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Music by Phill Niblock

Music by Phill Niblock

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I've wondered if compositions by Niblock would have mass appeal if wider known. Just to pique your interest, I'll relay the experience of a reviewer of one of his albums. This guy would routinely listen to albums he was reviewing as he walked to work. He said that he found Niblock's music so disorienting that he found he had trouble walking and literally had to stop and sit down 🙂

While you really need to listen to an entire piece played loudly using a good stereo and speakers to get the full affect, you can listen to a couple of clips here:
http://www.xirecords.org/xi/111.shtml

Please post your reactions here.

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Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
I've wondered if compositions by Niblock would have mass appeal if wider known. Just to pique your interest, I'll relay the experience of a reviewer of one of his albums. This guy would routinely listen to albums he was reviewing as he walked to work. He said that he found Niblock's music so disorienting that he found he had trouble walking and literally ...[text shortened]... ple of clips here:
http://www.xirecords.org/xi/111.shtml

Please post your reactions here.
If I wanted to listen to thirty guys trying to tune their instruments at the same time it would be great. Unfortunately, I like to wait 'til the musicians are ready to actually play music.

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Originally posted by st00p1dfac3
If I wanted to listen to thirty guys trying to tune their instruments at the same time it would be great. Unfortunately, I like to wait 'til the musicians are ready to actually play music.
lol.

I'm curious about some things:
1) Which clip did you listen to?
2) Did you give up on it before it finished?
3) What kind of music do you generally listen to?
4) Do you listen to Creative Improvised Music or 20th Century Classical?

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Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
lol.

I'm curious about some things:
1) Which clip did you listen to?
2) Did you give up on it before it finished?
3) What kind of music do you generally listen to?
4) Do you listen to Creative Improvised Music or 20th Century Classical?
1. Both.
2. Yes to both, but not before jumping ahead to the end to make sure I wasn't missing something that wasn't crap.
3. All.
4. See number three.

That was garbage, any pretentious git who pretends otherwise is a fool who deserves to be smacked with a sack of armadillo dung.

2 edits
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Originally posted by st00p1dfac3
1. Both.
2. Yes to both, but not before jumping ahead to the end to make sure I wasn't missing something that wasn't crap.
3. All.
4. See number three.

That was garbage, any pretentious git who pretends otherwise is a fool who deserves to be smacked with a sack of armadillo dung.
But how do you really feel about it? I sense you're holding back 🙂

Thanks for the feedback.

Perhaps with more patience you could have come to appreciate the subtle effects that are created:
"An initial tone cluster played by the strings undergoes microtonal, almost imperceptible shifts in pitch over 25 minutes. With the instruments all moving gradually away from their initial pitch and toward another, various harmonics and overtones emerge, then fade, creating beat frequency oscillations and other strange auditory effects."

The Master of Slow Surprise:
http://www.villagevoice.com/music/9944,gann,9655,22.html