I’ve been listening to Tim Hecker for years now. His work is continually exciting to me. It’s beautiful, overpowering, amazingly intricate, expansive. I’ve got a lot of his stuff and I’ve been lucky enough to see him play live a few times as well. Every performance I’ve been to has been one of those times when the hairs on my arms stand on end. There’s something about his sound that digs deep into me when he plays. Kind of like this rush of euphoria. There’s a gorgeous and fascinating sadness in the work at the same time that there’s a transcendent glow and an uplifting beauty. It’s refined, as it is raw and powerful. I’ve a made a mixtape of some his stuff. If it hits the spot, I urge you to check out more. Hope you enjoy.
Bio
Tim Hecker is a Canadian-based musician and sound artist, born in Vancouver. Since 1996, he has produced a range of audio works for Kranky, Alien8, Mille Plateaux, Room40, Force Inc, Staalplaat, and Fat Cat. His works have been described as “structured ambient”, “tectonic color plates” and “cathedral electronic music”. More to the point, he has focused on exploring the intersection of noise, dissonance and melody, fostering an approach to songcraft which is both physical and emotive. The New York Times has described his work as “foreboding, abstract pieces in which static and sub-bass rumbles open up around slow moving notes and chords, like fissures in the earth waiting to swallow them whole”. His Harmony in Ultraviolet received critical acclaim, including being recognized by Pitchfork as a top recording of 2006. Radio Amor was also recognized as a key recording of 2003 by Wire magazine. His work has also included commissions for contemporary dance, sound-art installations, as well as various writings. He currently resides in Montreal.
For more information: http://www.sunblind.net
Amps, Drugs, Mellotron
Chimeras
Black Refraction
Stab Variation
Dungeoneering
The Piano Drop
The Work Of Art In The Age Of Cultural Overproduction
acephale/neither more nor less
The Return of Sam Snead
Borderlands
Norberg
& Daniel Lopatin – Uptown Psychedelia
& Daniel Lopatin – Intrusions
Virginal II / The Piano Drop – 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival
Isis + Tim Hecker – Live Improvised Collaboration
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p.s. Hey. If you don’t already know the incredible musical works of Tim Hecker, you’ll have no excuse other than lack of curiosity once your eyes have fallen upon this helpful and cogent guest-post by the ultra-noteworthy writer and generous d.l. Thomas ‘Moronic’ Moore. Get down, won’t you? Thanks ever so much, T! ** Tuesday ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Ah, marginality, that most subjective of tags. I just read a really fine piece by Sacks in TNY about the end of Spalding Gray’s life. He wrote so very well. ** Sypha, That makes sense. I prefer by phone because the opportunity to be super-clear ends up taking me forever. Enjoy the almost nothing at all? ** James, Nice! The NYC trip, I mean. If you want stay in small hotel rooms, go to Tokyo. They’re nice, though. I hope I have that LA opportunity. The director of the film you asked Me. E about is also one of the producers of Zac’s and my film. And he has a small role in it too. ** Keaton, You must have very strong legs. London is massive, almost too massive in some weird, wrong way for my taste. Oh, nice, about the job. Well, if that’s true about Cleveland, then I guess that’s very good for you, you being you, right? ** Steevee, Seems right. ** Thomas Moronic, Thanks, personally, and hugs, again for the Hecker shebang! ** Cal Graves, Wow, that’s a good name mutation. Thanks! Oh, I see, about that guy. So, in that workshop, other people read your work aloud? That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of that before. Ha! Swervingly, Dennis. ** _Black_Acrylic, I hope you’re enjoying Leeds, Benster! Oh, Marc Almond. What is he doing live? A retrospective thing or a specific thing? Oh, wait, he has new album out, I think, doesn’t he? Then I guess he’ll do that plus select oldies, I presume. ** Kier, Ha ha, denmark, ha ha. So simple but so complex. I’ve never seen a single frame of ‘Game of Thrones’, isn’t that weird? I didn’t know of any of those horror films you reviewed. I want to see all those films too. And ‘The Babadook’. Now that France has Netflix, I really need to join that. Oh, let’s see … I guess I’ll do both day reports, such as they are, right here? I guess so, if I can remember. Uh, on Tuesday I think I just started packing/discarding stuff for the move and all of that, but I wasn’t really in the mood, so I have to start kicking ass doing that today. I finished writing up my initial notes and script ideas for Zac’s and my next film, and I gave them to him, and he read them yesterday, and we’re going to talk about them today. What else … oh, Gisele wanted Zac and me to see a theater piece because she said she had this flash idea of he and I writing a solo theater piece for her about a clown who does magic tricks starring the guy whose solo show she wanted us to see. She said he was a magician clown. So, we went. And it was really terrible. I was watching it thinking Gisele must have been on acid when she saw it or something. Also, he wasn’t a magician clown but more like a show-off-y mime. It was confusing. Then, afterwards, I called her and said, ‘What?!’ She confessed that she’d never a magic show before and thought his was good, but I told her it was neither a magic show nor good, and she saw what I meant, so now she’s over the clown magician solo piece idea. Yesterday, we did that audition all day. We were auditioning this young dancer, Sylvain, whom we’d audition six years ago for another part. We’d thought he was amazing back then, but the part wasn’t right. Anyway, within five minutes of starting the audition yesterday, we knew was perfect. So we spent all day teaching him the role. He was incredible. ‘Kindertotenlieder’ is my favorite of Gisele’s and my works, and I love it as it is, but, with Sylvain in it, I think it’s going even much, much stronger. So that was exciting. He was so good that Gisele also cast him on the spot for this adaptation of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ that she/we will be doing next year. Plus, he’s a lovely guy. It was a very successful day. Otherwise, after some uploading issues, Zac finally got our film to the producers who will now submit it to four film festivals. And I think that’s the totality (of sorts) of my last two days. What did today unfold for you? ** Flit, Hi, Flit! Fuck that machine’s persnickety-ness! Did that help? ** Misanthrope, Hi, G. I guess I’m not totally surprised that you knew Horsepussy. Not totally. Putting the usual friend count of Facebook aside for a moment, having 32 friends is pretty good. That’s a lot of friends. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. Yeah, ha ha, re: Horsepussy’s site. I was like, ‘That’s extreme’? I guess I’m tragically jaded. Sigh, indeed. I already miss this place. My eyes saw IKEA too. What is ISEA? Wait, I’ll google it. ** Wednesday ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. You get the new issues of The Wire so quick over there. I’m jealous. It takes about two weeks for them to get here. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, sir. ** Steevee, Hi, also sir. That’s very strange about the Stokoe situation. I don’t know anything about his issues with Akashic, but I’ve barely been in touch with them for a while now. So, it was released in the States, but only within a tiny frame? I don’t understand. ** G.r. maierhofer, Hi, dGranty. Oh, very sweet about the Fanzine excerpt. I’m excited to read it! Everyone, very fine writer Grant Maierhofer has had a chunk of his highly anticipated very forthcoming novel ‘Marcel’ published at the ever-awesome Fanzine. Go jump the gun and gift yourself. Oh, yeah, get in contact with me after the first of the month, and I’ll give you my new mailing address. Awesome, thanks! ** Magick mike, Hi, Mike! Awesome! I’m so glad you like it and that the blog could do its part! ** Kier, Ha ha, another crazy good name thing. My name is like the word that keeps on giving, or whatever they say. You saw and got to spend oodles of high quality time with Silja! And with Lucifer! Wow, so nice! Yay! I gave you both of my recent day reports up in the Tuesday section. Now I’ll try to do and give you something for tomorrow. Love, me. ** Flit, I’m going to get those. ** James, Hi. The Fama book is truly wonderful. He’s a really good poet. Cool. I got very little packing done due to procrastination, but I have to really, really get into packing, etc. today, as much as I dread it. ** Misanthrope, I was drafted for Vietnam when I was … what, 18, 19? It was terrifying. I consulted with a lawyer, and he said that using the gay out was not that reliable, and that, depending on the mood/attitude of the person at the draft board, they could go, ‘I don’t care that you’re gay, you’re drafted’. So I used the excuse of my having a bad back instead. Which worked. ** Cal Graves, Oh, gosh, thanks, Cal. It’s a total honor to be in position to be able to do that. ** Thomas Moronic, ‘The Motion’ is terrific. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. Thanks. Yes, I need to get the new Millhauser. That’s exciting. How’s it going, maestro? ** Okay. I’m caught up. Let’s start again. But, first, why don’t you listen to some Tim Hecker, eh? Seem like a plan? See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
Fuck yeah. Tim Hecker is one of the best ambient and glitch artists ever.
Hecker reminds me of terry Riley in some ways. John Cage in others.
Quite interesting overall.
Thanks for the heads-up about the Sacks piece on Spaulding Gray. Here's a link to it.
Sacks simply overflows with compassion for other people — all the time. Rather essential for a doctor but its more than that with him. A very complex dude.
Here's a "think" piece about France. What say you, Dennis?
Stokoe self-published some copies of COLONY OF WHORES in attempt to reach the attention of publishers or, possibly, screenwriters or film producers who might be interested in adapting it. He only wanted to make it available for a limited time so that it didn't compete with a "real" run. But it looks increasingly likely that this will be the book's only exposure in the English-speaking world.
Latest FaBlog: Regarding That "Lynch Mob" You've Heard So Much About
Os Coop thanks, I wish it did; had to disable style sheets and cut Flash to open this page and it took forever (nettime) to crack a peek. Oh well … it was “free” fingered but XP 32-bit…trust, no one gonna miss this piece…from where it came.
Moving sucks. I use to pack it up every September; but now since I have been in the same broke location … I get ansiedade every September…run run run.
Comp up the house party. Do they dance in France? People who didn’t know me in Boston asked if I was from Canada when I cut the shapes… when I was in Canada they called me New York… I don’t know what that means…
Thomas, I am a fan of Hecker and your mix-tape even though I had to replay your choices in my head. Fuck.. all my Hecker tracks are stuck on the crashed drive…I will leech it out some how…I will!
@ Thomas, I've been wanting to get to know the work of Tim Hecker more fully for ages, so this Mixtape presents the ideal opportunity. Thank you!
@ DC, yeah the Marc Almond gig tomorrow is a kind of new material/greatest hits hybrid, his last ever tour but there'll still be plenty more one off concerts to come. I'm greatly looking forward to it and will provide a full report accordingly.
I've resolved to instigate a few life changes, each one distinct but all interrelated, a 4 way of resolutions: ART101 will be completed and I'll use that to kick start my art practice again, I will look for a new job, I will learn to drive and hopefully even get a car, and I will also get a girlfriend. Now that I've completed the move into the new flat, I can try and get the rest of my life in order.
I have one Hecker album but have been meaning to check out more of his work.
Here's my review of Ethan Hawke's documentary SEYMOUR: AN INTRODUCTION. I didn't say this in the review, but I got the vibe that Seymour is a closeted gay man.
"Out 1" is coming to Blu-Ray!
Classical pianists are a lot like television Weathermen steevee. Glenn Gould (who one might argue was not really a pianist at all but rather a musician who used the piano) being the Exception That Proves The Rule (and the Gayest Straight man EVAH!)
Hey dennis
got back from LA
i managed to make it to see the william pope.l show. loved it. that white room with just the black box and the photograph in a corner was really powerful i thought. gave me a nauseating feeling. i liked the reading room in there too, thought it was a nice touch to be able to sit down and think through his stuff. i loved the fuschia series too…although i couldn't make out much of what was said.
did you get a chance to see parker ito's show at chateau shatto? i went there on a hot day, totally crazy exhibition. so ADD i thought you'd be into it.
xx john
Well, I didn't put my suspicions into print because some of the reasons are rather stereotypical: Seymour seems rather fey and he tells his male students to embrace their feminine side. But I also found it suspicious that Hawke never mentions anything about partners of any gender at any point in his life. I suppose it's possible that Seymour's a heterosexual loner, but all this rang my gaydar.
As does the very attractive Kevin Corriveau, Al Jazeera America weatherman.
Dennis – My pleasure! And exciting about the skills/potential effects of the skills of the new Kindertotenlieder performer.
Damian Ark – I thought you might be a fellow Hecker fan. Cool.
DavidEhrenstein – Yeah, I get the Terry Riley thing, for sure.
Flit – Cool, man. Nice to know there are other Hecker fans round this place. Makes sense, actually.
_Black_Acrylic – Hey Ben. Oh good – hope you enjoy it. He's pretty great. Exciting about your art practice as well.
steevee – Cool. Which album have you got? He's got so many strong records.
thomas, thanks for the hecker intro!
hey indentured servant, RIP magician clown piece. congrats on finding sylvain! sounds like a godlike match. that's really cool. last night i puked for like a half an hour, and then i couldn't sleep, so i ended up with about a total of three hours sleep before going to work. bad start. i was kind of looking forward to going to work, but as i sat in our morning-meeting i just started feeling really shit. the thing is, my boss, the farmer, is really good at what he does, but he's like incapable of giving praise or showing appreciation for the work people do, and it's kind of started to get to me. plus, he always overlooks me and goes straight to my one co-worker with any new info about the animal-routine, or to ask how we're doing, even though i've worked there longer than her, and i'm just as good at my job as she is. it just feels like i've been really good at the job for so long and i get fuck-all in return. whiney, i know. at least the animals are grateful. anyway it all sort of added up to a terrible day and me crying in the hayloft, haha. but i muddled through. after work i went to a symphony orchestra concert, my first proper one. they played mahler's 5th symphony, that's the one from 'death in venice,' and i'm really into it. it was really good, at times so beautiful it almost felt redeeming just to hear it. the violinists kind of moved like waves as they were playing, it was cool to watch. tomorrow i'm gonna try not to cry at work. that's my mission. gimme yours?
@Thomas-RAVEDEATH 1972.
Kier – You're welcome! And thank you for the birthday wishes the other day! You rule, as always. I love the Death In Venice music. Really heavy.
steevee – That's a great record. Maybe check out Virgins next, if you fancy some more Hecker.
Thomas,
I wished you happy birthday last week, but maybe you missed it? Thanks for the music, I'll listen to this on the bus ride home.
Stevee,
I just read your review of Seymour… Nice. And I'm glad Ethan Hawke isn't tom cruise, he's much more talented than that. After all, he has a small part in one of my most favorite movies of all time, that being Waking Life. Do you live in California, Stevee?
Dennis, how many sq ft is your new apt? I live in 420 sq ft in Seattle with the other half, a laptop and my books (three large shelves). It feels a little crowded at times, but to quote the great philosopher Doug Stone, love grows best in little houses, fewer walls to separate 😉
Xoxo,
James
Steevee… Dumb iPhone
Haha, you don’t wanna know. Damn, London is big. Must have really been some place in the 1800s. I feel like I’m a little Ripper when I’m there. My grandparents lived in Cleveland in the 60’s, grandpa used to say you could set the lake on fire. I think he got stabbed there once. Sunrise in Cleveland is awesomeness. Thanks, right D. Gonna check the blog some. I’ve discovered so much cool music here. Thinking about watching a Steven Siegal movie and figuring out what kind of underwear this boy wears. And I might write a little nasty something. 😀
thomas- i love it
dennis- 'he wasnt a magician clown but more like a show-off-y mime' made my day. where is ktl going to be performed?
xm+
Thomas Moronic, I don't know who Tim Hecker is! Well, I do now, I guess. Okay, please don't think me an asshole for asking this -or anymore of an asshole than I already am- but do you, would you find yourself listening to Hecker's stuff all by itself? Like an album of it on your headphones? Or do you just listen to it as a sort of soundtrack to other stuff, films, performances, that sort of thing? I'm just curious.
Oh, and yeah, I could see it working at a concert or gig or something like that too. I don't know, I just can't see myself listening to it all by itself on my headphones or car CD player or something.
Dennis, First, I miswrote yesterday. DADT came after the first Gulf War, but it was the same with all our conflicts, the gay out was suddenly not very reliable. And I believe that lawyer advised you correctly. Believe it or not, there are military people through all the ranks who just don't give a fuck that someone else is gay.
I have some friends who are military and they all had/have gay guys in their units and are cool as shit about it. That was during DADT and now. Though strangely, more people than ever were kicked out of the military with DADT. It was a strange dynamic and very much depended, as your lawyer said, on the whims of this guy or that one.
But I'm glad you and DavidE are here to tell the tales. Of course.
32 FB friends is kind of…really low. I mean, really really really low. Everybody I know has about 500 or more. This one dude I know has over 5,000! He must be a very friendly guy. I think writes poems or something.
