Living in the present

28,00

only 5 left

about the record

"Living in the present is an album built around the work of American minimalist poet, Robert Lax (1915-2000) who is widely praised for his artistic concept of reduction, in which a pause becomes as important as the things said.

The album brings together the sound of Robert Lax reading his poetry, narrative field recordings by Nicolas Humbert and subtle yet imaginative timbres by Carina Khorkhordina (trumpet) and Miki Yui (electronics) who is also behind the final mixing of the album.

Living in the present is drawing from an archive of audio recordings originally made by film maker Nicolas Humbert while shooting a film on Robert Lax entitled Why Should I Buy A Bed When All That I Want Is Sleep?, ( Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel, Germany, 1999) The film was made on the Greek island of Patmos where Lax has lived withdrawn for 3 decades.

More than 25 years after the premiere of Why Should I Buy A Bed When All That I Want Is Sleep?, Humbert, Khorkhordina and Yui are revisiting the original audio material and patiently open worlds within worlds, pointing to new harmonic textures and isolating timbres, synchronizing different layers of time and traces of various locations into a new composition in its own right.

Lax’s poetry is notable for its qualities of near-stillness and its capacity to pause the reader’s thought, asking them to hold the sensuality of language for an extended, quietly revelatory moment. His readings on this album share a similar cadence, interested in settling with syllables, with single or several words, for an extended time.

Ultimately, Living in the present unfolds with unforced grace and poetics – one moment passes, then another comes on."

- Jon Dale

  1. 1 - Where do i begin? - Part 1 04:15
  2. 2 - Where do i begin? - Part 2 02:30
  3. 3 - Where do i begin? - Part 3 07:23
  4. 4 - Where do i begin? - Part 4 05:49
  5. 5 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 1 05:49
  6. 6 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 2 00:58
  7. 7 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 3 01:55
  8. 8 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 4 03:30
  9. 9 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 5 06:10
Living in the present

28,00

only 5 left

  1. 1 - Where do i begin? - Part 1 04:15
  2. 2 - Where do i begin? - Part 2 02:30
  3. 3 - Where do i begin? - Part 3 07:23
  4. 4 - Where do i begin? - Part 4 05:49
  5. 5 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 1 05:49
  6. 6 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 2 00:58
  7. 7 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 3 01:55
  8. 8 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 4 03:30
  9. 9 - One moment passes, another comes on - Part 5 06:10

about the record

"Living in the present is an album built around the work of American minimalist poet, Robert Lax (1915-2000) who is widely praised for his artistic concept of reduction, in which a pause becomes as important as the things said.

The album brings together the sound of Robert Lax reading his poetry, narrative field recordings by Nicolas Humbert and subtle yet imaginative timbres by Carina Khorkhordina (trumpet) and Miki Yui (electronics) who is also behind the final mixing of the album.

Living in the present is drawing from an archive of audio recordings originally made by film maker Nicolas Humbert while shooting a film on Robert Lax entitled Why Should I Buy A Bed When All That I Want Is Sleep?, ( Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel, Germany, 1999) The film was made on the Greek island of Patmos where Lax has lived withdrawn for 3 decades.

More than 25 years after the premiere of Why Should I Buy A Bed When All That I Want Is Sleep?, Humbert, Khorkhordina and Yui are revisiting the original audio material and patiently open worlds within worlds, pointing to new harmonic textures and isolating timbres, synchronizing different layers of time and traces of various locations into a new composition in its own right.

Lax’s poetry is notable for its qualities of near-stillness and its capacity to pause the reader’s thought, asking them to hold the sensuality of language for an extended, quietly revelatory moment. His readings on this album share a similar cadence, interested in settling with syllables, with single or several words, for an extended time.

Ultimately, Living in the present unfolds with unforced grace and poetics – one moment passes, then another comes on."

- Jon Dale

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