The Disintegration Loops is a series of four albums by the American avant-garde composer and sonic artist William Basinski, released in 2002 and 2003.[2] The albums comprise tape loop recordings played for extended time, with noise and cracks increasing as the tape deteriorated. Basinski discovered the effect while attempting to transfer his earlier recordings to digital format.
The completion of the recording coincided with the 9/11 attacks, which Basinski witnessed from his rooftop in Brooklyn; the artwork features Basinski's footage of the New York City skyline in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse. He dedicated the music to the victims of the attacks.[3]
The Disintegration Loops gathered critical acclaim. It was initially released in four parts, and was reissued in 2012 on its tenth anniversary as a nine-LP box set. Two orchestral renditions have also been performed and were included in the reissue.
In the 1980s, Basinski recorded from found sound sources, shortwave radio and delay systems, influenced by musicians such as Steve Reich and Brian Eno.[3] Decades later, while transferring the recordings from magnetic tape to digital format, Basinski found that the tape had deteriorated; as it passed the tape head, the ferrite detached from the plastic backing. He allowed the loops to play for extended periods as they deteriorated further, with increasing gaps and cracks in the music. He further treated the sounds with a spatializing reverb effect.[4][5]
Basinski finished the project the morning of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends as the World Trade Center collapsed. He filmed the fallout during the last hour of daylight from a roof, and the following morning he played "Disintegration Loop 1.1" as a soundtrack to the aftermath.[3] Stills from the video were used as the covers for the set of four CDs, and several weeks later Basinski dedicated the work to the victims in a postscript in the liner notes.[3] He said that "the events gave new meaning to the musical pieces created by catastrophic decay in my studio a few weeks before".[3]
Pitchfork named The Disintegration Loops I–IV the 30th-best album of 2004[10] and the 196th-best album of the 2000s.[11] In 2016, Pitchfork named it the third-best ambient record of all time.[12] It was named the 86th best album of the decade by Resident Advisor,[13] and the 10th best by Tiny Mix Tapes.[14]
On September 11, 2011, Basinski's work was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as a live orchestration to mark the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.[15]
In 2022, Basinski's work served as the soundscape of Lashing Skies, a 45-minute immersive journey of five fictional stories unfolding amidst the events of September 11th. The artwork, exhibited at Centre Phi in Montreal, was designed and directed by multidisciplinary artist Brigitte Poupart.[16]
2012 reissueEdit
On September 4, 2012, New York-based record label Temporary Residence reissued the entire Disintegration Loops as a nine-LP box set, marking the project's 10-year anniversary and its impending induction into the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.[17] The collection, which was remastered, was released in a limited edition of 2,000 copies, with a 5xCD version, 63-minute DVD, and 144-page coffee table book with photos and liner notes by Basinski, Antony, David Tibet, Ronen Givony and Michael Shulan.[17]
^ abcdeStubbs, David (2018). Future Sounds: The Story of Electronic Music from Stockhausen to Skrillex. London: Faber & Faber. p. 352. ISBN9780571346974. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
^. Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
^ abTemporary Residence to Release Vinyl Box Set for William Basinski's Disintegration Loops Series|Pitchfork
Further readingEdit
Benzon, Paul (2015). "Archival Time, Absent Time: On William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops". Media–N: Journal of the New Media Caucus. 11 (1): 82–84. ISBN9781329113251. ISSN 1942-017X.
disintegration, loops, series, four, albums, american, avant, garde, composer, sonic, artist, william, basinski, released, 2002, 2003, albums, comprise, tape, loop, recordings, played, extended, time, with, noise, cracks, increasing, tape, deteriorated, basins. The Disintegration Loops is a series of four albums by the American avant garde composer and sonic artist William Basinski released in 2002 and 2003 2 The albums comprise tape loop recordings played for extended time with noise and cracks increasing as the tape deteriorated Basinski discovered the effect while attempting to transfer his earlier recordings to digital format The Disintegration LoopsStudio album by William BasinskiReleased2002 2003Recorded1982 August September 11 2001 1 GenreTape music ambient droneLength74 28 I 75 00 II 72 28 III 74 26 IV 296 22 I IV Label2062William Basinski chronologyWatermusic 2000 The Disintegration Loops 2002 The River 2002 The completion of the recording coincided with the 9 11 attacks which Basinski witnessed from his rooftop in Brooklyn the artwork features Basinski s footage of the New York City skyline in the aftermath of the World Trade Center s collapse He dedicated the music to the victims of the attacks 3 The Disintegration Loops gathered critical acclaim It was initially released in four parts and was reissued in 2012 on its tenth anniversary as a nine LP box set Two orchestral renditions have also been performed and were included in the reissue Contents 1 Recording 2 Reception