William Bassinski.
I've been listening to a fair bit of music through awful in built iMac speakers recently. It's been surprisingly pleasant as long as you don't try to listen to anything dynamic. I'm doing this whilst stuck in a small office on my own, and so it's nice to have some ambient noise to keep me company. So I've been rinsing the ambient and classical sounds you can find on Last.fm. And very nice too.
One person I came across whose really rocked my world is William Bassinski. I'd had one of his tunes on for about 10 minutes, before I checked how long it was and realised I was only a quarter of the way though. I then glanced at some comments beneath the player, and found people complaining that it was just a loop... Now I'd had it on fairly quiet, and as I mentioned, on the shitty iMac speakers, so I hadn't really realised what I was listening to, and that it was pretty much a loop.
The track in question was D|P 3 off The Disintegration Loops II. What you hear is a warm, orchestral sound with two notes from a horn that loops over 10/12 seconds. Over time though sections of the sound start to degrade. This degradation is pretty imperceptible at first, but after 20 or so minutes is noticeable. The degradation gives the loop more rhythm, more obvious repetition and also makes the end of the loop (if that's what you choose to mark as the end) sound like a crunching finale. So every 10/12 seconds you get a crunching, collapsing finale. You start listening out - waiting - for the next noticeable degradation. How much will it lose next? How will it grow? But the degradation can take so long that there is no real change... and then something will go, something will give that kind of just destroys you. Very melodramatic this obviously. But as its an endless loop, going over a long time, your mind starts to rely on it, you start to know it and expect it. Instinctively, not mentally, I'd doubt you're aware of every nuonce of sound. But when something does go it can feel very sudden and dramatic. Which in a 40 minute piece of music built on a 10/12 second loop, is pretty amazing. I can't tell you what happens (as in I can't describe, not I'm not going to tell you), but something happens around 32 minutes 47 seconds, that is really crushing... I'm afraid you can't skip straight to it, it wouldn't work...
The tracks were made when William Bassinski was archiving some old audio loops he had on tape to digital. The archiving itself ended up destroying the audio itself. So what we are hearing is the destruction of the audio recording, from its continuous playing. And when the track ends, we 'know' that the original sound which was playing, is effectively dead. So we are listening to sound dying... and it sounds like it too. Dying with great dignity and poise it is too.

Good, good friend Duncan Brown sent me a note saying he enjoyed the Rainbow of books down below, and pointing me towards these stunning images/sculptures made of books by Paul Octavious.
There are two sets within his project section. #1 - Book collection; where he has created firstly numbers and then a few random shapes and monsters out of a pile of carefully colour co-ordinated books. And the #2 Stacked; where he has made very simple shapes/piles/towers out of a collection of books (from one series), often tying them together.
The photography is very delicate and neat, and the sculptures look lovely. Perfectly stacked and arranged, but using well worn, used books and string. They look like a quick, fun pile, but must have taken ages to build. These are gorgeously simple, but amazingly effective and stunning images. They look like mini Christo's.
I've not posted all the images. Do go and see them all, as they are all wonderful.
Thanks Duncan x.

This is nice. It's good designing books, it makes me look up from a screen of code and see the beautiful things people are creating.
This came from (but was not made by) Coralie Bickford-Smith, who is a senior cover designer at Penguin Books.

Speaking of things that make you drool. I came across this yesterday too (it's amazing I got any work done yesterday).
I saw this cover on the excellent The Oxen of the Sun blog, which covers all things book design. As I design a book a year at the moment, I like to check out the latest book design fetish items a bit, and dream about making more books.
Nabokov's The Original of Laura was the book he was working on when he died. He said he didn't want it published, but his son kept hold of it, and seems to have allowed it to be published. They have done an amazing job. Chip Kidd was the designer, which after a bit of research doesn't seem like a surprise, as he seems to be the Johnathan Ive of book design.
Nabokov apparently wrote his books on index cards. This book has been published with a photo of each of the original index cards on each page, and then a printed text version below it.
The back of the index card is displayed on the reverse of the page, so you get pencil smudges and notes etc. PLUS, the index cards are perforated too, so in theory you could pop them all out and have an original version of the book as it was written.
Plus the cover is amazing. Very understated... very black. Another geeky purchase I feel.

