Experiment 2: Breaking Records

This is the second set of experiments that involve the manipulation of vinyl records. This process involves the snapping/cutting of various sized discs into multiple pieces and then taping them together with piece from other disc. This technique originally featured in Knizak’s piece “Broken Music”. In his works Knizak snapped/cut his discs into halves. I decided to build on this approach, and incorporated 1/3 and 1/4 in order to create a variety of new sounds.   

Snapped in ½

For this initial experiment I began by cutting two different 12” singles in half. Using a cut and paste technique in order to create a “mash up” of the two songs, which would result in an entirely new composition. Unfortunately, due to the larger size of the discs the two halves would not stay together and the two pieces continually fell apart on play back. I decided to try this approach again, and instead used 7” singles, as I thought it was more likely that the two halves would remain stuck together. I began by trying to break the two records in half. This proved to be extremely difficult as snapping did not result in a clean break, which would make taping the two halves together difficult. I decided to cut the records with scissors and this technique proved to be far more effective and created a clean cut down the middle of the disc. The two precisely cut halves made it far easier to reassemble the discs with tape. Initially, I was going to use glue as an alternative technique to the tape, but quickly found that tape was the better solution, as the tape helped to bridge the any gaps between the two halves. I decided to use records from different musical genres, as I believed that this would help to produce an interesting result. I chose to use Breed 77 “World’s on Fire” (heavy metal) and Michael Jackson “Thriller” (pop). I set up my camera and placed the record onto the turntable, and was surprised by the results. The output sounded like two different songs were being badly mixed together. As before, the needle slid across the tape that was holding the two halves together and jumped to find a groove. The sound would cut in and out as the needle jumped between the two halves.

I believe that this was an extremely successful experiment, and an effective way to glitch audio. The audio output was unexpected, and is certainly a technique that I intend to use again. I would like to experiment with other different halves, but I am extremely please with the way these two songs work together to create an entirely new piece.   

Snapped in 1/3

This follows on from the previous broken and reassembled record experiment. However, this time I wanted to find out how the shape of the broken sections affected the audio output. For this experiment I took the following 7” singles, cut and pasted them together - Breed 77 “World’s on Fire”, Phil Collins’ “A groovy kind of love”, and Elaine Page with Barbra Dickson’s “I know him so well”. Both Collins’ and Paige’s records where cut into quarters and taped together with the half of the Breed 77 record. Resulting in a 1/2 and 2 x 1/4’s. 

Again the record was placed onto the turntable and the results where recorded. I found the result were very similar to the broken halves as the needle skipped over the taped sections and cut between the three songs.

Unfortunately, this method was less effective than the 1/2’s as the one half of the record dominated the output, whilst the 2 x 1/4’s were lost. During the playback of this disc took its toll on my turntable causing the needle to break off. This unexpected turn has set me back, as I wanted to test all of the records on my experimental record player. I don’t want to use any of the untested experiments on my main record players, as I worry that they will cause damage. In order to continue I will need to secure another test record player with a cartridge needle. In the meantime, I intend to continue to create new discs ready for the new player.

Snapped in ¼

Fortunately, I was able to pick up another record player, allowing me to finish off the record based portion of my experiments. This time I decided to use equal quarters, and used the following discs - Michael Jackson “Thriller”, Phil Collins’ “A groovy kind of love”, Elaine Page with Barbra Dickson’s “I know him so well” and Spunge’s “Roots”. Due to the brittle nature of the discs it was extremely difficult to ensure that all of the four quarters were clean cuts. This resulted in some overlapping of the vinyl, which I assumed would be difficult for the needle to deal with. I place the disc on the turntable and dropped the needle, and as soon as I did it jumped off straight away. I tried again by placing the needle neared the centre of the disc. The needle stayed on for longer, but it jumped off after just a few seconds. The smaller the piece the more difficult they are to cut and paste back together. As it is difficult to ensure the clean cuts of the disc, it causes overlapping. The needle is just too delicate and cannot move across overlapped vinyl. I don’t think the smaller cut will work for my final project, as the playback time is simply to unpredictable and short.

Overall (Snapped 1/2, 1/3 & 1/4):

Overall I feel that these techniques are an effective way of creating new “mash up” versions of the songs. Whilst the breaking and reassembling of the discs produces a unique result, I am cautious that the record playback time is just too short in order to be effective. The unpredictability of the needle often results in the arm jumping to the end of the record. Further experiments will need to take place to measure if another cutting technique will produce more effective playback results.