- A groundbreaking track from William Basinski, Preston Wendel and the late, legendary jazz bassist Henry Grimes.
- A few years ago, a more embarrassing version of myself made an observation during a live chat with William Basinski. "Your music is somber and reflective and you are... not that," I said. Basinski, resplendent in velvet, silver jewelry and dark sunglasses, took a beat, then quipped, "You gotta have a sense of humor in this world, oh my god. Otherwise…"
Basinski's latest project, SPARKLE DIVISION, moves away from the reflective and profound tape-loop music upon which he's built his name, instead indulging in the fabulousness that's equally important to his aesthetic. The debut LP from SPARKLE DIVISION, Basinski's duo with Preston Wendel, is a singular mix of lounge, jazz and downtempo electronic music that's intended to be "fun, loving and prone to bouts of euphoria."
"Oh Henry!," one of the first two singles off To Feel Embraced, is a groundbreaking piece of music. Basinski picks up the saxophone while Henry Grimes—the late bassist who played on legendary records from the likes of Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders and Cecil Taylort—plays bass and violin. The track revolves around a bittersweet piano theme which is paired with blistering, footwork-style drums. "Oh Henry!" feels in line with some of the dreamiest DJ Rashad tracks. Basinski and Grimes solo wildly while contributing to the piece's unique stillness. Grimes, the Juilliard-trained free jazz legend has no problem throwing down at 160 BPM. If you saw it live, you'd be stunned. Then you might laugh.