Upon watching episode 1 of ‘The Living Dead’ by Adam Curtis, I have began to formulate a Plunderphonic concept in my head called Nuremberg Jazz (this is just a placeholder).
Essentially, the documentary examines the re-writing and burying of history Post-WW2 with particular emphasis on the Nuremberg Trials, and how the allies attempted to break down the horrific total war into simple terms; Good versus Evil.
Curtis who I regard as an expert documentary and film maker unearths facts not generally known within public knowledge and examines them in a lateral, all encompassing fashion. When watching his films I can’t help but notice the resemblance to an audio-paper, these could quite easily be without visuals instead carried by his narration, samples and excellent sonic choices. I must make note to examine Curtis’s work with a sound Artists ear for the future, I believe this could be a great help in constructing my own audio papers.
THE IDEA- NUREMBERG JAZZ or ECHOS OF NURMEMBERG or SWING16 ’46
Around the 24:00min mark of the documentary Curtis looks at the Nurmemberg Trials from the perspective of the many Allie judges, lawyers, secretaries and workers involved in the trial. In the general history books, the trials focus solely on the Nazi war criminals, the outcome (hanging or imprisonment) and the sentancing of justice. In true Curtis fashion however, he peels back the decades of post-war wallpaper revealing the absolute party everyone had whilst overseeing the ‘making of the new world’.
From interviews with the workers it seemed that the trials were a haven for sex and hedonism encouraged by the imported US jazz records of the 40s. Disregarding the rubble that was the city of Nuremberg (90% of the Cities innocent population were either dead or missing), the trials present a stark contrast to our view of post-war humility. Yes, the evil Nazis had been defeated, but at what cost? Apparently the cost was no longer important.
Taking inspiration from Plunderphonic artists such as The Caretaker, I would like to experiment with US jazz records from the 40s, mainly focused on releases nearing the end of the war and close to the trials-for added relevance. Then using techniques from glitch music and my own destructive collage technique I will create a dark narrative-designed to help people re-evaluate this particular moment in history.
Destroying/Cutting vinyl technique:
- The first and probably the simplest method only uses two tools: an oven and a pair of scissors. The first step is to place your vinyl record in an oven heated to around 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave it in there for about two or three minutes. If you leave it much longer, it could start to melt the vinyl.
- Using a firm pillow or object covering the width of your knees, press down on the record, bending it until it snaps. Can be quite dangerous as the pieces might fly everywhere.