CD – Heavy Listening
Wow is faithful to the implicit statement of intent in its title. The vinyl confines itself to ultralow frequencies at the limits of human perception and is supposed to be played and amplified using different equipment in order to create divergent playback effects. To better appreciate this acoustic phenomenon the listener is advised to play the record simultaneously on multiple different players, multiplying the effectiveness and the modulations of the cycle of impulses. The author also recommends that listeners manipulate playback speed or even momentarily stop one record in order to generated alternative acoustic experiences. The number of vinyl used, the sound system choices and the spaces in which the broadcast takes place all affect the listening experience. This concept might fall under the category of “radical minimalism”, but setting up the process requires a certain amount of work and involves a degree of complexity that leads to another thought: whether or not we are able to obtain the Wow, the results also depend on the synchronization of the sound sources and on the rhythmic spaces created by the overlapping tones. Different performances have been made using the vinyl, which was released in a limited edition of 333 copies by Heavy Listenings. The original tracing of the recording in silver has been shown several times, and not without irony – it has been called “MOM” and is on-sale at the not-so-moderate price of €33,333.33.