A soundtrack to the aftermath – William Basinski: “The Disintegration Loops”

 

When I found out that Basinski was influenced by Steve Reich, I thought that his music would be experimental - but in a freaky way. Yet, D|P 3 of “The Disintegration Loops” is not freaky at all. Instead, the composition is calming. The melody makes you pause, it is very harmonious. Everything seems to be in harmony, one hears shallow background noises, the sounds reverberate. Basinski's piece has a melancholic effect on me, it seems as if the world would stand still for a moment, so that you yourself also stop for a moment. Contrary to my expectations that the piece changes in length, the melody remains the same throughout.

After my research, I found out that this was Basinski's exact intention: he wanted the world to appear slower through his composition. The background of "The Disintegration Loops" is very sad, so it is all the more beautiful that Basinski finally dedicates his compositions to 9/11. Especially the events around 9/11 fill his music and give it a voice in that sense. He himself has witnessed it; he would even have been there himself on that day at a later time. In an interview he says that while he cannot change politics or the world, he can try to give people something with his music. With his work he aims to create a different resonate frequency, taking people out of time for a minute: “If things fall apart, you can at least slow them down.” I find this thought very moving. Although, of course, I cannot empathize or be in a position to empathize, I can still agree that music can often express what words cannot convey.

Other than that, Basinski's four-volume album was created by constructing old tapes from decaying. By using tape-loops he developed his own style which is meditative as well as melancholic. Consequently, he managed to digitalize his earlier recordings. The increasing gaps and cracks in the music create a significant ambiance. He managed to make it seem like the sounds fade away. The loops of tapes were turned into symphonies evolving in a predictable, highly emotional manner so that the melodic pattern is calm and humane. This random music, created by overdubbing old pieces, preserving them and consequently cutting them together, shows what can happen by chance. Basinski's music is characterized by the simplicity of the composition, but also the small quirks that arose in the attempt to transfer his earlier recordings. He treated those sounds with a spatializing reverb effect. I find it fascinating what was created during these transitions. I also like the soothing, yet sad mood that D|P 3 brings. "The Disintegrating Loops" is thought-provoking, the choral sounds are reminiscent of the interior of a church.