DAVID CUNNINGHAM AVANT-GARDE LP ELECTRONIC SYSTEMIC MINIMAL EXPERIMENTAL

	€		39
	$		45

DAVID CUNNINGHAM - Grey Scale - LP - Piano 001 - UK - 1977

Outstanding first solo album by This Heat / Flying Lizards wizard producer.

Experimentation on systemic music for instruments, synthesizer and tape.

The process is rather similar to Luc ferrari's "Tautologos.

Back cover notes : The players play a repeating phrase. As soon as one player makes a mistake that mistake is made the basis of his repetition unless it is modified by a further mistake. Thus each player proceeds at his own rate to change the sound in an uncontrollable manner. On no account should mistakes be made deliberately to introduce a change into a performance. In short … sustain your errors.

Essential!

Listen here:

Record : VG++

Cover : VG++

Relates to This Heat / Flying Lizards / Luc ferrari / Pascal Comelade / Kew Rhone / Cornelius Cardew / Pierre Bastien / John Cage / David Toop / Max Eastley / Hugh Davies / Obscure Records / Piano records / General Strike / Steve Beresford / Tony Sinden

Tracklist

Credits

• Mixed By, Producer – David Cunningham
• Performer – David Cunningham

Sleeve notes: 
Instrumentation and musicians: 
1. David Cunningham, piano, glockenspiel, synthesizer, percussion. 
2. D. C., violin piano, bass guitar, glockenspiel. 
3. Stephen Reynolds, glockenspiel; Alan Hudson, bass guitar; Derek Roberts, piano; D. C., violin. 
4. Alan Hudson and Michael Doherty, percussion; Derek Roberts, glockenspiel; Stephen Reynolds, piano. 
5. D. C., guitar, synthesizer, glockenspiel. 
6. D. C., percussion, glockenspiel, synthesizer, recorder. 
7. D. C., tape recorders and water. 
8. D. C., piano, violin, guitar, percussion. 
9. D. C., tape recorders, guitar. 
10. Derek Roberts, glockenspiel,; Stephen Reynolds, synthesizer; D. C., percussion. 
11. D. C., piano, percussion, synthesizer, strings, etc.

Sleve notes: 
Error System: The players play a repeated phrase. As soon as one player makes a mistake that mistake is made the basis of his repetition unless it is modified by a further mistake. Thus each player proceeds at his own rate to change the sound in an uncontrollable manner. On no account should "mistakes" be made deliberately to introduce a change into a performance. In short...sustain your errors. The water piece and the guitar piece are analogous to this process. However the process is automatic here, an inherent quality to the machinery used. The numerical sequence used in Ecuador and Bolivia is: 11221111223332112222331112332233331122232 repeated three times. The last time, an extra 11 is tagged onto the end. Each number refers to a bar, repetitions of a specific number are uniform. Notated according to the Ecuador system, Venezuela is 11223344556677 etc. for each player except the musician supplying the constant pulse.

Cover photograph from the videotape "Snow Scale" (1975) by Steve Partridge.

Inscriptions in vinyl: side A) "BILBO!"  side B) "DB-MASTER ROOM."

