Label: Important Records

隠れ名作がヴァイナル化!!米電子音楽/ミュージック・コンクレートのパイオニアの一人として知られるTod Dockstader。主に60~80年代に残した作品が知られていますが、2000年以降に発表された音源の中で個人的に取り分けオススメしたいのがコレ。オリジナルはベルギーSub RosaがCDフォーマットでリリース、エレクトリック持続音を主とした後期傑作[Aerial #2]が2LP仕様で再発。完成までに15年もの歳月を費やした気合いの大作で、海の音やエコーがかった会話、マッシヴなビートが短波ラジオの渦へと埋もれていく見事な編成のショートトラック集。



15 years in the making, Tod Dockstader's Aerial series is sourced from his life long passion for shortwave radio. Dockstader collected over 90 hours of recordings, made at night, and comprised of cross signals and fragments plucked from the atmosphere.

Opening with airwave drones, Dockstader gradually allows elements to slowly come and go, summoning an ominous atmosphere of ethereal cloud clouds. Malignant placidity continues, giving the feeling of eavesdropping upon late-night audio activity not unlike discovering number stations while sweeping the dials. These sounds pull you in as their density and rhythms come and go.

Backward voices, deep echoing choruses of conversations flowing under the surface, ocean sounds, pulsing electro-rhythms, all seem to be created via the collaging of many hours of source recordings. A masterwork of collage and juxtaposition by an overlooked pioneer of American electronic music.

Artwork by John Brien (Imprec) is inspired by the propagation of shortwave radio signals throughout the earth's atmosphere.