John Cage / Langham Research Centre
Early Electronic And Tape Music
BELGIUM SUB ROSA SR362 CD (2014)
It is very confusing as to whether this release was created in the fifties and the sixties or in 2013?! Following a little research into where and when those recordings had been produced, the ambiguities seem somehow fitting – it creates a certain discomfort towards its historical context. Noticeably the pieces : Fontana Mix (1958), Imaginary Landscapes n5 (1952), WBAI (1960), Cartridge Music (1960), 0’00 (1962), and Variations I (1960), all retain a very contemporary sound familiar to electronic, glitch, cut up etc… that approaches the current digital method in such a way as to make you wonder if all the post-digital glitch and other current electronic musicians are not themselves slightly too late! This release creates a strange feeling yet a rather refreshing one for some John Cage pieces! It does sound as if it has been re-interpreted in 2013 and because of the digital clean cuts and super silent “pauses” we could argue that it has been reinterpreted. However it is so well done that it is a pleasure to listen to and enjoy the confusion of the recordings’ temporal existence. A deserving congratulations to Langham Research Centre with the help of Robert Worby, composer, sound artist, writer… impressive work that will, for sure, inspire numerous musicians for generations to come (and also those older ones!).
A. BAUGE