Asian Dan

This is could be considered blasphemy by some. To remix Steve Reich is an outrage. Somehow Röyksopp does this quite tastefully, retaining Steve Reich’s vision and sound while adding their signature sound. A well balanced re-visioning of an amazing track.

If you have 2 hours to kill check out this crash course interview with Steve Reich brought to you by the Red Bull Music Academy.

“We wanted to make our own version of this beautiful piece of music, adding beats and bass, and at the same time stay 100% true to the original arrangement. However, for our needs, we respectfully (although some might say cheekily) altered the whole song from a 3/4 to a 4/4 time signature. Not unlike how The Orb did it in their 90’s classic Little Fluffy Clouds. Actually, editing and experimenting with this piece of music turned out to be great fun!
So much fun, in fact, that we wanted to depart further from the original, and create yet another version. This time, using the tone quality of the original sample as a starting point, we embarked on an analog-fueled journey into repetitive madness and harmonic bliss.” –Röyksopp

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/April%202010/Fairtilizer%2097012%20-%20Steve%20Reich%20-%20Electric%20Counterpoint_%20III.%20Fast%20(R_yksopp%20True%20To%20Original%20Edit).mp3]
Stevie Reich – Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast (Röyksopp True To Original Edit)

Bibio’s “Ambivalence Avenue” caught me off guard this past fall. I am familiar with his past work but this album is the perfect blend of introspective lo-fi electronica with beautiful guitar work. Exactly what I need in these banger times. “All The Flowers” and “Lover’s Carvings” are perfectly written pop songs that I just can’t stop listening to. “Ambivalence Avenue” is up there for album of the year for me (Check out the blog next week for all my obligatory end of the year/decade lists to see who made it, as well as a few lists from some guests)

Stephen was kind enough to answer a few questions for Asian Dan giving us all a peek into his musical mind, naming some of his favorite guitar compositions by the likes of Steve Reich and Tortoise as well as explaining his musical philosophy.

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Dec%202009/Bibio/Bibio/Ambivalence%20Avenue/03%20All%20The%20Flowers.mp3]
Bibio – All the Flowers

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Dec%202009/Bibio/Bibio/Ambivalence%20Avenue/07%20Lovers’%20Carvings.mp3]
Bibio – Lover’s Carvings

Asian Dan Q&A: BIBIO

1. Who is Bibio?

Bibio is Stephen James Wilkinson from Wolverhampton, England.

2. What are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Imperfections in technology like spherical aberration in lenses, wobble on tape, distortion in valves, crackles on vinyl. Also, beautiful common occurrences in nature like flickering shadows caused by overlapping leaves wagging in a gentle breeze. The smell of damp foliage. The sound of wind through leaves and the chorus of bees, lawnmowers and blackbirds.

What was your first musical memory?

Learning ‘Silent Night’ on my brother’s old bontempi electronic organ.

3. You set the guitar in a very interesting and refreshing context. When did you pick up guitar?

I started to learn guitar chords at the age of about 11 or 12.

Who are some guitar heroes?

Dave Murray (Iron Maiden), Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine),Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Joao Gilberto, Joe Pass.

Who are some non-guitar musicians/composers you love that inspire your playing?

Steve Reich, Boards of Canada.

[Read more]

“In the 1960s, the decade that saw astronauts land on the moon, artists were likewise seeking to expand boundaries of time and space and to have new experiences. At the same time, portable video equipment reached the consumer market—suddenly simultaneity and “now,” the present and the past, became content. Musicians led the way in developing new working methods, and music was at the forefront of interdisciplinary experimentation during the early days of media art. This exhibition looks at the dynamic connections that occurred from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s with a display of early media works by Nam June Paik, Bruce Nauman, Steve Reich, Joan Jonas, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie presented alongside related drawings, prints, and photographs by John Cage, Jack Smith, Ray Johnson, and others.”

Last October I had the privelage of seeing the Steve Reich, one of the most influential minimalist 20th Century composers perform at Carnegie Hall. Steve Reich is most famous for his minmalist compositions using tape loops, stagnant rhythms that ebb and flow and simple linear melodies.
Music for 18 Musicians is a reaction to his minmalist style and his first maximalist piece. This piece is a dense piece of work relying on the weaving melodies of pianos, vocals, vibes, strings, & clarinets.

Steve Reich – Pulses from Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich – Fast from Electric Counterpoint (Performed by Pat Methany

Steve Reich inspired music:
Sufjan Stevens – Out of Egypt from Illnoise
Battles – B+T from EP C
Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists – Scaling The Whales from Show of Hands
RJD2 – The Proxy from Dead Ringer
Radiohead – Arpeggi (Live @ The Ether Festival 2005)