Technological Retreat Radio Mixes 1985-1989
Technological Retreat Radio Mixes 1985-1989
Minneapolis, MN
Between the hours of 1am and 6am, in the late 1980s, Greg Carr created a show called Technological Retreat on community radio station KFAI in Minneapolis. Long before mash-ups, Carr worked multiple turntables, tape loops, field recordings, and sundry effects into "surreal radio minced with audio minglings and mutant responses..." mixed live into a free-form sound collage.
Relocating to Minneapolis from the West, Greg spent a lot of time exploring the urban landscape: "Walk down the street talking to someone and a plane goes overhead as traffic goes by and there's different music and talking coming out of different places all at the same moment as a dog barks and a plane goes overhead."
Technological Retreat Radio - 1985-1989 Mixes Vol.1 collects some of Greg's favorite moments into a single disc, chopped and reassembled 20 years later into a continuous mix.
From the liner notes: "He made a radio station into a musical instrument, its' turntables and tape players and switches and knobs into the buttons of his clarinet, the strings of his guitar."
Limited to 500 copies. Includes a signed, numbered fragment from a collage inspired by memories of this unique radio show.
NB. This title is not available digitally
This disc is a weird spin...sounding something like two or three radios and televisions being switched from channel to channel during the course of an hour. It is difficult indeed to attempt to rate something like this...so we won't.
- Babysue
...an ecstatic doument. This is analog madness, prime with a technology-regulated aesthetic of rough splices and pure chance. Greg Carr's work is not only beautiful, but communicates the weirdness only radio transmissions could provide and, likewise, the joy one felt when finding something exactly like Technological Retreat gurgling from his pre-dawn speakers.
- Jesse Jarnow, Signal to Noise
Back in my college radio days, I infrequently tried my hand at this sort of thing. It’s harder than it sounds — such collaging requires stamina and foresight — but provides a rush when it all aligns, even if it is ephemeral radio noise. Perhaps you know instinctively that Bach’s violin partitas go well over a Nairobi beat, or that Bruckner and Les Baxter can jive. Effortless gear-shifting is a requirement and Carr is a pro.
- Grant Chu Covell, La Folia
I really enjoyed hearing this! It took me to some nice places. Being from Minneapolis myself I was happy to discover another fascinating facet of my hometown's culture!
- Dr. Demento
One of those rare albums that truly creates a new and compelling sound. Wildly inventive and remarkably modern for its age, this is an invaluable treasure...
- Mike Sapiro, RIFT