I came accross this again the other day. A turntable that plays with a lazer* - ELP Laser Turntable. As a vinyl junkie, this thing sounds like a great idea. Play your records forever without them getting any damage due to usage. Might be a fun purchase. However it costs about £7000 (rising up to £9000+). So probably a bit much, for a 'bit of fun'.
In slightly related note, I think I've just bust my iPod. I'm trying to mentally blame the kids, as I was on the phone to them at the time I dropped it... but basically it's my fault.
I'm feeling decidely non-plused about this. My iPod has been my main travel form of music for the last 3 years. It has lots of good shit on it that I've either downloaded (mixes, free tracks, podcasts etc) or my vinyl that I've recorded. If it is bust, there's a high chance that I've lost a lot of that stuff. So I should probably be a bit more fussed really... plus they don't come cheap.
But some how it feels like, this was bound to happen sooner or later. And losing mp3s doesn't really feel like losing anything important. I'm sure I can find most of the bits again if I need to... but more than likely I will never remember half of the things I've lost.
I'm basically coming round to the idea that I am a record collector... if I try hard I'd say I was a music collector, but the fact that I don't really feel I have a piece of music, unless it's on vinyl, makes me a record collector.
I was listening to Last.fm yesterday and came accross some amazing music I'd never heard of. Really lovely, interesting, deleicate classical stuff. I was listening to Steve Reich radio, so I was hearing lost of stuff made by people who'd studies classic music and had then created their own avant garde style. I heard an amazing piece by Terry Riley called 'In C'. This is a 45 minute classical piece, similar (maybe) to Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 musicians'. Lots of simple loops, played by orchestral instruments. The loops go in and out of each other, and change too. Very plink plonky, very sweet. Very nice.
I found I could buy this online, for really not very much (69p or £6.49 at most), but it felt decidedly unsatisfactory to own this wonderful, beautiful piece of music just a file on my computer.
I did however also find it on the excellent Amber Green shop site, as the original UK release 1971 version. This is no doubt going to be split in the middle - faded out at the end of side one and the faded in on side two. But it is going to fell very precious and very beautiful. And if I ever get round to sitting down and listening to the whole thing, on vinyl, I think it will feel very special and proper.
I don't know what this feeling will be.. probably a geeky, smug, self satisfaction... because in theory any response in me should be triggered by the music, not the format. But I guess this is why I am becoming a record collector, rather than a music collector. But hey, I collect some damn good, beautiful, funky, soulful, heavy, deep, banging, classic records.

* Note: I know Lazer should probably be spelt with an S rather than a Z. But if ever there was a word which desirved a Z in it is must be Lazer...

More books and rainbows. This time c/o Holly Rose from some publishing conference in Chicago last month.

I managed to squeeze in a quick trip around the Design Museum last Saturday during a v quick London trip. The Dieter Rams was amazing as David said, but I also really enjoyed this book rainbow by Jiggery Pokery. Pretty, fun and (coming from someone who does a fair amount of building block building) it's an impressive structural feat too.
And reminded me of this other book structure I saw last year at the UWE end of year show. Excavating Babel. This was quite an imposing and exciting piece - you weren't quite sure how stable it all was... fun to walk inside.
Am currently planning the new Newport Uni, Photo Art book. I like trying to see books as objects, rather than just graphical layouts. I'm feeling drawn to the look of an obviously used, old book, as opposed to a clean cut new one. Might try to do something with exposed binding...

I ran a little art workshop at Maisie's Home Education group last Friday. Basically they were given a board, and a table full of cut out shapes, and they had to make a picture, and decide when it was done. Then I'd photograph it. Then they start again... no glue. It was fun. A good mix of abstract and illustrative... Here are some of my favorites.

Jemima - 6
Issac - 5
(note: Issac got the hand of the Damien Hurst-esq creative practice - in that he made me do all the cutting up and positioning for him... good work Issac... he also dangled the stick over the picture too...)
Marli - 7
Jay - 7
Linus - 7
Steven - 35

I've never been a massive fan Jay-Z really... but Mark the 45 King on the other hand... Nice mini film on how Mark made the Hard Knock Life beat...

