Track Listing:
1. Sonarchy: March 17, 2007
2. Chapel Performance Space: February 29, 2008
3. Contemporary Crafts Gallery: September 16, 2004
4. Hollow Earth Radio: September 8, 2008
5. Decibel Festival: May 24, 2007
A Mimeomeme release in cooperation with and/OAR.
"The Seattle Phonographers Union convene to explore the ways in which we
recognize, differentiate, map, and navigate our sonic environment. Our intent is to
move beyond habitual experience of sound and uncover what is foreign in the
familiar and familiar about the foreign; to explore what we hear and relearn what
we know. Some sounds will be familiar, others less so. Both novel and familiar
sounds will be juxtaposed in ways unique to each event. Our intent is to
investigate and enrich both our intuitive and analytical relationship with sound.
The goal is not to excite, confuse or entertain per se, but to attend to the world,
which is much more detailed and diverse than any one person's perception of it."
(from program notes written by Yitzchak Dumiel for the very first SPU performance
in 2002)
As has always been the case with this particular Phonographers Union group (there
are several in located in other cities in the US and UK), no processing is used
during the performances, so what you hear are straight-up field recordings mixed
within live improvised settings. This release encapsulates some of the finest
performances over the span of four years from 2004 to 2008. Longtime followers of
and/OAR's catalog and history (e.g. the compilations produced for
Phonography.org) will be familiar with names of most of the members of SPU
featured throughout this release:
- Steve Barsotti
- Peter Comley
- Christopher DeLaurenti
- Katie Gately
- Mark Griswold
- Doug Haire
- Susie Kozawa (also of Aono Jikken Ensemble)
- Dale Lloyd
- Perri Lynch
- Robert Millis (also of Climax Golden Twins)
- Toby Paddock
- Heather Perkins
- Steve Peters
- Jonathan Way
The Seattle Phonographers Union also have a CD released by Accretions
(Live On Sonarchy Radio, 2004) which features Marcos Fernandes (founder of
Accretions).
1. Sonarchy: March 17, 2007
2. Chapel Performance Space: February 29, 2008
3. Contemporary Crafts Gallery: September 16, 2004
4. Hollow Earth Radio: September 8, 2008
5. Decibel Festival: May 24, 2007
A Mimeomeme release in cooperation with and/OAR.
"The Seattle Phonographers Union convene to explore the ways in which we
recognize, differentiate, map, and navigate our sonic environment. Our intent is to
move beyond habitual experience of sound and uncover what is foreign in the
familiar and familiar about the foreign; to explore what we hear and relearn what
we know. Some sounds will be familiar, others less so. Both novel and familiar
sounds will be juxtaposed in ways unique to each event. Our intent is to
investigate and enrich both our intuitive and analytical relationship with sound.
The goal is not to excite, confuse or entertain per se, but to attend to the world,
which is much more detailed and diverse than any one person's perception of it."
(from program notes written by Yitzchak Dumiel for the very first SPU performance
in 2002)
As has always been the case with this particular Phonographers Union group (there
are several in located in other cities in the US and UK), no processing is used
during the performances, so what you hear are straight-up field recordings mixed
within live improvised settings. This release encapsulates some of the finest
performances over the span of four years from 2004 to 2008. Longtime followers of
and/OAR's catalog and history (e.g. the compilations produced for
Phonography.org) will be familiar with names of most of the members of SPU
featured throughout this release:
- Steve Barsotti
- Peter Comley
- Christopher DeLaurenti
- Katie Gately
- Mark Griswold
- Doug Haire
- Susie Kozawa (also of Aono Jikken Ensemble)
- Dale Lloyd
- Perri Lynch
- Robert Millis (also of Climax Golden Twins)
- Toby Paddock
- Heather Perkins
- Steve Peters
- Jonathan Way
The Seattle Phonographers Union also have a CD released by Accretions
(Live On Sonarchy Radio, 2004) which features Marcos Fernandes (founder of
Accretions).
artist: SEATTLE PHONOGRAPHERS UNION
title: Seattle Phonographers Union
catalog number: and/mim1
release year: 2009
format: CD
status: sold out (available through Mimeomeme)
title: Seattle Phonographers Union
catalog number: and/mim1
release year: 2009
format: CD
status: sold out (available through Mimeomeme)
PARIS TRANSATLANTIC (FEBRUARY 2010)
Until recently, improvisation and field recordings were two occasionally
intersecting areas of sonic experimentalism. Seattle Phonographers Union –
fourteen individuals including Dale Lloyd, Christopher DeLaurenti and Steve
Peters – simply fuse the two concepts into one: field recording-based
improvisation. A manifesto characterized by noble intents (notably "uncover
what is foreign in the familiar and familiar about the foreign; to explore what
we hear and relearn what we know" ) is actuated in five tracks in which the live
dialogue between the collective's members is so seamless that the results
resemble the work of a single composer. The many pros and (very few) cons
typical of this sort of operation are evident: spectacular juxtapositions of
environment and human urbanization are mixed with cyclical squeaking
noises, a combination of pre-recorded tapes from different eras and the sound
of water materializing after the sudden appearance of potent buzzing drones,
with shepherds and muezzins making their presence heard from time to time.
