Derek Bailey (29 January 1930 – 25 December 2005) was an English avant-garde guitarist and an important figure in the free improvisation movement. Bailey abandoned conventional performance techniques found in jazz, exploring atonality, noise, and whatever unusual sounds he could produce with the guitar. Much of his work was released on his own label Incus Records. In addition to solo work, Bailey collaborated frequently with other musicians and recorded with collectives such as Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Company.
Domestic Jungle by Derek Bailey, Scatter, 2022 on #neuguitars #blog #DerekBailey
Domestic Jungle | Derek Bailey | scatter (bandcamp.com)
(DB plays with radio for a while – horrible noise drowns out our voices on the tape) “The station’s not there now – usually they’ve started by 5.30… They’ve no announcements – when they go off it just stops, when they come on it just blasts in… It’s enormously loud – I get it accidentally sometimes when I’m just fucking about. So I’ve been listening to it, and I really like the way they do it on the radio – I have to say that in recent times it seems to have got softer, a lot less abrasive in some ways. There are more vocal samples, for example… But what I like about the radio is the live quality – although the stuff is records, they don’t leave them alone – they’ll talk over them, advertise gigs, order a pizza – the music’s constant but with interruptions. It’s very live – and with that sustained pace, which of course is inhuman… And it’s nice to play along with, particularly as opposed to free jazz situations where the pace is often very slow. I’ve found it fantastic to practice with. So for a long time I’ve been doing that… I’ve always liked the parts where the music stops and drifts along – you get some ridiculous string orchestra, then it just slips a bit, the pitch goes or they slow it down or something. Then the drums come back – it’s completely meaningless! I like that… What is a pain and can sometimes dilute it is the repetitive – looped or sampled – vocals… The funny thing is, I’ve never heard a jungle record, all I’ve heard has been off the radio…” Derek Bailey [talking to Stefan Jaworzyn]
full interview here
preparedguitar.blogspot.com/2014/01/derek-bailey-interview-by-stefan.html
also
hackneyhistory.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/pirate-radio-in-hackney-early-1990s/
credits
released June 9, 2022
recorded in the 1990s onto cassette by Derek Bailey at home in London
these are private home recordings which were copied (on Derek’s frequently idiosyncratic cassette duplicator) and posted out to interested individuals
except for tracks 08 and 09, which were originally released on David Toop’s compilation “Guitars on Mars” [1997], the collection here comes from two different tapes and the sound quality is [inevitably] wildly variable, but does allow a fascinating and valuable insight into a particular period of Derek’s domestic practice routine
audio restoration by Jim McEwan
with thanks to Karen Brookman, David Toop and Stefan Jaworzyn
©+℗ Compatible Recording & Publishing / Incus Records
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