After an early period studying economics (BA, Indiana University, 1956) Niblock came to New York in 1958. Initially he worked as a photographer and filmmaker. Much of this activity centered around photographing and filming jazz musicians. Thereafter he made a number of films in a series titled The Movement of People Working. Filmed in primarily rural environments in many countries (China, Brazil, Portugal, Lesotho, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, the Arctic, Mexico, Hungary, the Adirondacks, Peru), the films look at everyday work, frequently agrarian or marine labor. These films are remarkable for their realistic quality and absence of artifice, their use of long takes in high resolution and their supposedly artless juxtaposition of compelling images in vivid colors. These scenes of the movement of human manual labor are treated abstractly without explicit anthropological or sociological meaning. As in the music, a surface slowness is countered by an active, varied texture of rhythm and form of body motion within the frame; this is what Niblock himself considers the ultimate subject matter of his films.
for 'cello, played here by Arne Deforce
info from the composer's website (www.phillniblock.com):
(he writes first about the whole triple album this piece is from)
"These nine pieces were made from March 2003 to January 2005. They were all made (except "Sax Mix") by recording a single instrument with a single microphone. The recordings were direct to the computer/hard disk, most of them using my Powerbook G4, Protools, an M-box and an external firewire drive. The resulting mono sound files were edited to remove breathing spaces, leaving the natural decay of the tone, and the attack of the subsequent iteration of the same tone. Each note was represented by several repetitions, perhaps ten for each tone, of about 15 seconds duration each. Each piece uses a few tones. A simple chord, perhap...
published: 03 Nov 2012
Phill Niblock Interview + Performance at MOCAD
Phill Niblock sat down with us to discuss his career in art, his performance at MOCAD, and why it's so important to listen to his music loud.
A maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde, Phill Niblock combines ideas from minimalist music, conceptual art, structural cinema, systems art, and even political art. Niblock makes thick, loud drones of music, filled with microtones of instrumental timbres which generate many other tones in the performance space. Simultaneously, he presents filmwork that looks at the movement of people working, or sometimes computer-driven black and white abstract images floating through time.
Phill Niblock is an intermedia artist using music, film, photography, video and computers. He was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has been making m...
published: 31 Mar 2014
Phill Niblock – T H I R [2015]
published: 14 Oct 2018
Phill Niblock / Roulette TV excerpt
Phill Niblock performance and interview excerpts from Roulette TV. Visit http://www.roulette.org for more information.
for 'cello, played here by Arne Deforce
info from the composer's website (www.phillniblock.com):
(he writes first about the whole triple album this piece is f...
for 'cello, played here by Arne Deforce
info from the composer's website (www.phillniblock.com):
(he writes first about the whole triple album this piece is from)
"These nine pieces were made from March 2003 to January 2005. They were all made (except "Sax Mix") by recording a single instrument with a single microphone. The recordings were direct to the computer/hard disk, most of them using my Powerbook G4, Protools, an M-box and an external firewire drive. The resulting mono sound files were edited to remove breathing spaces, leaving the natural decay of the tone, and the attack of the subsequent iteration of the same tone. Each note was represented by several repetitions, perhaps ten for each tone, of about 15 seconds duration each. Each piece uses a few tones. A simple chord, perhaps. Additional microtonal intervals were produced in Protools using pitch shift. The pieces were assembled in multitracks, usually either 24 or 32 tracks. The recording environment varied from a simple apartment in Berlin (Ulrich Krieger's) to a very large hall used for symphony orchestra performances and recordings, with a sizable audience space (Deutschland Radio, Cologne). The recordings were generally done quite closely miked.
One hears only the sound of the instrument. There is no electronic manipulation in the recording, the editing of the tones, or in the mix. The only changes to the recorded tones are the pitch shifts to create microtones. The microtones are doing the work.
"Harm" (24:43, March 18, 2003) Arne Deforce, cello . The recording of the tones was done by Johan Vandermaelen (Amplus) in the Orpheus Institute in Gent, Belgium, direct to the hard drive. The piece was finished in Berlin and premiered at Maerz Musik Festival (the day after finishing). It was commissioned by Maerz Musik."
for 'cello, played here by Arne Deforce
info from the composer's website (www.phillniblock.com):
(he writes first about the whole triple album this piece is from)
"These nine pieces were made from March 2003 to January 2005. They were all made (except "Sax Mix") by recording a single instrument with a single microphone. The recordings were direct to the computer/hard disk, most of them using my Powerbook G4, Protools, an M-box and an external firewire drive. The resulting mono sound files were edited to remove breathing spaces, leaving the natural decay of the tone, and the attack of the subsequent iteration of the same tone. Each note was represented by several repetitions, perhaps ten for each tone, of about 15 seconds duration each. Each piece uses a few tones. A simple chord, perhaps. Additional microtonal intervals were produced in Protools using pitch shift. The pieces were assembled in multitracks, usually either 24 or 32 tracks. The recording environment varied from a simple apartment in Berlin (Ulrich Krieger's) to a very large hall used for symphony orchestra performances and recordings, with a sizable audience space (Deutschland Radio, Cologne). The recordings were generally done quite closely miked.
