aworks :: "new" american classical music

Modena (2002). Keith Fullerton Whitman /ring vs. ring-back/

Keith Fullerton Whitman via Wikipedia

Life's a Pitch proposes the music of Steve Reich as her personalized ring-back tone:

I would make my ringback "Clapping Music", should it become available. "Please enjoy the clapping while your party is reached."

She also points to the definition of a ring-back tone:

A Ring-back Tone (RBT) or Audible Ringing Tone is the audible ringing that is heard on the telephone line by the calling party after dialing and prior to the call being answered at the receiving end. This tone assures the calling party that a ringing signal is being sent on the called party's line, although the ring-back tone may be out of sync with the ringing signal.

I'm not sure how old I was when I first understood a ringback tone was not the actual ringtone of the phone you were calling.

My cell phone uses an odd slice of Keith Fullerton Whitman's Modena for its ringtone, often resulting in the general disorientation of those around me. It's probably not a wise choice for a ringback. Modena on lala:

Live on Rare Frequency (2008). Keith Fullerton Whitman

I've listened to two things lately that may indicate a change in my listening:

1. After listening to John Coltrane heavily in my youth, then not at all for twenty years, and returning to listen again for the last five years, I may be headed back into Coltrane dormancy. I'm finding his insistent tone on the sax mildly annoying. The clue to pay attention to this showed up when I heard the Nels Cline guitar version of Saturn from Coltrane's Interstellar Space and I greatly preferred it to the original.
2. The other track that is starting to warp my ears in a different direction is Phog Masheen's Survey of Brutality from a Wired Magazine insert CD. Stimulating if not exactly pleasant, it sounds fresh to my ears.

Other listening tonight that sounds new (rather than "new" -- it's not like I reverted to Brahms or something) include Jonny Greenwood's Popcorn Superhet Receiver and an in studio performance by Keith Fullerton Whitman.

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keith fullerton whitman: rare frequency podcast
jonny greenwood: popcorn superhet receiver
john coltrane: interstellar space
nels cline & gregg bendian: interstellar space: the music of john coltrane
phog masheen: live @ koos art center - warning: short but noisy youtube video

Modena (2002). Keith Fullerton Whitman /keith, terry, morton (and aworks)/

last.fm now has the ability to post audio clips to blogs, as links or embeds. Here's 30 seconds of Keith Fullerton Whitman:

And when I clicked on the Change Station button and entered Terry Riley as the similiar artist, up popped Morton Feldman's Durations I. In last.fm terms, I then "expressed my love for this track."

Update: Ok, the embedded player should now be working correctly...