When I started working on this ‘single artist mix’ featuring music and sounds from Arno Peeters, I did not realise that creating a mix-collage based on soundscapes would be more difficult than one based on single tracks.
A soundscape is a collage in itself – and using fragments from soundscapes to build another soundscape is like ripping up a collage and presenting the fragmented details out of their original context, rearranging them to create a new caleidoscopic image.
The original context gets lost, and the result feels like an aural stream of consciousness that may not exactly be “easy on the ears” …. but may prove to be a fascinating exploration of imaginary territories..
Arno Peeters is a musician/artist/sound engineer working from Utrecht, Holland.
Starting from the 80’s techno scene (with Voltage Control, credited to release the very first ‘Acid’ record in the Netherlands), he soon ran into the limitations of the genre and pushed some borders releasing ‘Fuzzy Logíc’ on Djax-Up-Beats, and the even more experimental “Aeroson” soundscape on the legendary Mille Plateaux label.
From there, Arno’s focus has shifted from recording projects to sounddesign and installation projects – partnering with installation artist Iris Honderdos on numerous global ‘social art’ projects.
Looking back on this mix, presenting fragments of Arno’s experimental work (spanning almost 30 years), it appears the overall theme in Arno Peeters work is human communication in all its difficulties – demonstrated most clearly by the collection of voicemail messages in Audentity II .
That particular track, by the way, was also used in one of my earlier mixes – Peinzing – sequencing it into Paul Simon’s ‘Quiet’ and from there into Jon Hassell’s ‘These Times…’ – a particular sequence I have always considered one of the most ’emotional’ of all previous mix-collages.
If you’re looking for strictly ambient mixes, this one will probably not be one to start with.
But hey…did anyone say they all should be ‘easy on the ears’?
The tracklist below may be your source for further exploration of Arno Peeters’ work.
Tracklist
- 00:00 Elements
Autumn Leaves (2007) Compilation - 01:07 Headtrick
Modulation & Transformation 4 (1999) – Compilation - 02:01 Taurus
‘Stars of the Sky’-performance (2010) – Full version - 03:49 Blindside
Soundscape Jakarta (2001) – In commission NPS - 04:26 Soundscape Battle (with Radboud Mens)
Live recording CEM-Festival (2004) – Full version - 06:30 As Death Passes By
Tape (not released, 1988) – Full version - 06:40 Intro
‘Stars of the Sky’-performance (2010) – Full version - 08:20 If You Have a Girlfriend
Tape (not released, 1984) - 08:48 Voltage Control – Yatiyana
To An Undefined Public (1991) – Full version - 12:55 Amunite
Int. Email Audio Art Project Volume 4 (2010) – Compilation - 13:42 Spasms – World on Prozac
Fuzzy Logic (1995) - 16:03 Don’t Breathe a Word
Electro-acoustic Music From The Netherlands (2001) – Compilation - 19:05 Headtrick
Modulation & Transformation 4 (1999) – Compilation - 19:31 Oscillator Concert
Tape (not released, 1983) - 19:48 Drone Cancer – Leo
‘Stars of the Sky’-performance (2010) – Full version - 23:18 Try to be very Zen about it
AeroSon (1996) - 24:25 Dawning of a New Era
Tape (not released, 1990) - 24:49 To Ivory Towers
Plugin Drop Out (2002) – Full album - 27:21 Headtrick
Modulation & Transformation 4 (1999) – Compilation - 27:34 SMS 1
Plugin Drop Out (2002) – Full album - 28:53 Scorpio
‘Stars of the Sky’-performance (2010) – Full version - 29:56 M-A
Soundtrack for a fashion short by Martijn Berk (2010) – Full version - 30:22 Amorph
AeroSon (1996) - 31:43 Audentity II
AeroSon (1996) - 34:53 Spasms – What’s Going Down and Why am I going with it
Fuzzy Logic (1995) - 35:52 Twinthought – Insanity Shake
Tape (not released, 1986) - 38:06 Mayrau “Fossil Sounds, Memory Mining”
Fossil Sounds, Memory Mining - 40:31 NVDK Soundscape
Night of Art, Music and Theatre, Enschede (2008) – Full version - 45:14 Turning to Raseborg
Turning to Raseborg, Finland (2008) – Full version - 48:01 Water Soundtrack
video by Iris Honderdos (2007-2008) – Full version
Download The Peeters Principle Now 88Mb (50:00 min.)
Note: A WAV version (500Mb) from this mix can be downloaded from Arno Peeters’ Soundcloud Page