One hears only the sound of the instrument. There is no electronic manipulation in the recording, the editing of the tones, or in the mix. The only changes to the recorded tones are the pitch shifts to create microtones. The microtones are doing the work.
"Harm" (24:43, March 18, 2003) Arne Deforce, cello . The recording of the tones was done by Johan Vandermaelen (Amplus) in the Orpheus Institute in Gent, Belgium, direct to the hard drive. The piece was finished in Berlin and premiered at Maerz Musik Festival (the day after finishing). It was commissioned by Maerz Musik."
Phill Niblock sat down with us to discuss his career in art, his performance at MOCAD, and why it's so important to listen to his music loud.
A maverick presen...
Phill Niblock sat down with us to discuss his career in art, his performance at MOCAD, and why it's so important to listen to his music loud.
A maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde, Phill Niblock combines ideas from minimalist music, conceptual art, structural cinema, systems art, and even political art. Niblock makes thick, loud drones of music, filled with microtones of instrumental timbres which generate many other tones in the performance space. Simultaneously, he presents filmwork that looks at the movement of people working, or sometimes computer-driven black and white abstract images floating through time.
Phill Niblock is an intermedia artist using music, film, photography, video and computers. He was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has been making music and intermedia performances which have been shown at numerous venues around the world including the Museum of Modern Art; The Wadsworth Atheneum; the Kitchen; the Paris Autumn Festival; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; Institute of Contemporary Art, London; Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; ZKM; Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard; World Music Institute at Merkin Hall NYC.
Program:
Music by Phill Niblock:
Hurdy Hurry (1999) Jim O’Rourke, hurdy gurdy (recorded samples)
FeedCorn Ear (2013) Arne Deforce, cello (recorded samples)
Sethwork (2003) Seth Josel, acoustic guitars played with E-bow (recorded samples)
Vlada BC (2013) Elisabeth Smalt, viola d'amore (recorded samples)
Images by Phill Niblock:
The 'Movement of People Working' series, Film/Video â€" China 88, Portugal, Lesotho
Phill Niblock sat down with us to discuss his career in art, his performance at MOCAD, and why it's so important to listen to his music loud.
A maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde, Phill Niblock combines ideas from minimalist music, conceptual art, structural cinema, systems art, and even political art. Niblock makes thick, loud drones of music, filled with microtones of instrumental timbres which generate many other tones in the performance space. Simultaneously, he presents filmwork that looks at the movement of people working, or sometimes computer-driven black and white abstract images floating through time.
Phill Niblock is an intermedia artist using music, film, photography, video and computers. He was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has been making music and intermedia performances which have been shown at numerous venues around the world including the Museum of Modern Art; The Wadsworth Atheneum; the Kitchen; the Paris Autumn Festival; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; Institute of Contemporary Art, London; Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; ZKM; Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard; World Music Institute at Merkin Hall NYC.
Program:
Music by Phill Niblock:
Hurdy Hurry (1999) Jim O’Rourke, hurdy gurdy (recorded samples)
FeedCorn Ear (2013) Arne Deforce, cello (recorded samples)
Sethwork (2003) Seth Josel, acoustic guitars played with E-bow (recorded samples)
Vlada BC (2013) Elisabeth Smalt, viola d'amore (recorded samples)
Images by Phill Niblock:
The 'Movement of People Working' series, Film/Video â€" China 88, Portugal, Lesotho
for 'cello, played here by Arne Deforce
info from the composer's website (www.phillniblock.com):
(he writes first about the whole triple album this piece is from)
"These nine pieces were made from March 2003 to January 2005. They were all made (except "Sax Mix") by recording a single instrument with a single microphone. The recordings were direct to the computer/hard disk, most of them using my Powerbook G4, Protools, an M-box and an external firewire drive. The resulting mono sound files were edited to remove breathing spaces, leaving the natural decay of the tone, and the attack of the subsequent iteration of the same tone. Each note was represented by several repetitions, perhaps ten for each tone, of about 15 seconds duration each. Each piece uses a few tones. A simple chord, perhaps. Additional microtonal intervals were produced in Protools using pitch shift. The pieces were assembled in multitracks, usually either 24 or 32 tracks. The recording environment varied from a simple apartment in Berlin (Ulrich Krieger's) to a very large hall used for symphony orchestra performances and recordings, with a sizable audience space (Deutschland Radio, Cologne). The recordings were generally done quite closely miked.
