Conceptual recordings

[Antti O.]

I'm looking for recordings that are not music, noise or hardly even sound art. Something where the main focus is on human sounds or voice or action or something like that. Excluding spoken word and poetry. Sound art without any musical elements (like layering a stupid synth buzz on a perfectly good rape sound and ruining it)

Hard to explain what I mean exactly, but John Duncans Blind date is a good example.

Any recommendations?

[Zeno Marx]

Jose Luis Castillejo - The Book of J's

a fine, fine listen

[Andrew McIntosh]

Only things I could suggest would be Bradford Red Light District and The Whipping by The Haters.

[heretogo]

A few from the top of my head...

Bizarre Uproar - 13/10/06 tape (sound of... well you can guess)
Brion Gysin - Bruits Du Beaubourg LP (sound of building yard)
Walter Marchetti - Per La Sete Dell'orecchio track (on the album of the same name, sound of rocks thrown into a pool)

But there's lots more of course. A lot of straight, un-edited field recordings ("phonography"). An then there are the various Hermann Nitsch Aktion-recordings, there's some music there also but most of it is sounds of "action", heh...

[tisbor]

The Whipping by The Haters.

good one !

[GX Jupitter-Larsen]

The kind of thing you're talking about is some of the issues I was thinking about when I did these conceptual records (as The Haters) . That the actual record was an action, not an object, and that every listener was actually a performer:

WIND LICKED DIRT
Blank grooveless LP & sample of dirt packaged in a transparent bag with instructions which state that one plays the record by rubbing dirt on it. Bypassing any need for a stereo. (1988)

OXYGEN IS FLAMMABLE
A broken piece of plastic packaged in a small box. Enclosed are instructions which state that the broken plastic is a record. And that it's played by pouring water over it. The instructions also call attention to possible similarities between the sounds of water falling and fire rising. (1990)

SHEAR
Ball of cotton batting packaged in a small box. Wrapped around the contents are instructions on three thin strips of paper. Instructions which informs the holder that the cotton batting is a recording. And that this record is played by being squeezed. The sound this record gives being a "sharp fluffy slightness" and a "thin fluffy pressed". (1991)

WIND LICKED DIRT
C-0 packaged in a plastic bag with real dirt. Cassette is played by rubbing dirt in it. No need for a stereo. (2008)

[GX Jupitter-Larsen]

Video of said conceptual records:

http://video.jupitter-larsen.com/030.mov

[Antti O.]

Only things I could suggest would be Bradford Red Light District and The Whipping by The Haters.

Just listening to Bradford. Amazing! Just the kind of material I was hoping to hear.
The whipping is next in line. Thanks!

[kittymagic]

I'm looking for recordings that are not music, noise or hardly even sound art. Something where the main focus is on human sounds or voice or action or something like that. Excluding spoken word and poetry. Sound art without any musical elements (like layering a stupid synth buzz on a perfectly good rape sound and ruining it)

Hard to explain what I mean exactly, but John Duncans Blind date is a good example.

Any recommendations?

yessir i like this kind of thing, the kind of thing you're describing. it blows when artists add their own music/noise to found audio recordings. i know exactly what you mean. the best thing to do if you want to listen to the sound of rape or whatever: is to go and search for that. don't search for noisicians who use those sounds cause it's almost always dissapointing.

[kittymagic]

so i'm interested to know, what do people think:
is it pointless to listen to a conceptual recording of a rape when you can just go watch a video of it?

[Human Larvae]

so i'm interested to know, what do people think:
is it pointless to listen to a conceptual recording of a rape when you can just go watch a video of it?

of course not. Or is it pointless to read books because movies give you the story faster?

[UGRA]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but you coud try "Psycho Motorik" from OTTO MUEHL.