While reading the profile of Salsburg in Toi , I wondered how many readers knew or understood the Caretaker reference. Is it a number in the single digits?
Naturally, I was intrigued. "An Empty Bliss Beyond This World" is all about looping its source material precisely so, distorting the sound just enough to induce feelings of nostalgia and unease in equal parts. It's deceptively simple, and yet copyists are nowhere to be found for the most part. Kirby noted in interviews that the Caretaker "formula" was a lot tougher than it seemed, and almost dared others to copy him. "Landwerk" is more about using short samples from old records as a springboard to improvisation. The noise and static is there, but Salsburg's guitar playing emerges as the star of the piece. As a parallel approach to the Caretaker, it's entrancing music, albeit somewhat anodyne.
Salsburg's comments about cultural appropriation were revealing about the cultural climate we currently live in. Somehow it's OK for him to curate the Lomax collection for the past twenty years, but using the records as source material for his own recordings is problematic? He probably understands those records more than anyone alive, he's the last person who should be concerned about accusations of exploitation. The 20's klezmer recordings are surely all kinds of wonderful and it would be unfortunate if non-Jews felt uncomfortable turning to them for inspiration.
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