One of my prized possessions, the long out-of-print vinyl A Red Score In Tile, gets a much-needed CD re-release for wider distribution.

Boomkat describes the album:

Composed way back in 1979, ‘A Red Score In Tile’ eventually surfaced as a vinyl-only edition in 2003. Made up of piano, this shows Basinski’s patented tape-loop technique perfectly and still stands as one of his most affecting pieces of music. If you’ve heard ‘Melancholia’ you’ll likely know what I’m talking about, piano notes are transformed into tones by the slowly disintegrating tape, and the loops become motifs all of their own. The beauty of Basinski’s work is in its patience, and this early piece is a testament to that overwhelming skill, a skill that few others possess. There are plenty of people now attempting similar things and recreating these sounds using similar methods but for my money none have come even within ten feet of William Basinski.

I had the good fortune of catching Basinski perform live Thurs night, organized and hosted for free by NYC’s premier independent music shop, Other Music.

Basinski intended to play the album’s original magnetic tape live, though technical constraints forced him to play unreleased material (to the disappointment of no one).