Yoshi Wada

The long drone is a meditative musical form that rewards patience and, ultimately, forgetting. This fourth and final EM Records reissue of minimalist works by Fluxus artist Wada is a live performance from 1974. Four specially prepared long-necked horns are played then electronically recycled to harmonize with the room's natural resonance. Despite the extended duration (77 minutes of the original 160-plus minute performance) and arguable stasis of the sound there is an ever-present humanity to the piece. Unlike purely electronic drone constructions (like Jim O'Rourke's recently reissued Long Night), the players' limitations of breath and wavering tone due to the odd instrumental properties keep their presence more obvious. Also, the live recording picks up extraneous room noises such as an irritated baby, a woman with a throat tickle and chair legs scraping from time to time. At its heart Earth Horns is an immersive experience, almost like a floating isolation tank, which comes from paying less direct attention, forgetting the sound and even yourself.