And those marvellous gliding aeroplane moans which I could die listening to.
My personal way of evaluating a release constructed upon the surrounding
sounds of life lies in its capacity of letting one feel "left behind", faced with
distant events that can be merely guessed, conscious that other people are
living that experience and willing to imagine their reaction while it's
happening. According to that criterion, Seattle Phonographers Union largely
succeeds, improvisation or not. (Massimo Ricci)
Until recently, improvisation and field recordings were two occasionally
intersecting areas of sonic experimentalism. Seattle Phonographers Union –
fourteen individuals including Dale Lloyd, Christopher DeLaurenti and Steve
Peters – simply fuse the two concepts into one: field recording-based
improvisation. A manifesto characterized by noble intents (notably "uncover
what is foreign in the familiar and familiar about the foreign; to explore what
we hear and relearn what we know" ) is actuated in five tracks in which the live
dialogue between the collective's members is so seamless that the results
resemble the work of a single composer. The many pros and (very few) cons
typical of this sort of operation are evident: spectacular juxtapositions of
environment and human urbanization are mixed with cyclical squeaking
noises, a combination of pre-recorded tapes from different eras and the sound
of water materializing after the sudden appearance of potent buzzing drones,
with shepherds and muezzins making their presence heard from time to time.
And those marvellous gliding aeroplane moans which I could die listening to.
My personal way of evaluating a release constructed upon the surrounding
sounds of life lies in its capacity of letting one feel "left behind", faced with
distant events that can be merely guessed, conscious that other people are
living that experience and willing to imagine their reaction while it's
happening. According to that criterion, Seattle Phonographers Union largely
succeeds, improvisation or not. (Massimo Ricci)
VITAL WEEKLY (JUNE 2010)
The Seattle Phonographers Union is a group of people who improvise live with
unprocessed field recordings. A floating membership, but we recognize such
names as Dale Lloyd (who co-released this on his and/OAR label), Steve
Peters, Christopher DeLaurenti, Steve Barsotti but also people I never heard of,
such as Perri Lynch, Rob Millis, Toby Paddock, Heather Perkins and more. The
deal is that people bring field recordings to the concert venue and play them,
from a laptop, mini disc or such like, while listening what the others bring to the
table, and make a sonic construction out of that. I must say I really like the idea
behind that. There are five unedited bits from live concerts, between nine and
twenty minutes. The problem might be a bit with this, that it perhaps all sounds
a like. There is a steady stream of sounds of sounds fading in and out and
sometimes they are familiar (rain, wind, human labor, birds, talking) and
sometimes harder to pin down, but its all a bit too much presented as a flow. A
sudden break, a swift change, or maybe some sort of effects, even it be only a
loop of a sound, would have a made a small but interesting difference and
make a more musical piece, but perhaps that is not the intention of The
Seattle Phonographers Union. Now, don't get me wrong, if field recordings are
your cup of tea, and its mine, then this is a great work. You can tune into the
world around you, lie back and enjoy this continuous stream of sound. Quite
nice. (Frans de Waard)
The Seattle Phonographers Union is a group of people who improvise live with
unprocessed field recordings. A floating membership, but we recognize such
names as Dale Lloyd (who co-released this on his and/OAR label), Steve
Peters, Christopher DeLaurenti, Steve Barsotti but also people I never heard of,
such as Perri Lynch, Rob Millis, Toby Paddock, Heather Perkins and more. The
deal is that people bring field recordings to the concert venue and play them,
from a laptop, mini disc or such like, while listening what the others bring to the
table, and make a sonic construction out of that. I must say I really like the idea
behind that. There are five unedited bits from live concerts, between nine and
twenty minutes. The problem might be a bit with this, that it perhaps all sounds
a like. There is a steady stream of sounds of sounds fading in and out and
sometimes they are familiar (rain, wind, human labor, birds, talking) and
sometimes harder to pin down, but its all a bit too much presented as a flow. A
sudden break, a swift change, or maybe some sort of effects, even it be only a
loop of a sound, would have a made a small but interesting difference and
make a more musical piece, but perhaps that is not the intention of The
Seattle Phonographers Union. Now, don't get me wrong, if field recordings are
your cup of tea, and its mine, then this is a great work. You can tune into the
world around you, lie back and enjoy this continuous stream of sound. Quite
nice. (Frans de Waard)
