Thursday 20 October 2016

Shifting Vinyl: Luciano Berio, Donald Erb & A Jump-Up Classic...and moths.


I eject a woodlouse from The Cave just as it's making it's way across the tiled floor of the hallway into this room. We had an 'infestation' of sorts, if that's possible. Whatever, they have been appearing throughout the year in various rooms. I'm not concerned and rather like them in their prehistoric fashion, although I don't fancy one crawling over me whilst in bed.

Moths are another matter. We've been plagued by them too. For what feels like years we've been pulling items of clothing from the wardrobe only to discover they've been chomped on by the little bastards. I'm afraid I've encouraged them, as we discovered the other day when I found an old pair of trousers at the back of the wardrobe. There were more holes than fabric - oops. LJ was not best pleased. Well I didn't know they were there!

Moths don't attack records, thankfully, otherwise I have a few that would be in pieces. Surprisingly, nothing flew from the record tower as I began shifting the vinyl in preparation for paintwork. Yes, I do play vinyl, but not so often as to know the collection well. Besides, it's not much of a collection nowadays. Bringing them back into the room today the album pictured above caught my eye so I gave the Luciano Berio side a spin. Visage really struck me as an incredible piece whilst Cathy Berberian's voice bounced around the room accompanied/altered by Berio's electronic treatment...


...reminiscent, I thought, of Dada verse, or Edda Dell'Orso's work with Ennio Morricone, although she was a lot more 'musical'. Well, any excuse...


There's nothing like having to move all your records to prompt rediscoveries so I've spent most of the morning playing vinyl, ranging from Bartok to Donald Erb...


...which really is a superb fusion of the electro and acoustic, one of the best, in fact (since all my opinions are facts - ha-ha)...


Several times I considered getting rid of half the books/CD/vinyl/DVDs as I looked at them all piled up. Like that they seemed to be no more than clutter, stuff, inanimate objects, which they are until brought to life by the stylus/eyes/player. Removed from their normal orderly position it's as if they were robbed of any power they may have. "Not much here really," I thought. "Considering I've been buying for four-and-a-half decades...is this it? Is this what I have to show for all those years of dedication to culture upon which I place so much importance?" Looked at it that way, I consider myself quite ruthless in what I keep. It's makes me feel less like a hoarder.

So, to liven myself up as my energy/enthusiasm waned I grabbed this from the small Drum & Bass selection....


...that did the trick - a jump up classic and a tune that lives on as one of my all-time favourites to play to a dance floor back when it was released. You can tell why...that 'hip-hop' opening break before the big, wobbly b-line - it was always a winner. As a physical/aural reminder of those nights, I could never sell that one. TTFN

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