MP3: Folke Rabe - Argh!
Folke Rabe is a Swedish composer, probably best known for his piece "What??", an early example of modern drone/minimalism that premiered in 1967. I am not nearly as familiar with his oeuvre as I should be, but after seeing his name in the lineup for May's "Swedish Outsiders" festival in London, I wanted to revisit the one piece of his I do have, "Argh!" (1965). "Argh!" is a work of sound collage, created back in the time of analog tape manipulation. Even without that consideration, this is an amazing piece of editing and layering, long pre-dating the similar, infamous sound experiments performed by Negativland that gained them notoriety. Voices come and go, melodies slip in and out, but it holds your attention all the while. In some ways, I think it works even better now with the added layer of nostalgia as the sound sources are obviously from a bygone era. Also, it's important to remember that there were no sampling laws back then, so anything was fair game. Can you imagine negotiating the clearances on something like this now? No question about it, it just wouldn't happen. So, however you want to listen to this, be it for technical or aesthetic or even historical appreciation, I think all approaches work. It's a remarkable composition.
Folke Rabe - Argh!