Readers with long memories (or good search engines) are probably already aware of Turntable Drawings, an ongoing partnership of printmaker Jon Fischer and composer Danny Clay. My “first contact” with this project took place at the Center for New Music (C4NM) on the evening of June 3, 2017, which was a “live” performance of three of Clay’s compositions: “Turntable Drawing No. 25,” “Turntable Drawing No. 8,” and “Turntable Drawing No. 16.” All of these involved multiple phonographs with different approaches to how the turntable could be “played.”
“Turntable Drawing No. 16,” composed for electric guitar and three turntables, was the first piece to be performed on the program for the 2017 concert. My article about this concert described this particular performance as “an interplay of structured sonorities coming from opposite sides of the C4NM space with Giacomo Fiore exploiting a wide diversity of effects electronics with his instrument at one end of the space, while the three turntables were at the other.” Fischer’s contribution involved what the turntables would be “playing.”
Working in the medium of old vinyl records, both twelve inches and seven inches in diameter,” he has been creating designs that are imprinted on the surface using handmade silicone molds. Usually the groove structure is preserved; but the printed surface has new subtle three-dimensional qualities. The “records” for “Turntable Drawing No. 16” have deliberately-created locked grooves, providing an innovative approach to the “repetitive structures” that, more often than not, serve as a more accurate description of “minimalist” compositions.
Yesterday a “Turntable Drawing No. 16” album was released through a new Bandcamp Web page. Appropriately enough, the “physical” release will be on a limited edition twelve-inch vinyl, whose two surfaces present Fischer’s artwork. One side is the result of studio sessions that were recorded and mixed on September 2018 and April 2020. This is basically a collage that Clay created from the content of the two studio sessions. The other side presents a “live” performance, which took place in January of 2021. The album is also available for streaming and downloads of both MP3 and FLAC content. For the “live” performance, Fiore used a modular synthesizer patch that loops and processes both the guitar work and the albums played on the three turntables in real time.
C4NM poster for tonight’s release party (from the C4NM event page)
Those that have encountered Turntable Drawings content in performance may believe that “you had to be there” to appreciate the experience. Such listeners will be happy to know that C4NM will host a live performance of “Turntable Drawing No. 16” as part of a release party. There will also be an exhibit of Fischer’s homemade records and a turntable petting zoo.
As has already been reported on this site, that party will take place tonight (Saturday, August 27), beginning at 8 p.m. General admission will be $10, and those paying $25 will receive a copy of the album being released. Members and students will be admitted for $5 and can receive the album for $20. For those that do not already know, C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, which is where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street. All tickets may be processed in advance through an Eventbrite Web page. Masks are still required for all in attendance, and those in the audience are required to be fully vaccinated.
Personally, I have listened to both versions on the album several times; and, while I appreciate the affordances of physical presence, I have to say that there is more than enough auditory content in both the studio and “live” versions to provide the attentive listener with many engaging experiences.
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