James Hoff - How Wheeling Feels When the Ground Walks Away

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4...according to our Mike on Tue 02 Aug, 2011.

This is another of those ones on Pan with the fancy artwork. This time we've got a one-sided picture disc with a riot cop in a gasmask on it. I thought there was a zigzag design printed on the other side but as it turns out it's actually just a circle of zigzags screened onto the plastic sleeve itself! It's great to see a label put this much effort into making their releases look good; it makes you feel like they truly value the music they're putting out, you know? Anyway, here we've got a side of recordings of riots from various places and times in history, often layered up on top of one another. Sometimes it just sounds like crowd sounds, sometimes there's bangs and screams and sirens. At one point in the middle there's a brief guitar intermission. I'm not sure which riot that was recorded at. I like how you just get brief snatches of voices as they're going past and it's so hard to make out any specific words so it's like a radio tuning in and out in places. The long and the short of it here, though, is that we've got a record of recordings of riots. If you're into recordings of riots, this is totally the record for you. Otherwise, we've got one of buffet car announcements on trains if that's more your thing?

James Hoff’s “How Wheeling Feels when the Ground Walks Away” presents an audio landscape comprised of various historic riots, from the concert hall and music venue to the sounds of modern warfare. Presented in surround sound, the work relentlessly envelops the audience as the tumultuous panorama of over-layered riots travel around the gallery. Part of Riot Radio Ballad, which explores the performative and futurist aspects of spoken word, audio, and radio material. Curated by Mark Beasley. Commissioned by Performa. Co-presented by Performa and Artists Space. Produced by Mike Skinner and James Hoff - sound design Mike Skinner and James Hoff.

James Hoff is an artist, editor and art curator living in New York City. He has been working with sound and performance since 2003. He is also co-founder and editor of Primary Information- an organization devoted to publishing lost works of the avant-garde and artists publications vital to discussions in contemporary artistic practice.

The Lp is mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, in a limited edition of 200 copies, pressed on a 140g one-sided picture disc, housed in a silk-screened pvc sleeve with artwork by Kathryn Politis & Bill Kouligas.

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