The few times I’ve ever offered up any of my WTF?! Wednesday material to co-workers, the response invariably involves a crinkled up face and a head shake. This is often followed by a comment along the lines of “That…is not music.” I have no interesting in “winning” these arguments because that’s not really possible. We’re playing with definitions. I think something is music if I perceive it to be so (and yes, that statement induced major league crinkle face) while most people want something familiar that they can grasp.
And so if I stand beneath a power line and listen to that familiar 60 Hz hum, am I listening to music?
Maybe you should ask Dave Seidel that question. We met Dave a little less than a year ago in a WTF?! entry for his Mystery Bear recording. This time around, the drones have been fine-tuned so that they hover in and around the 60 Hertz mark. Influenced by the work of Henry Cowell and La Monte Young, Mr. Seidel explores the possibilities of gently shifted 60 Hz tones. “Accretion” starts off quite simply, with the pulses and beats blooming over time. With a good set of headphones, there are times it feels like shimmering chords are forming inside of your head.
This probably takes minimalism to a level that’s too extreme for most people, but on Wednesdays, I’m not really concerned with most people.
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“Accretion” is from Dave Seidel’s latest release ~60 Hz, which can be obtained at Irritable HedgeHog Records.
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