Charlemagne Palestine
Strumming Music
(Shandar, 1974)
Something strange happens around the halfway point of Charlemagne Palestine’s seminal 52-minute piece, as if the minimal composer/multimedia artist decided to suddenly pick up the pace after lulling us into a sort of deep sleep paralysis. Or at least we think does; the truth is, “Strumming Music” takes on a life of its own from the very start, weaseling its way into your brain on the back of a strictly minimal framework that’s both frustrating and invigorating.
Listen:
