They sound from every corner of the studio: announcements, news reports, weather forecasts, entertainment programmes, advertising slogans. Snippets from radio shows are repeated, cut apart, newly composed.
The presenter and composer is Leigh Landy, who holds a Research Chair at De Montfort University.
Although he points out that the listening experience is the most important, he has provided subtitles to follow the content. The BBC's characteristic voice is only present in one out of three series. The other two sources are “la radio” in France and “Deutschlandfunk” in Germany. It is the first time all three of them can be heard in one performance.
The effect is astonishing. Weird noises, absurd contexts, different layers of the word “Good morning”: More than once, ringing laughter mingles with the electronic sounds. Familiar logos and styles make this artwork especially enjoyable (although I was the only one laughing during the German slot).
Between the radio collages, Dutch flautist Jos Zwaanenburg proves his finger dexterity on five different types of flutes. He also experiments with sounds. Using corks and other tools, he produces surprising notes, which fit with the recording in the background.
A cultural mix of electronic and acoustic music - I've never heard anything comparable to it before. While I'm not a huge fan, I definitely enjoyed this tonal collage.
Katharina Maria Kalinowski
