Alexander Hoglund
Substance
scum stats: limited to 150 copies. surprised I even found one
The spiel straight from the artist himself…
SUBSTANCE is a sound work on a 12” LP vinyl record. It includes 11 tracks each with a recording of a dissolving painkiller tablet. The tracks display variation in audio as the tablets dissolve due to the medicines different chemical properties and physical design such as size and thickness. The painkillers have been ordered from E-bay and shipped from around the globe.
Records of non-music fascinate me. Records by “fine” artists fascinate me (and peep this book for some incredible insight into that realm...http://www.
A simple idea, one that seemingly no one else has ever had before, is usually enough to get me off my ass and buy a record. I think this album has merit, I feel like it made me listen closer than I do to most things, I feel like it was worth whatever I paid for it.
The metronomic rhythm of kick off of “Panodil - Paracetamol”, which quickly and unexpectedly amps up in timbre and intensity provides for, I think, the most unique of the performances here. I dug “Treo - Acetylsalicylic Acid and Caffeine” with its almost coordinated bubbly epiphanies. The applause-like crescendo of “Ratiopharm - Paracetamol” was uplifting. The mid-track choreography of “Bamyl - Acetylsalicylic Acid and Caffeine” is arresting. Overall, there’s definitely joy to be pulled from the audio here. You just need to relax a little to cull it.
All THAT being said, I think ASMR is bullshit
That’s pretty cool.
Thanks AimeeAmanda! Okay, I had to find a video of the soundbath just to understand. Am I right it’s simply the sound of a bath or shower? Anyway, I have a white noise machine and It helps me sleep. My wife hates it and shuts it off. After consideration I think Substance might represent the perfect application of white noise for me. I would like to try it sometime; changing sides of the record might make it tough ;)
I know what you mean dougil. Either it hits you or it doesn’t. I stayed in the Sound Bath at Festival of Disruption last year the full time, but I couldn’t connect or get into it. Sometimes sonic experiences just weren’t meant for us, and that’s okay. I’m still glad it’s in the world for other people to find and experience!
Amon Tobin, the creator of the visually stunning ISAM that toured several years ago recently released a new album Fear In a Handful of Dust. This type of ambient music or soundscape is not for everyone, but I thought it was solid from beginning to end, so I recommended it to some family and friends. My brother replied back with a recommendation for Hans Zimmer. Of course I had to check some of it out so I listened to Blade Runner 2049. I went from ambient to even more ambient. Aspirin C goes beyond either into a new dimension of ambient. However, I cannot relate to it. Makes me want to produce an album, “Pee Pee”; it would be an album of people from around the world peeing into various toilet sizes, styles, and properties. Of course, limited to 75 pressings world wide! I think fluorescent green vinyl would be a must!
amazing