Welcome to the only official site for People Like Us and Vicki Bennett
Since 1991 British artist Vicki Bennett has been working across the field of audio-visual collage, and is recognised as an influential and pioneering figure in the still growing area of sampling, appropriation and cutting up of found footage and archives. Working under the name People Like Us, Vicki specialises in the manipulation and reworking of original sources from both the experimental and popular worlds of music, film and radio. People Like Us believe in open access to archives for creative use. In 2006 she was the first artist to be given unrestricted access to the entire BBC Archive. People Like Us have previously shown work at, amongst others, Tate Modern, Whitechapel Gallery, The Barbican, Centro de Cultura Digital, Maxxi and Sonar, and performed radio sessions for John Peel and Mixing It. She has an ongoing sound art radio show 'DO or DIY' on WFMU. The People Like Us back catalogue is available for free download hosted by UbuWeb. Nothing Can Turn Into A Void – a doc film about People Like Us has been screening in cinemas and festivals since Autumn 2015.
Currently, Vicki is focussing on expanding a/v work for a multiscreen and multi-speakered environment with RML Cinechamber, with 10-screen work "Gone, Gone Beyond". Also a new People Like Us live performance "The Mirror" premiered at Onassis Cultural Centre Athens in Spring 2018 and now tours worldwide. October 2018 saw the release of a new CD/online album also called The Mirror. Vicki is a participant in Sound and Music New Voices 2018 programme, a-n Artist Bursaries 2019 recipient, and is Hallwalls Artist in Residence from 2019-2020.
PEOPLE LIKE US “THE MIRROR” LIMITED EDITION (500) CD & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Cutting Hedge SNIP002 (available initially mailorder only from us) RELEASE DATE 1 OCTOBER 2018
This album contains all new audio work, sourced from both our live a/v performance The Mirror [2018], and also from Gone, Gone Beyond [2017+], our ongoing 360 surround cinema work. It also contains additional tracks composed during the creation of these pieces that never were used.
We are joined on two tracks by Ergo Phizmiz, and the packaging has artwork from the above works and also specially made for the CD. Two collages are made in collaboration with other artists Peter Knight and Hearty White. The CD was mastered by Mark Gergis.
Yes! A NEW PEOPLE LIKE US ALBUM! The never before released soundtrack to the People Like Us live a/v performance (and now stand alone film) Citation City.
Thanks to all those who have pre-ordered Abridged Too Far on vinyl LP – we now have it here to deliver and these will be posted imminently. If you would like one then please do go and order one now! Thank you Discrepant!
PEOPLE LIKE US – ABRIDGED TOO FAR [Discrepant LP CREP41] Release date 31st March 2017 – available now!
ABRIDGED TOO FAR is the first of a series of vinyl by Discrepant to celebrate this being the 25th year of People Like Us publishing albums. First released in digital-only form in 2004 exclusively for UbuWeb, this album includes Vicki’s John Peel session and performances for WFMU, amongst others, both from 2003, and now comes packaged with brand new artwork designed by Vicki Bennett.
Release date: 31 October 2013 Cutting Hedge SNIP001
The music on this album was composed between 2006 and 2013 initially for five different live performances of moving image and sound.
Performance sources:
Lyrics in Libraries (2006) | Genre Collage (2009) | People Like Us & Ergo Phizmiz Live at Cafe Oto (2009) | The Magical Misery Tour (2011) | Consequences (One Thing Leads To Another) (2013)
Some of the tracks listed above also have a moving image representation in People Like Us in UbuWeb Film
“Don’t Think Right, It’s All Twice” by People Like Us Release date: 31 October 2013 (preorder 7 October) Cutting Hedge SNIP001 (available initially mailorder only from us)
About: It’s always felt important that my work be a total experience, not singularly appealing to either the eye or ear, for it to be as integrated an experience as possible. The music on this album was composed between 2006 and 2013 initially for five different live performances of moving image and sound. Since publishing formats have developed in recent years we’ve found the internet serves us really well as a distribution tool in the gift economy. One can find the accompanying visual elements of some of this music at ubu.com/film/plu.html. However, as well as the eye and ear is the sense of touch, and there is nothing like holding the object as well! — Vicki Bennett
Performances sources: Lyrics in Libraries (2006) | Genre Collage (2009) | People Like Us & Ergo Phizmiz Live at Cafe Oto (2009) | The Magical Misery Tour (2011) | Consequences (One Thing Leads To Another) (2013)
We are dedicated to providing as much as possible for free or as cheaply as possible and strong encourage others to invest in the gift economy. We realise this is a couple more dollars than we’re usually charging but we are financing this ourselves and need to recoup costs. It is unlikely we will profit from this but we do need to make ends meet! We hope you understand, and continue to appreciate how much we continue to also give much for free 🙂
PRESS IMAGES
CD Cover, 300dpi
Video trailers from three of the live performances:
The 2010 collaboration between People Like Us & Wobbly which became the CD “Music For The Fire” is now available for mp3 download at UbuWeb.
The fruit of many years of work, this album began as People Like Us & Wobbly collected and collaged their way through various depictions of misfired communications and heartbreak sourced from popular culture for a series of live improvisations. Music For The Fire is a plunderphonic concept album depicting the lifespan of a relationship, as told through samples of hundreds of different songs and voices who had no idea they were all telling the same story until they were all spliced together.
