Listening to two albums at the same time

percussion boy · Post by **percussion boy** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:35 pm

Title says it all . . . Sometimes I like hearing the superimposing of keys, grooves, and textures that happens when two different albums stack up on each other; like some kind of alien free jazz. Even better with two different genres involved, say an old P-funk album and some Debussy . . .

Once in a while composers create this effect on purpose, like Charles Ives having two hymns going simultaneously in different parts of the orchestra/chorus. Not a big dance market there.

Anyway, ever done it? Ever fantasized about doing it? Am I crazy?

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:42 pm

Well, back when MTV had actual videos, it was pretty fun to put on some music and watch the MTV on mute.

The Charles Ives stuff with this trick is fantastic.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:32 pm

I always thought that Burl Ives should do an album of Charles Ives stuff. I love theme-oriented music. I'd like to hear Charles Ives and Burl Ives at the same time.

When I lived in Miami, there used to be some super-sweet stuff that would happen on Ocean Drive if you stood in the right spot between two clubs. You could hear "Flamenco Guitar Guy With Sequenced Band" and a reggae group playing "Stir It Up" or Gloria Gaynor and some soca stuff at the same time. Man, I wish I'd recorded some of that when I was there.

Another great experience was walking down the hall in the Foster Building at UM and listening to a bunch of different cats practicing at the same time. Especially if two drummers were in practice rooms next to each other. A friend of mine who was there at the time was talking about writing a piece of music that emulated that experience, but he never got around to it. At least, not while he was there. I always thought it was a cool idea.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

YOUR KONG · Post by **YOUR KONG** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:19 am

cgarges wrote:I always thought that Burl Ives should do an album of Charles Ives stuff.

Ha ha - for my free jazz group I did a piece with the subtitle "Charles and Burl were seperated at birth - it's true, look it up on the internet." One person played a bit of a folk melody, other people copied it/responded to it, then ran with it (sort of a time-lapse version of how real folk music was transmitted...)

Anywho - this is fun to do - when I was fried at work I used to open 3 instances of Winamp, all of them on shuffle play...

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:53 am

a work pal and I played two copies of Kid A at the same time. It was a good time.

sometimes, just the sounds of the world around you interacting with what you're listening to can be great.

foodforthemoon · Post by **foodforthemoon** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 8:16 am

syrupcore wrote:a work pal and I played two copies of Kid A at the same time. It was a good time.

sometimes, just the sounds of the world around you interacting with what you're listening to can be great.

At work lately we've been listening to Kid A a lot. Backwards. Try it.

alex matson · Post by **alex matson** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 11:56 am

I was checking music out online, those amazon 30 second snippets, and due to a glitch, two players opened and started at the same time with completely different music. For a few seconds I was really impressed..."Wow, this is really different!"

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 1:59 pm

Of course, there's the Grey Album option....

Jpp · Post by **Jpp** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:28 pm

I had an idea along these lines a couple of years ago after noticing that you can selectively tune in to one or the other of two simultaneous musics, and also that the cross-rhythmic and/or cross-harmonic aspects can be really exciting.

So I imagined a device/channel/service/software that would put one tune on the left side and a second on the right in your listening apparatus. If people really stretched their ears and got used to it, it could catch on. But monkeys could also fly out my butt.

"Hey, have you heard the new Dylan/Britney song?"

"Yeah, but the new Dylan/Bowie is much better."

Jpp

joeysimms · Post by **joeysimms** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:43 pm

I can tell you that Chinese instrumental folk music worked well with Trout Mask Replica. And that anything works well on lsd/mushrooms.

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 8:23 pm

kayagum wrote:Of course, there's the Grey Album option....

What's that, Beatles White Album combined with Prince Black Album?

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:04 am

Zaireeka!

nopenopenope · Post by **nopenopenope** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:51 am

subatomic pieces wrote:Zaireeka!

A truly mind-blowing experience. You've gotta get some really nice gear to listen to it, too. It'll fry you.

madtho · Post by **madtho** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:28 pm

I used to have an overnight show on WOMR community radio on Cape Cod. I did a ton of meshing.

Miles Davis 'Big Fun' can somehow serve as the underpinning to almost anything. Mix in some of that early 90's chill techno (like Scanner, or Human Mesh Dance 'Hyaline' was my 6am closer) meditation tapes, Segovia...

Having a bunch of formats (vinyl, CD, cassette, promo Carts) at your disposal is sooo much fun?then get all Dub on the mixing board. Ableton Live also is well set up for this kind of fun. My show was pre-MP3/internet.

-mad

Marlowe · Post by **Marlowe** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:56 am

I have a friend who does this regularly. He's got me doing it now.

It's great for hearing cool new harmonies.

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Listening to two albums at the same time

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