Every Saturday, I take the kids across town to Hawks Gym (amazing place, worth having kids for alone), and afterwards we go to the Thali Cafe for cake, coffee, juice and chess. And when I get the chance I get to sneak a look at this lovely book they have there on San Francisco. Big coffee table type book, from the 70s with some amazing photographs - really grainy. Here are some dodgy mobile phone pics from the book.

Finally went to visit the "Mighty Purdown Transmitter"* today. This is a giant radio mast that you can't miss as you enter or leave Bristol. It's perched on top of a massive hill next to the M32.
Like most famous people, it's not as big close up as it seems from the road. But it's still an impressive and pretty odd looking structure. It a classic bit of 70's concrete building, that will never blend into any surroundings, unless things go very wrong indeed. Yet someone at some point decided that it would be a fine structure to have welcoming you into my fair city.
Here's the wikipedia highlights:
Pur Down BT Tower was built in 1970 and is located on a hill (Purdown) just north of the city centre of Bristol, in the Lockleaze suburb, UK (National Grid Reference: ST610764). It is one of twelve reinforced concrete towers owned by BT in the UK. It is used mainly for point-to-point microwave links and forms part of the British Telecom microwave network. It is one of the few telecommunication towers in the UK built of reinforced concrete.
*The "Mighty Purdown Transmitter" is Angela's name for this thing. I assumed it was a local pet name, that she knew from her time her years ago... but no, it's just her's... and now mine... and now yours.

"Anything can be turned into academic trash*" - Steve Reich

It's almost a bit silly to link to one or two Red Bull Music Academy interviews, as there are so many that are worth watching. You could lose days in the video archive probably. Regardless, I just found a couple of great ones.

Firstly this Steve Reich interview. It's exciting to hear a kind of untouchable musical giant talking about his work - especially one from such an academic, classical field... even more so when he comes across as pretty ordinary and uncomplex. He really pretty much removes any high art thought away from his music and his creative process, and makes it all sound wonderfully base and just born out of experimentation with loops and sounds and ideas.

And then, just so this blog doesn't turn into a big piano, classical, art music love fest, there is also a link to great Gerald Simpson (aka A Guy Called Gerald) interview. I've not checked all of this yet (can't really do 90+ minutes of Steve Reich and Gerald in one night). But the bits I've seen look interesting and Gerald always comes across as such a grounded and lovely bloke, that I'm sure he's worth checking. Plus, he's made some of the best electronic music of the last 20+ years.

Robert Sherlow Johnson: piano - Sherlow Law / Messiaen 1971
I picked up this record from my local record stall, run by Amber Green. To be honest can't really comment on the music. Avant garde, modern classical piano. Can't quite get into it yet.
The cover however, I can get into. Really nice bit of proper, old fashioned sleeve design. Lovely bit of abstract graphics with all the text in and around. Pretty funky what with the zig-zags, angeled text and bright (but minimal) colours.
The design is credited to George Daulby, from BDMW Associates, which was a classic 60's design firm a'la Fletcher Forbes Gill. Check out his classic back cat of designs.
Also like the way the 2nd side is highlighted on the back by the previous owner. As in, "this is the avant garde bomb, for the avant garde party"

Hauschka - Snowflakes and Car Wrecks (other formats)
Bought this the other day from a lovely basement vinyl section of a cafe in Falmouth called Jam.
Lovely (mainly) piano music. Just the right side of pretty and interesting and quirky... ie not too pretty, interesting or quirky. You got to get the balance right in my opinion. I'm not sure how to catagorise classical sounding music, but it's pretty much simple 'pretty' sounding classic pieces, in a calm Phillip Glass/Steve Reich type way.
He apparently fiddles with and generally messes with the piano strings - taping them together etc, to get a slightly off key sound. To be honest the sound isn't massively off key, but you do get nice sort of missed notes, or wrong keys sounds at times... Just enough to keep it interesting... but not too interesting to make it too quirky... and not so quirky as to spoil its pretty face.
A good listen or a good background...