Lawrence English

It’s hard to express how much someone like Éliane Radigue’s work has meant for me over the years. Her pieces have been a critical touchstone for me over a great many years to say the least.

In the past few years particularly I have found myself returning to her final electronic piece L’île re-sonante. In this work of singular beauty I have found myself lost again and again. In my opinion this work brings together the finest aspects of minimal and ambient traditions in a very specific and natural way. It breaths with intent, clarity and calm. It maintains the most profound focus on the softest of impressionist ways of sound-world making.

In early 2017 I wrote a letter to Éliane.  I wasn’t sure if she would have time to respond. A few weeks later I had a generous and enthusiastic reply from her. We exchanged some more messages and in August, between concerts, I had the opportunity to visit Éliane in Paris and spend the afternoon with her. It was a real and true pleasure to be sure. A reminder of the lifelong journey that is making art!

During the afternoon, I asked if she might be interested in a commission to create a new solo composition for the masterful Australian artist Cat Hope. She very kindly accepted the invitation. I am so pleased to announce the world premiere of Occam XXIV, which will premiere at next year’s Open Frame. The commission was made possible by Carriageworks, as part of their incredible support for the creation of new works. Here is a photo that shows just how chuffed I was spending time with this inspirational and generous woman!

Because why not…here are the recordings (old and new, released in 2017) that have reached into me, resonated and made me love being alive (even on planes!)…

Tony Conrad – 10 Years On The Infinite Plain
Keiji Haino – Watashi Dake
Mt Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me
Sarah Davachi – All My Circles Run
Felicia Atkinson – Hand In Hand
Omar Souleymann – To Syria With Love
Xiu Xiu – Forget
Geinoh Yamashirogumi – Akira (Symphonic Suite)
Coil – Time Machines
William Basinski – A Shadow In Time
Washington Phillips – Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams
Pan Daijing – Lack
Jaap Vink – Jaap Vink
Giusto Pio – Motore Immobile
Burial – Sub Temple
Morteza Hannaneh – Tchashm-E-Del
Equiknoxx – Colón Man
Alessandro Cortini – AVANTI
Rafael Anton Irisarri – The Shameless Years
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Levitation Praxis Pt 4
DEATHPROD – Treetop Drive
Roland Kayn – A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound
Midori Takada – Through The Looking Glass
Annie Anxiety – Soul Possession
Various – Tokyo Flashback

also that Moor Mother record is a monster!

The sound of fear, overhead, below, inside, outside

thanks alessandro.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with Sasha Frere-Jones for NPR, we covered a lot of ground!

In my opinion, Paul Clipson is one of the most vital experimental filmmakers active in North America right now. His work over the past decade or so, has been utterly transfixing and he’s developed an entirely original and personal language of in camera processing of images. It’s hard to believe that none of what you see is created outside the camera during the filming itself. Paul is simply some kind of magician! He makes a special kind of visual magic that utilises exclusively elements of the everyday and then warps and layers them within the camera creating something that absolutely transcends the reality from which they are borrowed!

VIEW IT HERE