BASINSKI, WILLIAM

Since the turn of this century, perhaps no other moderncomposition has had a more resonant healing effect thanThe Disintegration Loops. ComposerWilliam Basinski'sdeteriorating analog tape loops evolved from melodicsymphonies to melancholic silence over a span of timethat uncannily turned passing minutes into pensivelifetimes.In her foreword for the new box set reissue ofTheDisintegration Loops, the pioneering multimediastoryteller,Laurie Anderson, describes the impact of thistransformation in poetic detail: "These dissolving sounds,this emptying space, has gained my completeconfidence. They are taking me somewhere. I amwillingly following these sounds, becoming more andmore transparent."The Disintegration Loops - Arcadia Archive Editionis anexpansive new box set that includes the entire 5-hoursuite of iconic work. Newly remastered from the originalrecordings byJosh Bonati, the hefty package includeseight vinyl records (or four CDs for the lessanalog-inclined) in sturdy full-color jackets featuring therestored original artwork, and a new 1000-word forewordbyLaurie Anderson- all housed in a strikingheavyweight, case-wrapped box. It is the idealencapsulation of one of the 21st Century's most trulytranscendent works. As Anderson concludes in herforeword, "this music has created another world, a worldto be carried away in."