1. Quiet Kids - "On Your Mind"
2. Grouper - "Driving"
3. Sun Ra - "Space Is The Place"
4. Kaoru Abe - "Winter No. 2"
5. Fushitsusha - "Hazama"
6. Joanna Brouk - "The Space Between"
7. Black Spirituals - "Container"
LISTEN TO THE SHOW
"I don't know if sound waves take up mass, but you know what I mean."
That's a quote from this most recent broadcast of BLASST, which focused on the theme of Space, in all it's forms. I had a lot planned, and due to time constraints (and possibly the malaise of spring break), I didn't get to go through most of it. I think this may have been due to excessive rambling on my part, as well as the fact that most of the show was occupied by the piece I centered the entire program around, Joanna Brouk's "The Space Between" off of her debut album, Hearing Music. The 22-minute piano composition is a meditation of time and space, and a perfect example of the fact that the space between what we play (or do, if you're not a musician) is just as important as the what we play (or do).
I think there is a mistaken assessment of the absence of something as negative, especially in music. Moreso today than ever, songwriters are pressured to fill every single second of their songs with sound, resulting more and more often in congested, bloated works of music that are more exhausting than they are enjoyable the closer this practice becomes to the pop music atmosphere. Sure, there is a time and place for a constant barrage of sound, but I believe that there also exists a need to value the silence between sounds, as it is always unique. Think about it, silence is never the same, it's always different, and unique to your surroundings. It is with this idea in mind that I devoted last night's broadcast (as well as next week's) to music that prioritizes space as both a literal, figurative, and conceptual theme. Personally, I've been paying more attention to music that applies these themes in my personal life, notably Solange's recent two albums, A Seat At The Table, and When I Get Home, two albums that masterfully wield space as a creative tool. I'll have more notes next week, but for now, enjoy this broadcast of the program, and enjoy the space between this and it's follow-up to the best of your ability.
A closing note, Kaoru Abe's album Winter came out in 1973-74, not '78 as I say on the show. It was released on Sound Works label out of Osaka, Japan. Here is the film clip I referenced in the show. The person speaking with sunglasses on is Keiji Haino, whom we see perform alongside Kaoru Abe and his group, Fushitsusha.
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