Thursday, February 21, 2008

So I thought I knew minimalism...

No, not DWR. The usual Kahunas. Reich, Glass, Adams. Some of my favorite music: definitely tickles whatever symphonic Asperger's neural feedback is going on in my cortex. (Tim Page, in his eloquent essay on the subject, talks about his shock of recognition upon first hearing Reich's Music for 18 Musicians.) I had a similar shock and have been a connoisseur of the minimal, a fan of the drone, ever since I can remember.

So it's a true pleasure to discover an unsung master in Charlemagne Palestine. Right now I'm listening to -- technically blasting -- Schlingen-Blängen, which is more than an hour of a single organ chord. While some neurotypicals might find that tedious, I find it gorgeous. You see, there's all sorts of things going on in the music: harmonics, beats, overtones, pedal tones: a symphony's worth of rolling gorgeousness. Or more. It's just great.

Tagged: music


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