1. “Weekend” by Walter Ruttmann was a pioneering sound work commissioned in 1928 by Berlin Radio Hour. In a collage of words, music fragments and sounds, on 13th June 1930 the avant-garde film-maker Walter Ruttmann presented a radically innovative radio piece: an aural impression of a Berlin weekend urban landscape. In Ruttmann’s own words “Weekend is a study in sound-montage. In Weekend sound was an end itself.” Before making Weekend, Ruttmann had produced the experimental documentary Berlin-Symphony of a Great City as well as a number of short, experimental abstract animated films. Ruttmann sought possibilities for producing an audio-film for radio. “Everything audible in the world becomes material,” he wrote in a manifesto in 1929, anticipating Schaeffer, Varese and Cage. For Weekend sounds were recorded on optical sound film using the so-called Tri-Ergon process. The broadcast was never repeated and the original was lost until rediscovered in New York in 1978. In 2000 a CD was issued called Weekend Remix including ‘to rococo rot’ Berlin 98 version and that is the track played. 2. This track is an excerpt of Journey number 1 by the little known artist Jack Ellitt, born in England, but brought up in Sydney Australia. The vinyl record it comes from was pressed in 1954 but it is believed that the original dates from the 1930s when Ellitt was working with Len Lye on an unfinished film that evoked space travel. Apparently Ellitt’s music came before the film concept and acted as inspiration for the project. Released in 2007 on the CD Artefacts of Australian Experimental Music 1930-1973. 3. “L’Anticoncept” by the Lettrist poet Gil J. Wolman, being five excerpts from the film which was shown for the first time on 11 February 1952 at the ‘Avant-Garde 52’ cinema club. It consisted of blank illumination projected onto a weather balloon, accompanied by a staccato spoken soundtrack. The film was banned by the French censors on 2 April 1952. When the Lettrists visited the Cannes Film Festival the following month, they were forced to restrict the audience to journalists only. The text of the soundtrack was published in the sole issue of the Lettrist journal Ion in 1952. Ion also included the text of Guy Debord’s film Howls for Sade, which was dedicated to Wolman and featured his voice in its own soundtrack. 4. “Theme for an Imaginary Western” a song written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown originally appearing on Bruce’s Songs for a Tailor album in 1969. The song is sometimes referred to as “Theme from an Imaginary Western.” and has been performed by many artists, including Jack Bruce, Mountain, Leslie West, Colosseum, Greenslade and DC3. Mountain bassist and vocalist Felix Pappalardi had helped produce Bruce’s album and brought the song to guitarist/vocalist Leslie West’s attention for their album Climbing! and Mountain performed the song at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. This is the version by Mountain.
Author Archives: jtreg
Wavelength – Survival Research Laboratories
As yet, I haven’t found any connection between this week’s subjects and Leicester. The following tracks are from a CD on the sub rosa label called Survival Research Laboratories, an outfit founded by Mark Pauline in 1978. Since its inception the SRL operated as an organisation of technicians staging over 50 performances in the USA, Japan and Europe which have been imitated by various cable TV channels, Robot Wars being one example. Mark Pauline was joined in 1979 by noisician; GX Jupitter-Larsen, founder member of post punk crew The Haters who started by tearing paper and eventually blew up hillsides. The tracks on this CD date from 1992 to 1998, recorded in Graz, Austria, Austin Texas and San Francisco. There are several videos of SRL performances on YouTube including links to Weird Weapons of World War 2. Survival Research Laboratories:
Wavelength – Bob Parks
Leicester market, Tuesday afternoon. Second hand record stall. I bought 3 records for £3: Gather in the Mushrooms by Benny Hill, Winklepicker Shoes by Bernard Cribbins and an E.P. by the Yodelling Comedians who hardly yodel and are not humorous. The 4 tracks on the E.P. are Glamorous Alpine World, My Sweetheart lives in a Chalet, Water from the Glacier and Yodelling is my Hobby. The illustrated paper sleeve is autographed by all 3 members of the troupe. Returning to London I visited the ICA Gallery showing an exhibition by Nathaniel Mellors until May 15th which includes a mechanical mobile sculpture of 2 almost identical, lifelike, male heads, one blue, one flesh-coloured connected by mutual long facial hair, that roll their eyes and talk, entitled “Hippy Dialectic”. Highly recommended! In 2007, Nathaniel Mellors was looking for 3 people to film shouting dialogue whilst strapped to trees. Robin Klassnik of Matt’s Gallery suggested Bob Parks, recalling some unusual performances Bob had realised when they were both art students in Leicester in the 1960s. Bob Parks: “I did loads of different things, such as the time I got a 15 foot No Parking sign which I carried on my head around Leicester for 2 weeks”. The following tracks are by Bob Parks from the limited edition L.P. on the Junior Aspirin label issued in 2008 called “The R&B Feeling
Wavelength – Art and Artists on the Record.
