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Laurie Anderson’s Listening Chair

Elizabeth Alker invites Laurie to share music which transports her, plus an exclusive listen to the cinematic new album from Portico Quartet.

Elizabeth Alker presents a cinematic mix of ambient music to lift your mood. Laurie Anderson takes a seat in the Unclassified Listening Chair to talk about a piece of music which transports her. A long-term resident of New York, Laurie selects a piece by a fellow prominent New Yorker, William Basinski and his Disintegration Loops. The Disintegration Loops began as a project to digitise the magnetic tape recordings Basinski had made in the 1980s, but once the tapes started running, he discovered they were deteriorating in real time as he was recording. The result was a moving reflection on slowly decaying beauty which gained extra poignancy as Basinski finished the project on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Laurie describes listening to this piece and where it takes her.

Also in the show, Elizabeth shares an exclusive listen to the cinematic new album from Portico Quartet and there’s new music from the Danish drone group Vanessa Amara.

Produced by Rebecca Gaskell
A Reduced Listening production for Radio 3

1 hour

Last on

Thu 16 Sep 2021 23:30
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

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Previous

Tunnels and Clearings at the End of Time

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Haunting Synthesiser

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Music Played

  • Gil Scott‐Heron & Jamie xx

    My Cloud

    • We're New Here.
    • Young Turks.

  • Koreless

    Moonlight

    • Black Rainbow / Moonlight.
    • Young Turks.

  • Lucinda Chua

    Torch Song

    • Antidotes 2.
    • 4AD.

  • Laurie Anderson

    Birth Of Lola

    • Heart Of A Dog.
    • Nonesuch.

  • Dictaphone

    Goats & Distortions 2

    • Goats & Distortions 5.
    • Denovali Records.

  • Nwando Ebizie

    I Seduce

    • I Seduce.
    • Accidental Records.

  • TWO LANES

    Reflections

    • Reflections.
    • bitbird.

  • Portico Quartet

    Terrain: II

    • Terrain.
    • Gondwana Records.

  • Vanessa Amara

    Piano, Bells & Two Reversed Tape Loops

    • Music for Acoustic Instruments & Feedback.
    • Posh Isolation.

  • Fatima Al Qadiri

    Medieval Femme

    • Medieval Femme.
    • Hyperdub.

  • William Basinski

    dlp 4

    • The Disintegration Loops.
    • Temporary Residence Limited.

  • Gazelle Twin

    The Well

    • The Well (From "The Power").
    • INVADA Records.

Broadcasts

  • Thu 27 May 2021 23:30
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
  • Thu 16 Sep 2021 23:30
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

What is unclassified music?

What is unclassified music?

Elizabeth Alker introduces five of her favourite 'unclassifiable' pieces of music.