William Basinski at The Wiltern

William Basinski's music is more akin to a science experiment than it is to traditional music. Way back in the 1970s, when he got his start in San Francisco, he started recording the humdrum sounds of faraway traffic, the buzzing of a freezer, and completely random radio broadcasts. He would then cut up all of the sounds and stitch them together to create something incredibly different. This would become the backbone of his adventure into experimental avant-garde music.

In addition to being a celebrated composer, he is also a sound artist, video artist, clarinetist, and saxophonist. As a matter of fact, he once opened for his idol, David Bowie, and won over the audience there with an incredible saxophone solo. He was born in 1958 in Houston, Texas, and was raised in a devout Catholic family but moved around due to his father's work as a scientist who worked for NASA.

He is a classically trained musician who studied composition and jazz saxophone at the University of North Texas. In 1978, using inspiration from the likes of Steve Reich and Brian Eno, he began experimenting and creating his library of samples using reel-to-reel tape decks and tape loops, and throughout the 1980s, he had amassed a huge collection. His moody, meditative sound came about after looping melodies played against each other to create feedback loops, a style for which he has become well known.

Although recorded in 1983, his debut was titled "Shortwavemusic" and was released in 1998 on the sub-label Raster-Norton. He soon followed it up with the self-released "Watermusic" in 2000 on his own label, "2062 Records," and would go on to release a further 28 studio albums right up until 2023.

Ultimately, he has spent a lifetime creating the sounds that would become some of the most revered experimental music around. Now you will get to hear him live at probably one of the most beautiful concerts ever. You cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity, so be sure to grab your tickets before it is too late.