Slow Reads: 2

“The attraction to analogue is about the totality of the experience. It is a 360-degree, full-body, real world experience. It’s not virtual reality. It’s reality in all of its beauty, and its complexity, and its cost, and its difficulty. Often, that work equals some of the reward”. David Sax 

I don’t think it’s a random occurrence, how so many of the most meaningful pursuits in our lives are linked to analogue. In a modern world dedicated to the speedy and relentless consumption of any creative work, it could well be that all the slowness, costs and even the constraints associated with analogue that ultimately contribute to creating something emotionally valuable and timeless. With that in mind, here are a few links to slow reads that we think are worth steeping in for a while.

Revolution: The History of Turntable Design by Gideon Schwartz.

1. Gideon Schwartz is an author and audio design expert with a passion for analogue music. His latest book entitled “Revolution: The History of Turntable Design” focuses on the history, design evolution and cultural impact of turntables and vinyl records. Packed with stunning images and detailed commentary. This is a book aimed at the hearts of audiophiles. Phaidon have shared a couple of interesting articles to supplement the publication of the book. The role of Japan in the turntable revolution and The staying power in the turntable revolution

2. A myriad of turntables must have been spinning De La Soul records last week, after the news of David “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur’s untimely passing reached us. I think Aly Gillani (aka DJ Gilla) put feeling to words well in his tribute: The Long PlayerRest in power Dave.

Installation view of The Great Animal Orchestra. Other Spaces at The Store X 180 the Strand 2019. Commissioned by Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris with United Visual Artists. Photo by Jack Hems

“Amid the 5,000 hours of dramatic and invigorating audio recorded by Bernie Krause over the last fifty years—an epic odyssey which took the musician, now eighty years old, to far-flung field sites including the Amazon, Zimbabwe and the Arctic tundra—the creaturely symphony is punctured by the sound of silence. Far from a doctored tape, Krause simply returned to the 2,000 odd habitats he visited from 1968 until now, and recorded what’s left of the 15,000 species—about half of which no longer exist.”

3. As images of the devastating effects the Anthropocene has had on our planet become ever more prevalent, Alice Bucknall proposes makes a valid proposition that “In our image-saturated culture, urgent messages our image-saturated culture, sound hits harder than visuals”. She makes a powerful point considering how we have reached our current position in the anthropocene taking queues from a series of images that show the health of an ecosystem. Yet, all the while we tend to tune-out of the multi-sensory clues coming from the world around us, and sound is a major aspect. Imagine the horror of a world in which all of nature falls silent? 

4. I do LOVE it when seemingly super accomplished artists let us in on their creative frustrations and struggles. This is also another bone of contention that I have with social media. The despicable way it makes us believe that creative people have a zillion “ta-da”, moments where everything comes together so seamlessly and with such little effort. All the more reasons why I loved reading Viv Albertine’s biography; “Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.“..

“. . . . I twang away every day, trying to find my way around the guitar, to understand what pick-ups do, what settings to put my amp on, trying desperately to hear. I want to develop a distinct personality with both my guitar playing and my guitar sound. I need to be sure that I am conveying the right message with my instrument. . . . I keep twiddling the knobs on the amp and my guitar to try and find the right combination that will lead me to THE SOUND. . . . Every day the task seems hopeless and I feel like giving up. I lie on my bed a lot, just holding the guitar, feeling like a fraud.”

Analogue Is…Dan Carey. Photography: Hélène Peruzzaro

5. We’re deeply grateful to have met so many people in the music industry who have generously given us their time along with insight into their methods. Chatting to Dan Carey was one such pleasure for us. Dan’s methodology involves an empirical “10-point plan” (recording in one day, mixing in one day, keeping the overdub to the minimum, etc.) that is permeated with a true love for analogue gear. His craft and techniques are uniquely fascinating to us because of his underlying philosophy of trusting the unidentified power of music. An elusive force that allows unexpected beauty to hatch through immediacy and authentic imperfection. Dan’s work stands palpably apart from much of today’ production processes. Read the entire interview.

Cover image artwork by: Yasumi Toyoda (typewriter and mixed media on washi).