Name: The River
Brand: William Basinski

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

rn048

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2007-04-02

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

2 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

William Basinski

Genre GB

Modern Composition

Label GB

the river is the culmination of william basinski's shortwavemusic experiments. it was recorded in real time in 1983 using tape loops and shortwave radio static. the loops were all culled from the airwaves, short bits of string melody taken from the muzak radiostation, slowed down and mixed live to cassette from two 50's norelco reel-to-reel decks with a random accompaniment of shifting shortwave radio static. growing up in the 70's, with a love for the lush sound of the mellotron, but but not having the pocketbook to own one, i decided to try to create my own. i had heard that the sounds were recorded on tape loops, so i began recording small bits of lush strings from intros and interludes in muzak songs touse as my keys the aspect of pulling all the sounds from the airwaves, to create something from nothing, fascinated me. with these elemental, organic loops that i had saved aside for the river, i was attempting to record the music of the spheres. the 90 minute length was decried by the length of the two sides of the cassette. the idea was to have a piece which could repeat endlessly creating an eternal, meditative womb of tranquility. double cd on raster noton

The River

Music GB