’The Belgian Congo Records‘ is a series of traditional music recorded in the 1930s during a brutal colonial regime. When Swedish techno producer Peder Mannerfelt discovered the songs with their manic, driving rhythms in 2015, he decided to reinterpret them on a synthesiser.
When Andy Warhol introduced the element of repetition into art in the early 1960s, he caused both confusion and inspiration. In Germany, artist Peter Roehr applied this technique to audio from 1964 onwards, editing together passages from radio news, music and advertising into loops.
Elephants are social animals – but can they also be encouraged to make music together? And with ‘real’ musical instruments, no less? Composer Dave Soldier tried this out in 1999 together with Richard Lair at the Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang in northern Thailand.
For most users, the noises made by devices are nothing more than unwanted by-products. Dot matrix printers were particularly unpopular with their operators because they were loud and disruptive. Thomas McIntosh and Emmanuel Madan discovered the musical potential of these machines in 1998.
‘I want to put as many aspects of myself into music as I can, as much as possible of being alive, intensely conscious on all levels.‘ With this attitude, American composer Laurie Spiegel developed her concept of Slow Change Music in the mid-1970s at Bell Labs in New Jersey, using the prototype of a computer system to control synthesizers.
A mix of ethnological recordings, found sounds and pirated material formed the basis for the performances of the radical theatre group Magazzini Criminali from Florence. In 1980, they used ambient music by Jon Hassell without permission. The composer was impressed – and collaborated with the group on an adaptation of Jack Kerouac's iconic beat novel ‘On the Road.‘
Reminiscent of a certain time or place, these tunes are for a chill-out zone. 49 minutes with memories and fantasies by Cluster & Eno, Geir Jenssen, Graeme Revell, Muslimgauze and others.
The soundtrack for an imaginary film, harmonising electronics and a vocal language based on traditional Persian music. 44-minute mix with works by Aktuala, Lady June, Muslimgauze, Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz and others – realized between 1972 and 2020.
In the media age, imagination has come under attack. However, the interface between the unknown and the self needs to be triggered as a source of inspiration for art and research. 96 minutes with Brother Ah, Catherine Christer Hennix, Ursula K. Le Guin and Todd Barton.
An intimate track based on an abstract drawing, a sublime sonic exploration into deep liquid space, some atmospheric minimalism, and library music created under complete creative control. 50-minute mix with works by Cosey Fanni Tutti, Joel Vandroogenbroeck, Monolake, Pan American & Kramer and others; realised between 1978 and 2025.