But real life friends, yeah, 32 ain't so bad, you know?
Same thoughts here about horsepussy's site. As I told steevee the other day, it's nothing we all haven't already seen. And of course, there's a lot more extreme stuff than that on the interwebs.
You ever get that instance where someone who doesn't know you well is tell you about something "extreme" -like the 50 Shades of Grey book, for example- and it's all you can do not to roll your eyes just a little bit?
When I'm at the regular building at work, my little smoker friends will bring up shit they see on the internet and automatically look to me because they assume I know about it too, which I do almost 100% of the time. It's a badge of honor, I tell you!
I'm perplexed by the amount of mustaches I'm seeing nowadays.
hey Mr. Moronic,
hell yeah Tim Hecker is sweet. Ravedeath is such an amazing album. I started crying the first time I listened to it. Amazing.
Hey Dennis,
we only read the poems aloud. Is that odd? Seems like something lots of workshops would do.
I just started a job hunt now that classes are slowly dying. And after to go through the tedious process of student apartments.
Have you read anything by Georges Simenon? (That feels like a stupid question.) Im reading his book Pedigree right now and it ' s goodd. Are there any writers that you just despise? or bands? or other artists?
Passion in any direction is always interesting to me.
Salo = Love
frog-bottle-ly
Cal
TM: This is epic. Thank you. Do you like Colleen? I can't stop listening to her new album.
Hi Dennis: The end of the semester is eating my brain. I hope you are well. We just had Bill Berkson up here to read, which was a real treat. And we started talking about Brad Gooch's O'Hara biography and then for some reason I thought of you. xo
gr: that excerpt is excellent.
@James–Thanks for the praise on my review. I think Hawke is happier that he's not Tom Cruise, as I tried to suggest. By the way, I tried to interview him, but it fell apart. I live in New York.
steevee,
You are most welcome, sir. I've read a few of your reviews now and they are pretty spot on.
And also, I imagined you lived in California, in the Castro, within walking distance of the Castro theatre. Catching a jodoworski on a Saturday night. I had it all wrong! I live in Seattle, home of Boeing and Death Cab.
James
Thomas – Great Tim Hecker day. I love his last few albums, but don't know much of his earlier stuff. You have particular recommendations there?
Grant – Looking forward to checking out the excerpt shortly.
Dennis – Saw Sleater-Kinney last night. I'm a huge fan, but this was something special even by their high standards, ecstatic and obliterating. I've never heard Corin sing with such intensity and utter possession. The new songs sounded terrific and they tore through older ones like they were demons they were trying to exorcise. I'm deaf today as a result, but I regret nothing.
My novel is coming along – I've been making what I thought were small refinements and additions (delving deeper into character psychology and fleshing out some interactions a bit more) but they seem to be changing the focus of the book and causing ripples through the rest of the text. I'm at a crossroads where I need to decide about making some major structural changes to one part or going back to an earlier draft entirely. At least it feels like those are my choices. Have you ever encountered anything similar?
I've been to the Castro a few times, and it's an awesome theater. I live within walking distance of the IFC Center, which constantly does Jodorowsky midnight shows, if that counts. And I saw THE DANCE OF REALITY and JODOROWSKY'S DUNE last year.
James – Ah ace – thanks, James. Hope the Hecker/bus combo goes well. I think it will – I've listened to him on a few long train rides and it was pretty beautiful.
white tiger – High five.
Misanthrope – Hey George. Yeah I guess I just listen to Hecker the same as I listen to everything else … Sometimes on its own on my headphones/stereo. Sometimes while I'm writing, doing other stuff. Mainly I probably listen on my headphones and just let it all wash over me or whatever.
Cal Graves – Yeah – Rave Death is so powerful. The live show I saw around the time of that record was one of the best times I saw him play live – he'd definitely nailed a certain something during that period.
gregoryedwin – You're welcome. Hmmm, no I don't think I know of Colleen – I'll try and check some out over the weekend and let you know what I make of it. Cheers!
Chilly Jay Chill – Ah man, I'm envious of the Kinney gig. Glad you had an amazing time. I reckon With TH, his first album is definitely interesting, and Mirages might be a decent place to investigate as well.