WM-EX35
Aug 18, 2022, 06:18 PM
Composition by claro correcto.
"WM-EX35 captures my nostalgia for personal stereos and uses sections of the original recording to convey the mechanical action of switching between tracks, coupled with the lo-fi quality of mix tapes; intentional flaws retained to reflect chewed sections of re-spooled tape. The overhearing of snatched conversations and the faint inkling of leaked music emanating from the ears of others.
"The Sony WM-EX35 was just one of the many Walkmans kicking around during my teens and well into my twenties and I never went anywhere without one. I liked observing the synchronicities in the world around me, as they played out in time to the music.
"To me it almost felt cinematic, which is what I wanted to portray in the musical elements of the piece. These were created using photographed images of cassette tapes that have been converted to synthesised sounds. A nod to the 80’s and early 90s, when digital synthesisers and the popularity of the Walkman were prevalent. These sounds were manipulated, chopped and looped in order to a produce dreamy and slightly surreal soundscapes, influenced by my love both then and now, of the TV series of the 90’s, Twin Peaks. This is enhanced further by the random samples taken from an old cassette I was given, featuring an array of subjects explaining their route of out a maze and a slowed and reverberating field recording of street performers busking in Venice, 2019.
"Walkmans encapsulate much coveting of my brother's personal stereos that had better graphic equalisers and a bass boost. These were features of many a Christmas longing. The inclusion of a part sample of my late mum’s voice watching Gremlins on Christmas Day, is an homage to her dedication in making those 36 weekly payments to Freemans catalogue all those years ago and making one of my 1980’s Christmases."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"WM-EX35 captures my nostalgia for personal stereos and uses sections of the original recording to convey the mechanical action of switching between tracks, coupled with the lo-fi quality of mix tapes; intentional flaws retained to reflect chewed sections of re-spooled tape. The overhearing of snatched conversations and the faint inkling of leaked music emanating from the ears of others.
"The Sony WM-EX35 was just one of the many Walkmans kicking around during my teens and well into my twenties and I never went anywhere without one. I liked observing the synchronicities in the world around me, as they played out in time to the music.
"To me it almost felt cinematic, which is what I wanted to portray in the musical elements of the piece. These were created using photographed images of cassette tapes that have been converted to synthesised sounds. A nod to the 80’s and early 90s, when digital synthesisers and the popularity of the Walkman were prevalent. These sounds were manipulated, chopped and looped in order to a produce dreamy and slightly surreal soundscapes, influenced by my love both then and now, of the TV series of the 90’s, Twin Peaks. This is enhanced further by the random samples taken from an old cassette I was given, featuring an array of subjects explaining their route of out a maze and a slowed and reverberating field recording of street performers busking in Venice, 2019.
"Walkmans encapsulate much coveting of my brother's personal stereos that had better graphic equalisers and a bass boost. These were features of many a Christmas longing. The inclusion of a part sample of my late mum’s voice watching Gremlins on Christmas Day, is an homage to her dedication in making those 36 weekly payments to Freemans catalogue all those years ago and making one of my 1980’s Christmases."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds