Text by Miguel Isaza
Marking our 50th Mixtape volume, sound artist Richard Chartier has prepared a very special selection of tracks giving an overview of the exquisite work he’s been doing with his label imprint LINE, founded 22 years ago.
Sometimes conceptual, sometimes abstract, sometimes somewhere between the two, or just out of any category, the works published by LINE condense a vast and exotic catalogue of sound art, initially created as a division of the mythical 12k, to later become independent in its own search, permeated by a marked but broad vision of sonic minimalism.
Among LINE’s catalogue, there are true jewels of experimental contemporary music and sound art, such as the legendary Series by Richard Chartier, the compilation Between Two Points, the tribute/non-tribute to John Cage by Lawrence English, and the special Forms of Paper by Steve Roden, considered one of the essential works of the so-called lowercase movement, characterized by music played at low sound levels and lacking in prominence pretensions, a sonic philosophy close to that many of the label’s releases.
Each release is characterized by always bringing true sonic rarities to the label’s universe, one of the most select and diverse catalogues of contemporary sound art, where the meeting of sonority and concept not only satisfies the listener’s ears: it extends them, shows something that is very difficult to find elsewhere.
Chartier shares that this 64-minute mix is a selection of the history of LINE since 2000, focusing on an overlaying of shorter pieces and excerpts to give an idea of the label’s variety of sounds, aesthetics, and compositions. So many of the works on LINE are longer, extended experiences. This is merely a taster.
Read our in-depth LINE label feature.
