(UPDATE: All the links below are broken, but, should you want to, you can hear all the same stuff here.)
I wasted almost all of today fiddling about online, backing up files and doing general digital tidying up. I did come across some files I'd forgotten about though, which I thought I'd share. At the turn of the century, 1999-2000 W+K, where I work, ran a thing called the Slime Mold prize.
Everyone in the company was asked to submit a proposal for an art project and a few were selected to be funded. I was one of the lucky ones. My project was simple on the surface, and a nightmare to execute. But a good nightmare. I sent a blank audio cassette to everyone in W+K (about 500 people at the time) and asked them to record anything they wanted to on it. I was then going to take all their bits, mess around with them with a sampler and create a bit of music that 'felt like' W+K. The Slime Mold fund helped me pay for some software and a sampler. I made about 20 tracks all together, made a CD (called Found) and sent it to everyone in the company. Got some favourable reactions but mostly blank incomprehension. Listening to it again I can understand why. It's very 'of its time' - you can spot the Norman Cook influences, very very self-indulgent and way too long. But there's the odd moment that's not totally humiliating. Here are some examples if you want to have a listen. They're built almost entirely out of sounds contributed on the tapes ( I was very lucky in that a couple of W+K musos recorded some great drum loops for me.) The only additions are Portland/W+K related things like movie soundtracks and sounds from ads.
Welcome to Wieden and Kennedy. A bit predictable, but I like the movie soundtrack opening and it bounces along. About 5.5MB.
Eat That Egg Fast. A quicky. Strange atmospherics and tale of grandmotherly spooking from Joe Shands. About 2 MB.
Significant Acid. A story about a Grateful Dead gig in Oregon. With nice drums and sounds built entirely from a sampled violin. About 5MB.
Il Gato Blu. Italian soccer fans singing something with some mad drums underneath. 2.3MB
Boogers. Bob and Susan Moore sing to their kid. Then it goes a bit crazy. About 4.8 MB.
Do I Know You? Not as Big Beaty as most of it. Almost predictive of the technoclash influx. It's got Bill Gates on it. And lots of Windows desktop sounds. About 5.3 MB.
Hands In Your Pockets, Pockets In Your Pants. Very long, very self-indulgent. But I like the mood of this one. This has got lots of David Kennedy bashing bits of wood and metal in his barn. And some monologue from one of his ancient relatives. About 7 MB.
An Amazing Number Of Jennifers. Probably only listenable if you've ever worked at W+K. Jed ALger, drunk, late at night, muses on the phone list. About 7 MB. Enjoy. Or rather. Tolerate.
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