Today I was digging my shelves and stumbled upon a few lock groove LP's - existence of which I had forgotten completely. Question is, what do you think of lock groove vinyls? Do they make any sense? Do you actually listen to them or use them in any creative way?
I have mixed feelings about them: on the other hand it is a nice concept, but I rarely listen them. Using them as a part of a new composition seems a bit silly... like sampling someone else instead of making your own loops.
I have actually played with an idea of making a lock groove lathe, flexi or other quickly degenerating media so that the groove wears out and 'turns noise into another form of noise'.
Technically, this must have been a hellish job for a pressing plant:
https://www.discogs.com/Various-RRR-1000-Lock-Grooves/release/1973542 (https://www.discogs.com/Various-RRR-1000-Lock-Grooves/release/1973542)
I loved Boyd Rice's 'Ragnarok Rune' when it came out, and listened to the locked groove A LOT at the time. However, I must admit, I haven't listened to it for years... Also, I have a CD w/ a locked groove, but I never played it at all - I was afraid it'd wreck the needle!
I think most of the time the concept of locked grooves is better than the final result. Personally, I think the genre locked grooves work best in is techno. Regis and Sleeparchive especially come to mind as using locked grooves at their maximum potential.
The Vinyl Factory released - Ryoji Ikeda – The Solar System(https://www.discogs.com/Ryoji-Ikeda-The-Solar-System/release/7106146) last year with single sided LP with ten locked grooves, one for each of the planets and one for Pluto. It looked nice when I saw it at the exhibition related to the release but it was very expensive for 10 slightly different sine waves.
Slightly obsessed with these, collected a few of the Noise ones plus some DJ tools and other oddities, and I have some locked grooves of my own on The Date Fork Seeps the River vol 3
I'm hoarding them somewhat with a view to using/DJing them, tho I've not done much of that yet. Needs 3 turntables really to get interesting enough in my opinion. Here's a mix I did with 2 turntables one of which kept powering down. :-/
https://archive.org/details/CementimentalLockedGrooveRecordDjSetSpaceAgeCity09
RRR-1000 and Sex Tags Mania 'Bass Drum' - https://www.discogs.com/TR-909-Bass-Drum/release/1649771 - are the greatest locked groove records I have, opposite ends of the spectrum
QuoteThe Vinyl Factory released - Ryoji Ikeda – The Solar System(https://www.discogs.com/Ryoji-Ikeda-The-Solar-System/release/7106146) last year with single sided LP with ten locked grooves, one for each of the planets and one for Pluto. It looked nice when I saw it at the exhibition related to the release but it was very expensive for 10 slightly different sine waves.
Sorely tempted but yeah too much.
Latest one i got is this. The whole grime/noise/modular-synt/NTS thing is getting kind of interesting, and about time really, I've been predicting it for years. :) https://www.discogs.com/Mumdance-Springtime-EP/release/6364876
Very much want to make a Cementimental locked groove record some day, getting these things cut expensive business tho even by vinyl standards.
QuoteThe Vinyl Factory released - Ryoji Ikeda – The Solar System(https://www.discogs.com/Ryoji-Ikeda-The-Solar-System/release/7106146) last year with single sided LP with ten locked grooves, one for each of the planets and one for Pluto. It looked nice when I saw it at the exhibition related to the release but it was very expensive for 10 slightly different sine waves.
...wasn't expensive or absurd enough apparently so http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/ryoji-ikeda-the-solar-system-boxset/
Quote from: Cementimental on March 30, 2016, 11:16:46 AM
QuoteThe Vinyl Factory released - Ryoji Ikeda – The Solar System(https://www.discogs.com/Ryoji-Ikeda-The-Solar-System/release/7106146) last year with single sided LP with ten locked grooves, one for each of the planets and one for Pluto. It looked nice when I saw it at the exhibition related to the release but it was very expensive for 10 slightly different sine waves.
...wasn't expensive or absurd enough apparently so http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/ryoji-ikeda-the-solar-system-boxset/
Good lord. So each 10" only has one locked groove? If so £350 is a bargain :)
Quote from: Cementimental on March 30, 2016, 11:16:46 AM
QuoteThe Vinyl Factory released - Ryoji Ikeda – The Solar System(https://www.discogs.com/Ryoji-Ikeda-The-Solar-System/release/7106146) last year with single sided LP with ten locked grooves, one for each of the planets and one for Pluto. It looked nice when I saw it at the exhibition related to the release but it was very expensive for 10 slightly different sine waves.
...wasn't expensive or absurd enough apparently so http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/ryoji-ikeda-the-solar-system-boxset/
Dear Jesus!
The Stock, Hausen & Walkmen Buy Me/Sue Me 7" is a great one.
https://www.discogs.com/Stock-Hausen-Walkman-Buy-Me-Sue-Me/release/3135820 (https://www.discogs.com/Stock-Hausen-Walkman-Buy-Me-Sue-Me/release/3135820)
Quote from: Cementimental on March 30, 2016, 01:27:24 AM
I'm hoarding them somewhat with a view to using/DJing them, tho I've not done much of that yet. Needs 3 turntables really to get interesting enough in my opinion. Here's a mix I did with 2 turntables one of which kept powering down. :-/
https://archive.org/details/CementimentalLockedGrooveRecordDjSetSpaceAgeCity09
Thanks for sharing. That's quite good.
Turntablism/DJ'ing is really the only use I can now think of those records being good at. Only if I had more than one turntable...