Description:The cacophonic and inharmonious music on this record is oddly soothing or totally maddening depending on what mood you're in. The rudimentary mathematical structure of the pieces explained on the sleeve notes (11221111223332112222... etc.) gives an indication to the album's rigid design (obviously inspired by Cage). But instead of sounding academic and stoic like a lot of material of this nature can, the music sounds playful, immediate, unpolished...  even scrappy. Sounding suspiciously mocking in it's avant formality, there's a wacky humor warp running right through the center of this record that's hard to put your finger on. It sounds like the players are actually having fun while they slowly plod out these small experiments in predestination (although examination of the sleeve notes makes one wonder how many other musicians there were besides Cunningham during most of the tracks). Some tracks use odd piano/percussion/violin arrangements, others add de-tuned string instruments (usually plucked), hand claps, bleeping synths and off-tempo looping samples into the mix. Some throw so many synthesizers and tape recorders, water glasses (lots of those), bass, "violin pianos" and other obscure "instruments" in that things start to get pretty psychedelic. The sound tone of the record is warm, resonant and intimate. I'm guessing these sessions were recorded in a small-ish, padded room with microphones placed around. In the end, everything about this surreal album reminds me of toys, chandeliers or dinnerware quietly coming to life and moving themselves in a repetitive way - every sound is a quiet clink or tap or tinker or plunk. "Water Systemised" used samples that sound like either growling dogs or purring cats - putting them through some kind of slow relay device, and mixes them with sounds of water and what sounds like distant frogs (this piece reminds me of Pauline Oliveros' 'Alien Bog'). "Guitar Systemised" uses the same strange relay device, making violins sound like a mosquito buzzing your ear. My favorite track, "Error System (EFGA)"starts out with a trance-y pulse and then slowly turn into a kind of water glass ensemble, shimmering, spine chilly sound that will nod you right off into pleasant dreams. 
   Interestingly, if you took this album, and laid it on top of "The Secret Dub Life of The Flying Lizards" CD, you would pretty much have a blueprint for the early Lizards' sound. Hearing both of these recordings and reading their respective histories lets you clearly see where Cunningham was coming from with the first album. Many of the tracks on "Grey Scale" remind me of more primitive versions of the three ambient tracks on side two of the first LP; "The Flood", "Trouble" and "Events During the Flood". And I swear that the "Summertime Blues" B-side, "All Guitars", is taken from the "Grey Scale" sessions.(from www.markallencam.com)

[I'll be selling more experimental  / avant-garde / sound-poetry / post-punk / DIY / electronic / musique concrete records in the following weeks]

Consultez mes autres objets !

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FRAIS D'EXPÉDITIONS / SHIPPING RATES : 

Pour la France en colissimo :

1 LP : 6,40 € 

1 Gatefold LP : 7,85 €

1LP Double : 7,85 €

2 à 3 LP : 7,85 € 

4 à 8 LP : 8,90 € 

1 à 8 SP/EP : 6,40 €

Europe (EU and Switzerland) 

1 LP : 7,50 € 

1 LP Gatefold : 11,50 €

1 double LP : 11,50 €

2 à 3 LP :11,5 € 

4 à 8 LP : 14,80 € 

1 à 3 SP/EP : 4,95 € 

4 à 8 SP/EP : 7,50 € 

A partir de 9 LP pour l’Europe envoi uniquement en colissimo international.

Rest of the world ( USA / ASIA / AUSTRALIA / AFRICA and outside the European community ) international priority

1 LP : 8,85 € 

1 lp Gatefold : 13,22 €

1 double LP : 13,22 €

2 - 3 LP : 13,22 € 

4 - 8 LP : 19,90 € 

1 - 3 SP/EP : 6,80€ 

4 - 8 SP/EP : 8,85 € 

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GRADING :

M (MINT)

Sealed, never played, new in its original packaging.

NM (NEAR MINT)

Almost perfect copy, never or very rarely played. At worst, one or two surface marks, generally insignificant and due to inner sleeve. This the highest grade for an unsealed record.

EX (EXCELLENT)

Very clean copy, some insignificant surfaces marks (hairlines). This record has been rarely played, on good equipment and treated with care. The cover has very minor flaws: a name or discrete initials, low wear corners, very slight ringwear.

VG + + (VERY GOOD + +)

More surface marks.Minor flaws or cover wear, minor edge wear. This is generally the grade given to a 20 to 50 years old record with a "normal" life, treated with care, but listened and handled regularly by his former owner.

VG + (VERY GOOD +)

Has been played a lot, shows multiple slight surface marks (hairlines) generating background noise between songs but no jump or skips. Cover shows important signs of age and storage (slice corners worn, name, date, dedication, tears, etc. ...). Generally, this record was one of the favorites among previous owner discotheque , went from hand to hand, had to animate some parties and bears the scars of a busy life.

VG (VERY GOOD)

The record is very worn, has been played a lot, shows important scratches that are creating permanent background noises but do not skip or jump. Still listenable (especially at high volume for big sound). The cover is well worn, torn important corner and edge wear, significant traces of marker pen or ... well, the previous grade but more accentuated.

G (GOOD)

Has been played to the hilt (but still playable on some titles), many scratches, crackles a lot while playing, may have jumps or sticks. The cover is very damaged. This record must be very rare to be proposed on sale !