One hears only the sound of the instrument. There is no electronic manipulation in the recording, the editing of the tones, or in the mix. The only changes to the recorded tones are the pitch shifts to create microtones. The microtones are doing the work.
"Harm" (24:43, March 18, 2003) Arne Deforce, cello . The recording of the tones was done by Johan Vandermaelen (Amplus) in the Orpheus Institute in Gent, Belgium, direct to the hard drive. The piece was finished in Berlin and premiered at Maerz Musik Festival (the day after finishing). It was commissioned by Maerz Musik."
Phill Niblock sat down with us to discuss his career in art, his performance at MOCAD, and why it's so important to listen to his music loud.
A maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde, Phill Niblock combines ideas from minimalist music, conceptual art, structural cinema, systems art, and even political art. Niblock makes thick, loud drones of music, filled with microtones of instrumental timbres which generate many other tones in the performance space. Simultaneously, he presents filmwork that looks at the movement of people working, or sometimes computer-driven black and white abstract images floating through time.
Phill Niblock is an intermedia artist using music, film, photography, video and computers. He was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has been making music and intermedia performances which have been shown at numerous venues around the world including the Museum of Modern Art; The Wadsworth Atheneum; the Kitchen; the Paris Autumn Festival; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; Institute of Contemporary Art, London; Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; ZKM; Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard; World Music Institute at Merkin Hall NYC.
Program:
Music by Phill Niblock:
Hurdy Hurry (1999) Jim O’Rourke, hurdy gurdy (recorded samples)
FeedCorn Ear (2013) Arne Deforce, cello (recorded samples)
Sethwork (2003) Seth Josel, acoustic guitars played with E-bow (recorded samples)
Vlada BC (2013) Elisabeth Smalt, viola d'amore (recorded samples)
Images by Phill Niblock:
The 'Movement of People Working' series, Film/Video â€" China 88, Portugal, Lesotho
After an early period studying economics (BA, Indiana University, 1956) Niblock came to New York in 1958. Initially he worked as a photographer and filmmaker. Much of this activity centered around photographing and filming jazz musicians. Thereafter he made a number of films in a series titled The Movement of People Working. Filmed in primarily rural environments in many countries (China, Brazil, Portugal, Lesotho, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, the Arctic, Mexico, Hungary, the Adirondacks, Peru), the films look at everyday work, frequently agrarian or marine labor. These films are remarkable for their realistic quality and absence of artifice, their use of long takes in high resolution and their supposedly artless juxtaposition of compelling images in vivid colors. These scenes of the movement of human manual labor are treated abstractly without explicit anthropological or sociological meaning. As in the music, a surface slowness is countered by an active, varied texture of rhythm and form of body motion within the frame; this is what Niblock himself considers the ultimate subject matter of his films.
Phill Niblock, the legendary avant-garde composer and filmmaker, has died at the age of 90. Niblock, who was known for his pioneering work in minimalist drone music, passed away on Monday (January 8), according to his official website.
Phill Niblock Cause of Death and Obituary... How did Phill Niblock Die? What happened to Phill Niblock?. Recently, it is being told by the family of Phill Niblock that Phill Niblock is no more with us ... Thank you, Phill Niblock ... Who was Phill Niblock?.
Phill Niblock, NYC, 2022, by Lawrence English. Phill Niblock once wrote of his recordings, "You should play the music very loud ... Phill Niblock’s music held time ... As a filmmaker too, Phill Niblock ...
Alberto ColomboCause of Death and Obituary. FamousItalian racing driver Alberto Colombo died on January 7, 2024 at the age of 77. His family is very sad due to his death ...R.I.P ... Read Also – Phill Niblock Dies at 90. How did Phill Niblock Die? ....
Phill Niblock, the acclaimed avant-garde composer known for his pioneering work in minimalist drone music, has died, The Wire reports. No details of Niblock’s death are available at present ... Niblock was born in Indiana in 1933.
... were contemporary drone ambassadors during the late ’90s wave when Tony Conrad, Charlemagne Palestine, Angus Maclise, and Phill Niblock were quietly, patiently getting their CD rediscoveries.
Asha Sheshadri, photo by Adam Morosky ...Marginal Consort are a four-piece collective from Japan ... I have seen them twice before ... Alga Marghen has also released (much of it for the first time) some early work by Phill Niblock, called Boston Tenor Index.
Photo by Igor Krenz. The organ sounds heavy. Successive waves of sound flow over each other and stratify. One can feel as if they are out of tune; the instrument sounds fragmented ... It recalls the records by KaliMalone, SarahDavachi, or Phill Niblock.
Kasai. The cassette comeback is back ... As is tradition, that’s triggered national newspapers talking about tapes ... Synthfreq – Vol. 1 ... Vol ... In terms of effect, if not process, it parallels Phill Niblock’s audiovisual ruminations on the nature of work ... ....
