Various Artists - Broken Channel DVD+CD

Broken Channel presents sound and video interpretations on DVD and CD of the contemporary experience of surveillance, from a range of leading international artists working in sound and video. Featuring newly commissioned musical and video works exploring noises of dissent and visions through the shattered lens of CCTV and surveillance: Coldcut (Ninjatune) with assistance from Outerabongolia look at the police's monitoring of protest and protestors; Kampuchea (aka. Phonem, Morr Music) uses sound from an immigration office to construct a soundtrack with; Ultra Red (Mille Plateaux/Fat Cat) look at the protest at Quebec and on the USA/Mexico border from a participants perspective; Kaffe Matthews & Riz Maslen (aka - Noetropic-ntone) create discordant sound and image from the mute medium of CCTV; and Made (Gescom, Skam) & Battery Operated (C0C0S0L1DC1T1) look at how the control spaces of surveillance can be subverted to create radical new architectures and environments.


The dark and spooky side of techno. Using glitches and dark melodies, an ominous feeling settles in. This CD and DVD set deals with surveillance, how you are always being watched and not usually for your personal well-being. Using snippets of voice from various Big Brother scenes to the NY Video Surveillance Players group to actual footage gathered on location(like the Mexican-American Border Patrol.) From bands I like such as Battery Operated and Made, who is connected with Gescom, to others I am unfamiliar with, like Ultra Red, the sound is technical techno, heavy with emotion but running from authority in sound. There is a CD and DVD here – the DVD is PAL formatted, but plays back fine on my computer, I am watching again as I type – there is a lot of content here! Some of the videos are straight footage dealing with difficult topics, to manipulated footage that starts 'normal' and then goes into the world of AutoCAD-like structure. Maybe these are the plans for your building, housed in the CIA basement for when they need to raid you.(Don Poe)

Listen here