Following near-constant demand for a new edition, William Basinski has announced a deluxe reissue of his ambient opus The Disintegration Loops. The 8xLP set was newly remastered by Josh Bonati and includes a lengthy foreword by Laurie Anderson. The Disintegration Loops (Arcadia Archive Edition) is out November 7 (via Temporary Residence Ltd.). Watch trailers for the special reissue below. Plus, listen to an excerpt of the newly remastered version of “Dlp 1.1.”
The Disintegration Loops (Arcadia Archive Edition) includes the entire five-hour suite that Basinski originally captured while looping analog tape as it actively deteriorated in the process. All eight vinyl records are housed in full-color jackets featuring the restored original artwork, as does the 4xCD version. The deluxe reissue also includes Anderson’s poetic 1,000-word foreword and a heavyweight, case-wrapped box holding all the materials.
“These dissolving sounds, this emptying space, has gained my complete confidence. They are taking me somewhere. I am willingly following these sounds, becoming more and more transparent,” Anderson writes in her foreword. “I am willingly following these sounds, becoming more and more transparent. And how does it end? The final fade isn’t about the end of the music. It’s like the music continues and I have stepped out of the river and moved away. The music itself is continuous, always there.”
Basinski originally released The Disintegration Loops in 2002. He reissued the album in 2012 for its 10th anniversary. Read about The Disintegration Loops at No. 3 in “The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time.”
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The Disintegration Loops (Arcadia Archive Edition):
01 Dlp 1.1
02 Dlp 2.1
03 Dlp 2.2
04 Dlp 3
05 Dlp 4
06 Dlp 5
07 Dlp 6
08 Dlp 1.2
09 Dlp 1.3