Andrew Sharpley – “Black Ships” on DO or DIY with People Like Us

Andrew Sharpley – “Black Ships” 
Monday 19 May 2014, 7pm
on DO or DIY with People Like Us
http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/pl

Listen online live at 7pm NY Time http://wfmu.org

This broadcast is a based on a series of translations and re-translations of a text in a not-very-good telephone translation app, going backwards and forwards between Japanese and Portuguese and at each stage rendering the result into english – kind of like Chinese Whispers, except not Chinese.  Whats starts out as a tongue twister over the course of 30 re-translations (25 of which are used in the broadcast) ends up as something that sounds like a deranged terrorist, manifesto, talking of bomb blasts and prophets and visas and pain and country.

These short texts, read by my daughter Lia, are set against a backdrop of shifting electronic patterns and acoustic piano that mutates gradually over time as the texts themselves do.

The title, Black Ships (in Japanese, 黒船, kurofune, Edo Period term) was the name given to Western ships arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries.

In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking Goa to Nagasaki. The large ships engaged in this trade had the hull painted black with pitch, and the term came to represent all western vessels. A modern day equivalent for the surprise and confusion the presence of these ships caused, would perhaps be someone in a modern city apartment trying to go to sleep with 4 big black flying saucers hovering outside their window…

With a nod of recognition to the WFMU presenter and exponent of ‘ uncreative writing’ – of which this is an example – I am dedicating it to Mr Kenneth Goldsmith.

– Andrew Sharpley, 16 May, 2014.

Hate People Like Us Remix Double album

(2CD – Remixes of PLU on Staalplaat, deleted) – 1999
(1CD on Soleilmoon) – 1999 

caca

A01. PLU – The First Record
A02. Negativland – What’s Music?
A03. PLU – People Like Modern Clothing
A04. Farmers Manual – Allinone.Remix
A05. PLU – Next Record
A06. Cyclobe – I Believe In Mirrorballs
A07. PLU – Far Out Listening
A08. Bruce Gilbert – Untitled
A09. PLU – Next Record
A10. Dummy Run – Esoplas & Liflewit
A11. PLU – Uh Dear
A12. Req 1 – Untitled
A13. PLU – Handjob
A14. V/Vm – You Want Some More?
A15. PLU – Ready To Fly?
A16. Sniper – Untitled
A17. PLU – Mmm Perfect
A18. Christoph Heemann – Ursula Fährt Ski
A19. PLU – What A Melody
A20. Death in June – Lycra Rally Remixes
A21. PLU – Pure Seduction
A22. Barbed – Barbed 4 People Like Us
A23. PLU – Move It Baby
A24. PLU – I Am Very Happy
A25. Mr Rotorvator – Barry Bonker
A26. PLU – Last Record
A27. Stock, Hausen & Walkman – Keep Going Wee Wee
A28. PLU – One Final Word

B01. Coil – An Apology
B02. Felix Kubin – Broken Lady Symphony part 1
B03. Felix Kubin – Broken Lady Symphony part 2
B04. Felix Kubin – Broken Lady Symphony part 3
B05. Felix Kubin – Broken Lady Symphony part 4
B06. PLU – Good Joke
B07. Xper. Xr. – Stuff Happens
B08. PLU – Tune It Up
B09. Dummy Run – People Like Us Like People Like Us
B10. PLU – Hello Reg
B11. Venoz [TKS] – The Thawes
B12. PLU – Camel
B13. Rehberg & Bauer – Nicolo
B14. PLU – Technology
B15. Katy Brown – Lewes Is A Long Way
B16. PLU – Stewed Prunes
B17. Boyd Rice – Period Piece
B18. PLU – A Little Drink
B19. Dr P Li Khan – Untitled
B20. PLU – Yodelcuckoo
B21. Sons Of Silence – Cockahoop
B22. PLU – Jesus F Christ
B23. Mika Vainio – Untitled
B24. PLU – People Like Us
B25. Coil – The Gimp / Sometimes
B26. PLU – Drive Carefully