Tell me about split releases

This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound.

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Pigswill
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Re: Tell me about split releases

Post by Pigswill »

Compilations can be good (I'm listening to one now, the 2XLC Techno Club Compilation vol 2). One difference between splits and comps is that compilations are sometimes put together by a third party, like a DJ or fan or whoever else. They can be crafted and take on a life of their own. One example of a successful comp is Freezone 1: The Phenomenology of Ambient, which is a high quality collection of ambient tracks that evoke and sustain a mood differently than their source albums. I can't say I've seen a split that was created by a third party.

Another thing I've also noticed happening more often with compilations is that some of them are unrestricted and uncurated. This results in some weird comps that have artists with 5 minutes of material next to artists with 90+ minute tracks, or just a ton of artists appearing next to themselves for an album's worth of their own work. Some examples are the Divergent Artists: Renumbered and agitations particulaires: s/t compilations. Even though I might like some of the artists on them, I can't say that these kinds of compilations are very enticing.

Anyways, about splits: they're great. I've discovered a lot of musicians from them, like Caboladies from this split they did with Oneohtrix Point Never. They seem to be a way for artists to get their material out there, often on a physical release long enough for an EP/LP, without having to come up with the material on their own.

Artists also invite others to splits as a way to express admiration. A couple of recent ones that I've seen this happen with are the Scum Alice / Eyerolls split Something Perceived, Almost Seen and Scum Alice / Fruit Machine's Ayahuasca Taps. The artists in these make noise, dark ambient, and musique concrete-type stuff, belong to the same community, and simply wanted to put something out while also hearing more from musicians they respect. These kinds of splits usually work well since the musicians try to make something that they think the other artist will enjoy.
RUBBISH wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:10 am Splits are alright.
I prefer compilations and collaborations.
I agree with this. While it's cool to have material from artists at all, the combined creative forces can result in some really strong and memorable work.

This can be tough with some scenes, though, since the artists are often physically apart, so the interactions are already stunted. Then on top of that, trying to work digitally can get even more complicated if the musicians are working in different DAWs or have different workflows or whatever else. Then there's the annoyance of uploading/downloading after every change is made, assuming that the work will be passed back and forth multiple times, and on and on
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