and legacy 2 1 2012 reissue 3 Track listing 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksRecording EditIn the 1980s Basinski recorded from found sound sources shortwave radio and delay systems influenced by musicians such as Steve Reich and Brian Eno 3 Decades later while transferring the recordings from magnetic tape to digital format Basinski found that the tape had deteriorated as it passed the tape head the ferrite detached from the plastic backing He allowed the loops to play for extended periods as they deteriorated further with increasing gaps and cracks in the music He further treated the sounds with a spatializing reverb effect 4 5 Basinski finished the project the morning of the September 11 2001 attacks in New York City and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends as the World Trade Center collapsed He filmed the fallout during the last hour of daylight from a roof and the following morning he played Disintegration Loop 1 1 as a soundtrack to the aftermath 3 Stills from the video were used as the covers for the set of four CDs and several weeks later Basinski dedicated the work to the victims in a postscript in the liner notes 3 He said that the events gave new meaning to the musical pieces created by catastrophic decay in my studio a few weeks before 3 Reception and legacy EditProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingPitchfork9 4 10 2004 6 10 10 2012 7 Spectrum Culture nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 8 Stylus MagazineA 9 Pitchfork named The Disintegration Loops I IV the 30th best album of 2004 10 and the 196th best album of the 2000s 11 In 2016 Pitchfork named it the third best ambient record of all time 12 It was named the 86th best album of the decade by Resident Advisor 13 and the 10th best by Tiny Mix Tapes 14 On September 11 2011 Basinski s work was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as a live orchestration to mark the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks 15 In 2022 Basinski s work served as the soundscape of Lashing Skies a 45 minute immersive journey of five fictional stories unfolding amidst the events of September 11th The artwork exhibited at Centre Phi in Montreal was designed and directed by multidisciplinary artist Brigitte Poupart 16 2012 reissue Edit On September 4 2012 New York based record label Temporary Residence reissued the entire Disintegration Loops as a nine LP box set marking the project s 10 year anniversary and its impending induction into the National September 11 Memorial amp Museum 17 The collection which was remastered was released in a limited edition of 2 000 copies with a 5xCD version 63 minute DVD and 144 page coffee table book with photos and liner notes by Basinski Antony David Tibet Ronen Givony and Michael Shulan 17 Track listing EditThe Disintegration LoopsNo TitleLength1 dlp 1 1 63 332 dlp 2 1 10 55 The Disintegration Loops IINo TitleLength1 dlp 2 2 32 372 dlp 3 41 50 The Disintegration Loops IIINo TitleLength1 dlp 4 20 072 dlp 5 52 21 The Disintegration Loops IVNo TitleLength1 dlp 6 40 362 dlp 1 2 21 503 dlp 1 3 12 00See also EditList of ambient music artists Minimalist music Magnetic tapeReferences Edit Ian Simmons The disintegration loops by William Basinski Nth Position Archived from the original on 2009 04 13 The Sound of Decay The New Yorker a b c d e Stubbs David 2018 Future Sounds The Story of Electronic Music from Stockhausen to Skrillex London Faber amp Faber p 352 ISBN 9780571346974 Retrieved 16 May 2019 Dusted Reviews Archived from the original on 2013 05 21 Retrieved 2015 02 25 Mixcloud www mixcloud com Retrieved 2022 04 14 Tangari Joe April 8 2004 William Basinski The Disintegration Loops I IV Pitchfork Retrieved June 11 2019 Richardson Mark November 19 2012 William Basinski The Disintegration Loops Pitchfork Retrieved June 11 2019 Coleman Rodger December 10 2012 William Basinski The Disintegration Loops Spectrum Culture Retrieved July 1 2019 Heumann Michael February 2 2004 William Basinski The Disintegration Loops Review Stylus Magazine Archived from the original on January 17 2008 Retrieved June 11 2019 Pitchfork staff December 31 2004 Top 50 Albums of 2004 Pitchfork p 3 Retrieved September 11 2010 Pitchfork staff September 28 2009 The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s Pitchfork p 1 Retrieved October 1 2009 Pitchfork staff September 26 2016 The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time Pitchfork p 5 Retrieved September 26 2016 Top 100 albums of the 00s Resident Advisor January 25 2010 Retrieved March 19 2010 TMT staff February 12 2010 Favorite 100 Albums of 2000 2009 20 01 Tiny Mix Tapes Retrieved October 9 2010 Squeo September 11 2011 William Basinski s Disintegration Loops NYC performance to be webcast today Tiny Mix Tapes Retrieved September 11 2011 Lashing Skies A poetic audio immersion Centre PHI a b Temporary Residence to Release Vinyl Box Set for William Basinski s Disintegration Loops Series PitchforkFurther reading EditBenzon Paul 2015 Archival Time Absent Time On William Basinski s The Disintegration Loops Media N Journal of the New Media Caucus 11 1 82 84 ISBN 9781329113251 ISSN 1942 017X External links EditDisintegration Loops at Discogs Disintegration Loops II at Discogs Disintegration Loops III at Discogs Disintegration Loops IV at Discogs AllMusic Amazon com NPR article about the album Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Disintegration Loops amp oldid 1174842497, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
