Skip to main content

Oswald

 

John Oswald's "Plexure" is an avant-garde piece of music that blends various sound samples to create an intriguing atmosphere that challenges the listener's perception of reality. The piece incorporates a diverse range of sounds, including static, fragmented melodies, spoken word, and white noise. The overall effect is that of a distorted reality, a place where everything is slightly askew and unusual.

Upon listening to "Plexure," I was immediately struck by the disorienting nature of the piece. The sound samples are arranged in a seemingly random fashion, which contributes to the sense of unease that permeates the music. The lack of a discernible melody or beat further adds to this feeling, leaving the listener without a familiar anchor to cling to. Instead, the piece invites the listener to embrace the chaos and explore the strange new world that Oswald has created.

One of the most interesting aspects of "Plexure" is the way in which it incorporates spoken word samples into the mix. These samples are often heavily distorted, making it difficult to discern what is being said. This contributes to the sense of disorientation, as the listener is unsure of what they are hearing. At times, the spoken word samples are used in a rhythmic fashion, adding to the overall texture of the piece.

To sum up, "Plexure" is a alluring and thought-provoking piece of music. It makes the listener expand their understanding of what is possible in music and invites them to explore a realm where the ordinary is abnormal. The lack of a traditional structure or melody may be off-putting to some listeners, but for those who are willing to embrace the chaos, "Plexure" offers a rich and rewarding listening experience.

For me, listening to "Plexure" was an immersive experience. The sound samples were so diverse and unexpected that I found myself constantly surprised and intrigued by what I was hearing. The music seemed to transport me to a place where everything was upside down and unfamiliar, and yet strangely compelling. It was as if I had entered a dream world where the rules of reality no longer applied. I would personally recommend "Plexure" to anyone looking for a different experience.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Pauline Oliveros – The Goddard in the Dan Harpole Cistern

  After watching Dan Harpole's film of Goddard in the Cistern, one is struck by how creepy the location appears and feels. In the light, you can just make out a lengthy ladder leading down into a concrete-walled area. It's absolutely dark, with only the top hatch and a small lamp providing lighting. This sequence accounts for a significant portion of the plot. Three persons are seen climbing up and down the ladder, which might be regarded the music piece's official start. Additionally, while the name "Dan Harpole Cistern" suggests a vast space, it appears to be a homemade video. A hum and other vocal noises travel across the room, bouncing off the walls. The women's voices generate a hum that contributes to the room's unique feel. The beautiful singing is interrupted by metal fragments falling on the floor. One would ask how much thought went into the sounds, given that the majority of them appear to be chosen at random. The emphasis is not on making sound...

John Oswald – Plexure (Full Album)

  Jon Oswald was known for his Plunderphonics music pieces, where he created new pieces from already existing music recordings of famous artists and reworked them. Artists like Michael Jackson, who was also part of the cover on Plunderphonic, The Beatles, James Brown, Bing Crosby but also classical musicians like Beethoven and Bach were part of his pieces.   The first minute and a half of his album consists of a wild mix of R&B and hip-hop songs. They are single, very short sequences, about 2-3 seconds long, which were cut together. The first song was introduced with a sound that reminded me of Michael Jackson's Thriller. From minute five to about minute seven, the use of rock & roll music was recognizable. At the end, I recognized Madonna, Nirvana and again Michael Jackson, among others. Personally, I can hardly identify with this kind of music, because listening to the album, I felt the compilation was relatively arbitrary and not balanced with each other. I recogniz...