Double LP
The well attuned will remember this one from its initial release on CD back in the Olde Times of 2009, a masterwork example of drone minimalism by don of the form Eliane Radigue, originally recorded in 1978 following a spiritual epiphany. An introduction to Buddhism recalibrated Radigue’s perception and understanding of sound, and she took that opportunity to explore time, space and place via the Arp 2500 synthesiser and some encouragement from Robert Ashley. This first time vinyl edition, a more than substantial package given the length of the music involved, is an ideal opportunity to immerse yourself in a transcendent recording that’s about as heavy as minimalism gets. There’s a Cage-ian commitment to sustain and repetition at work here, one that requires attentive investment from the listener but rewards it with something quite profound. I can’t speak to the spiritual experience at play, but this is certainly an absorbing experience that kind of ends up overtaking the psyche, locking into a new consciousness that could even be Zen-like if I were capable of such a thing. Perhaps best to label it hypnotic and dodge the cliches (you might even view it as psychedelic were you so inclined/(mal)adjusted), though what is clear is that this is a work of true and devoted artistic vision, dedicated to a principle so intensely that it ends up defining its own path of understanding. Lost in music? If you allow yourself, no doubting it. Radigue passed earlier this year. Revisiting Triyptch now is a fitting way to celebrate a real one.
FFO: La Monte Young, Mary Jane Leach, Kali Malone, Pauline Oliveros, Walter Pratti
