composer and sound artist, published his album "Plexure" in 1993. A thick and intricate audio environment is created by the composition's mosaic of sampled noises and melodic snippets. The album is known for its use of sampling and remixing, creating a sound that is both familiar and completely new.

The opening track of the album features a manipulated and distorted sample of a woman's voice, which creates a unique and unsettling atmosphere. The use of audio manipulation techniques, such as distortion and manipulation, is a common practice in electronic music to create unconventional sounds that are not typically heard in traditional music genres. The use of such techniques in the opening of the album sets the tone for the rest of the tracks, creating an eerie and haunting sound that captures the listener's attention.

As the track progresses, additional samples are added, contributing to the chaotic and intense soundscape. The layering of sounds adds depth and complexity to the track, creating a dynamic listening experience. The resulting effect is a feeling of both anxiety and excitement, which is a common characteristic of experimental music. The use of unconventional sounds and techniques in this opening track is a testament to the artist's willingness to push the boundaries of traditional music genres, creating a unique and captivating listening experience.

The following tracks in the album continue in a slow and dreamy manner, with the sound becoming increasingly intense and distorted. This creates a sense of chaos and confusion, which is further amplified by the layering of sounds. The artist's use of distortion and manipulation techniques creates an unconventional and experimental sound that can leave the listener feeling both nostalgic and disoriented. This combination of emotions is a common characteristic of experimental music, as it challenges the listener to think outside the box and experience music in a new and unconventional way.

However, as the album progresses, the sound becomes more calming and energizing, creating a sense of renewal and hope. The artist's use of contrasting sounds and emotions is a common technique in experimental music, creating a dynamic and engaging listening experience. The resulting effect is a sense of peace and serenity, as if the listener is being transported to a peaceful and beautiful place. The use of unconventional sounds and techniques throughout the album is a testament to the artist's creativity, pushing the boundaries of traditional music genres and creating a unique and captivating listening experience that challenges the listener's expectations.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure

 Sarah Kumar Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath The Future of (American) Music 06 Mar. 2023 Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure According to John Oswald, “[a] plunderphone is a recognizable sonic quote, using the actual sound of something familiar which has already been recorded” (Lecture Slides 18). However, only if the source stays recognizable can it be called plunderphonics. In his album Plexure , several songs are played back and mixed together, thus creating a new sound. This is interesting because while the excerpts of songs that are used are recognizable or at least sound familiar to some degree, played backwards and mashed up as they are in Plexure , they create a new sound. Like on the cover of the album, on which a collage making up a man can be seen, the mixing of different songs played backwards gives a new feeling to something known. The way the songs are mixed makes them unintelligible. The meaning of the words of the original recordings are not able to be compr...
Post a Comment
Read more

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pierre Schaeffer - Étude pathétique

  Pierre Schaefer begins the piece with sounds produced by drums and similar percussion instruments. One hears the sound of an object spinning and then coming to a stop. I assume it is a circular object, like a cymbal or hi-hat of a drum kit, that spins until it comes to a stop. Sounds of a locomotive follow, continuing with a mixture of drums and spinning objects as well as voices. There are slight parallels here with another piece by Schaeffer, "etude aux chemins de fer," in which he has the musical piece consist of sounds of trains and locomotives. I also recognize an accordion and a violin playing rapidly, accompanied by human sounds that are not really decipherable. By combining all these background sounds and using human voices, Schaeffer creates an exciting atmosphere while listening to the piece, and the listener's auditory senses are constantly challenged to decipher all the details of the sounds. At times one could be reminded of a scene from a scary movie, at l...
Post a Comment
Read more