Artist cuts LPs like pies, makes edgy music

I play records, Christian Marclay plays with records. They're not the same thing.

He cuts up LPs and glues together slices from different records. He'll mix rock and big band jazz together in alternating slices. The effect can be mesmerizing.

Marclay's interested in the sounds people don't want. Every crack in the record becomes part of the rhythm, the skips, groove roar, static, speeding up, slowing down, wow and flutter are all acceptable to Marclay. He uses his records' fragility, purposely messes with the grooves and puts adhesive tape on them. He brings the recorded music to life, making new, unheard music out of old recordings.

It's performance art, and when Marclay performs live, he's no DJ, it's more about manipulating turntables to make altogether new sounds--the cut-up records are the instruments. When Marclay scratches, he really scratches. Trust me on this one, you've never seen or heard anything like it.

[4schler]

reminds me of the tape manipulations steve reich has done... very much in the vein of 'it's gonna rain' and 'come out'. cool stuff.

[infinitely]

Not that this isn't cool, but it's nothing new. In fact, that was how they made noise collages before tape became viable.

[Taylor McLaren]

It's also nothing new for Marclay, who has been doing this sort of thing since the '80s.

[hopjunkie]

Uh...OK... Dude, I this might be how Trent Reznor does Nine Inch Nails' songs.

[professionaladventurer]

Uh, that would be "unlistenable" noise. I like what comes out of an MRI better, no really!

[shootthecops]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch_music

[dynesh]

Awful. It seems like one of those things that some people call art and then others feel bad for saying its awful, cause well, its art. A child could make these noises.

[Stephen Macklin]

I couldn't make it through the whole clip.

I'm guessing NEA money is involved?

[William Crow]

Is there any wondering why there hasn't been any original music in years?

[TX_Dragon]

Crap

[pjscullion]

I tried to e-mail a copy of this article to myself, but the "submit" button on the pop-up is hidden behind the YouTube video... drats.

Yeah, listen to NIN's track "At the Heart of It All" from Further Down The Spiral. It's a great demonstration about how even static can be a rhythmic and musical device. Aphex Twin and Reznor did a great job with this album, but this track brings their musical style into focus.

[alegr]

I guess this music doesn't need no stinking DRM. Nobody would want to download it, legally or not.

[research1st]

One man's noise is another man's music...
Nothin' but noise comin' out of my speakers...

This is a joke... right...
Please let it be a joke....

[Jelly Baby]

All I can say is... If the music was any good - he wouldn't need to talk about it, just play it.

Not art