I recently ran across two music/media sources that I cannot recommend enough.
The “You Are Listening To” website is really fairly simple to describe in one sentence: Live police scanners playing over ambient music. There are individual feeds set up for a number of major cities. Whatever is happening live on the police radios interjects over the music. There is something kind of perfect about the combination and it’s addicting too. While there is drama – When are they going to get to that guy who’s having difficulty breathing? What’s in that suspicious package? – there are also lighter moments… a cop just called in to say “someone just reported a very large turtle in their yard.”
The idea (and the website) came from Eric Eberhardt (or Eggberhardt on Twitter). A couple online sources indicate the inspiration came as a result of the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series in 2010; through a series of small events that night, he ended up listening to the SFPD. He was also playing music and apparently had a “eureka” moment that the two went well together. The website also includes a few variations on the theme and an opportunity to build your own mix.
Peak Signal 2 Noise is a group of like-minded artists who had the opportunity to “create a televisual show covering the finest in messed up experimental music and film…. in, around, of, for, to and from Sheffield… and the global network of likeminded noise-niks…” It apparently airs on a UK TV station, but even if you are nowhere near Sheffield you can still watch the episodes online. The shows feature lots of live (mostly) experimental/noise music, odd performance art, and humor.
Episode #9 may be my favorite. Most of the shows open with a short, strange noise/visual element, which reappears through the show to create a boundary between acts. This one includes several people wearing an odd mechanical glasses/nose/mustache combination. One of the more lengthy pieces in this show is a live performance by Brown & Gal; drones, treated vocals and processed sounds including the playing of the rims of various glasses. It’s a very sensuous performance and is particularly beautifully filmed. There is also a section featuring Joyce Whitchurch; among other elements her performance features a hula hoop, painted sheets, a health club, and some music from a Sheffield band most will be familiar with presented in a highly interesting way.
The creators of the show make a confession on their site: “don’t tell anyone, but none of us have owned a TV for about 5 years or more… shhhhh…..” Perhaps that actually helps their creative process! But I think there would likely be a lot less non-TV owners in Sheffield if there were more shows like Peak Signal 2 Noise.