Russell Haswell, Hecker

Editions Mego is happy to announce the release of Kanal GENDYN, a vinyl and DVD set by Russell Haswell & Florian Hecker. This is the first full-length release by the artists following their highly-acclaimed albums, Blackest Ever Black and UPIC Warp Tracks. In the late '90s/early 2000s, it became common for bands, or solo artists to perform live -- often alternative -- soundtracks to feature films or silent classics. Critical of obvious instrumentation and the combination with known classic film, the artists Russell Haswell and Florian Hecker chose to create a real-time soundtrack to an un-scored film, Kanal Video (1992, 60 min.) by the Swiss artist duo Peter Fischli & David Weiss. Core to Kanal GENDYN is Haswell & Hecker's ongoing research on the legacies of polymath Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) and in particular, his concept of the Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis, an abstract sound synthesis procedure that creates "sound out of nothing." In an interview with Peter Hoffmann, the artists recall: "This video, which consists of an hour-long 'ride' through the Zurich sewage system, with a remotely controlled maintenance vehicle equipped with a video camera to survey the sewers for eventual irregularities of defects -- struck us both as an ideal piece to be projected in a 'nightclub' or music venue with a GENDYN only performance. We found twisted relations with such an hour-long 'tunnel vision.' Once with the seemingly endless amount of computer-generated video projections used as visuals accompanying raves and techno parties during the 1990's -- and also to the accounts of visual hallucinations induced by mescaline as described by Heinrich Klüver in the 1920s -- with the so-called 'form constants' -- where he mentions amongst others, 'tunnel-like' patterns. The particularities of GENDYN, with its ever-changing and meandering waveforms appeared to us as an ideal counterpart." Kanal GENDYN was performed on the occasion of the event "Musterraum 9. Dual Presentation -- Peter Fischli & David Weiss -- Russell Haswell & Florian Hecker" at Musterraum, Munich, 1/30/2004. Originally constructed as an experimental building, "Musterraum" -- German for "sample" or "reference room" -- was a freestanding cube with a base area of 10×12 meters. Built as a test and reference space for the planning and construction of the adjacent Pinakothek der Moderne. Two stereo feeds were crossed for quadraphonic (4.0) diffusion using a L&B F12/B12 loudspeaker system. Performed concurrently to the Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Kanal Video (1992, 60 min.) screened on three facing walls. Kanal GENDYN is released as a stereo vinyl LP + 4.0 DTS 24 Bit/48 KHz DVD (audio-only) set. The cover features 10 stills from the original Fischli & Weiss video, included inside is a 30x30 cm 170 gram paper insert with a further, full-page still, plus extensive sleeve notes by musicologist and software developer Peter Hoffmann, and everything was designed by NORM, Zurich. It's also worth noting that, with a running time of over an hour, this is one of the longest single LP releases you will come across. Cut by Rashad "The Master" Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, September 2011.