Three spoken word tracks by artist Liam Gillick from the CD; An Idea Just Out of Reach; original recordings made in Berlin in 2009. Faster, Higher, Stronger by John Wynne from the 10″ vinyl E.P. Art + Factum (2009) which features artist responses to the Olympics site in London. Yes, New Birthday Song by Pipilotti Rist from The Cake is in Flames and finally Corporate Rock Must Die; a yellow vinyl 45rpm single by artist Jeremy Deller.
Wavelength – Studies for an Exhibition
Curator Mathieu Copeland in the studio to talk about his exhibition at the David Roberts Arts Foundation: which includes works by Gustav Metzger, Cally Spooner, Elena Bajo, David Medalla and others.
Wavelength – Plundered Classics
Plundered Classics mixed and mashed with Broken Music by Milan Knizak who started to destroy records in 1965, scratching, breaking, punching holes, destroying the needle and often the record player. Broken Music was curated and assembled by Walter Marchetti and released as a record in 1979. John Oswald: Plunderphonics; Beethoven, Glenn Gould and Stravinsky’s “Spring” from the EP issued in 1985. Alfred 23 Harth “Anything Goes” 1986 which mixes John Oswald, John Zorn and Heiner Goebbels just to compound the mixture. Strauss and Chopin from More Encores by Christian Marclay, Satie versus Wagner by Fuckintosh and Fragments by John Wall from Alterstill.
Wavelength – Break Through in Grey Room.
Opening statement about radio as therapy from a slightly confused Captain Maurice Seddon from his hospital bed in Slough. “Present Time Exercises” by William Burroughs from Break Through in Grey Room. At the beginning of this track made on cassette in London in 1971 using radio, television and several tape recorders we hear the distinctive growl of Burroughs reference a certain Mr. Peter Gidal (“Mister Peeder Geedaal…”); the eminent avant-garde filmmaker. “I am Strange” and “I am an Instrument” by Sun Ra, previously unissued early recordings issued by Norton Records as a single vinyl 45rpm record in 2009. “Burroughs called the Law” and “Sound Piece” both also from Break Through in Grey Room. Three tracks by Felix Kubin from “Psykoscifipoppia” 2003 and “Automato idee 2” also by Kubin from the CD id/cd. Four short tracks by Yakatsuma Eye and Otomo Yoshihide from a white label vinyl EP.
Wavelength – Space Hijackers
Interview with Agent Monstris and Agent Hardcastle from Space Hijackers:
Wavelength – Auction Fever
On the eve of the fund-raising auction weekend; a live auction to raise funds to keep Resonance on air. Maurice Seddon recorded from his hospital bed in Slough. “Down and Out” by Karen Dalton live in Boulder 1962. “The End of WFMU, ’69” from the cassette Radio Archival Oddities, 90 minutes of Unusual Broadcasting issued by WFMU. “Money in the Bank vs. Money in the Pocket” 45rpm vinyl single by Skinjobs 2011. “I Need Money” by Slim Harpo; “Money” by Buddy Guy; “Money in my Pocket” by Dennis Brown; “History” by Art and Language; recording of congestion charge over the phone
Wavelength – Captain Maurice Seddon, Royal Signals (retired).
Regular listeners to Wavelength will be aware of Captain Maurice Seddon who has contributed, usually by telephone, to this programme. He was taken into a hospital in Slough on January 6th and is presently still there. He allegedly suffered a stroke, might have vascular dementia and now has an infection. At my last visit to him he was almost comatose which is possibly due to some sort of liquid cosh. His dogs are being fed. In his absence, the local council entered his house and grounds apparently with an enforcement order to sanitise his environment which is considered to be a hazard to the health of the local community. “UTA (long version)” by Pipilotti Rist and Anders Guggisberg from the CD The Cake is in Flames. Maria Callas sings “Suicidio!” by Ponchielli from La Gioconda followed by “Maria Callas” by Christian Marclay from More Encores.