Listening with Hands: The Instrumental Impulse and Invisible Transformation in Turntablism Takuro Mizuta Lippit Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. De Montfort University March 2020 Abstract Although the discourse of turntablism revolves around the transformation of sound reproduction devices into musical instruments, narratives of incidental misuses and serendipitous encounters such as Grand Wizzard Theodore’s discovery of the “scratch” or Christian Marclay’s record found on the street, reduce this transformation to singular points in history and fail to capture the gradual process embedded within an artistic pursuit. The compositions, performances, installations, and research presented in this thesis are created through an artistic negotiation with the “instrumental impulse” and an interconnected “instrumental setup” that in turn transforms generic devices into personal musical instruments. These works are contextualized within the innovative works of King Tubby, Grandmaster Flash, Michel Waisvisz, and reexamine both hip hop and experimental turntablism with a practice that explores and exploits tactile characteristics of the technology and media. “Listening with hands” re-envisions turntablism through the dualistic nature of interacting with the turntable – an act that is simultaneously both listening and playing. ii Table of Contents Abstract ⅱ List of works ⅵ-ⅸ List of figures x-ⅺ Acknowledgements ⅻ Chapter 1: Introduction – Overview, Context, and Outcomes 1-12 1.0 Objective 1 1.1 Methodology 1 1.2 Overview 2 1.3 From “Misuse” to “Exploring Sound” 4 1.4 From Instrument to Instrumental Setup 8 1.5 The Experimental Legacy of the Record 9 1.6 Outcomes 12 Chapter 2: The Instrumental Impulse of the Turntable 13-32 2.0 Searching for the Instrumental Impulse 13 2.1 Cutting Records as a Creative Act and Its Challenges 13 2.2 The Pickup Cartridge and Its Modification 17 2.3 “The God of Turntables” and the Technics 1200 Direct-Drive Motor 21 2.4 The Reverse Collection and Reversing Turntable Amplification 24 2.5 Deconstructing the DJ Set 26 2.6 Putting It Back Together – Modified Portable Turntables and Spin Collectors 28 2.7 No “Misuse” or “Reuse” in Turntablism 31 iii Chapter 3: The Crossfader – Invisible Transformations 33-52 3.0 The Crossfader – From Resistive to Smooth 33 3.1 King Tubby’s Traces of the Instrument 33 3.2 Grandmaster Flash and Optimization of Tools 35 3.3 Live Sampling Turntablism 39 3.4 Cut ‘n’ Play – Crossfader-Triggered Sampler 41 3.5 From Instrument to Instrumental Setup 44 3.6 Two Duos with Shane Aspegren and Ken Ueno 47 3.7 Hacking the Rane TTM57mkII 49 3.8 Invisible Transformations of the Instrument 52 Chapter 4 Embedding an Impulse into the Record 53-67 4.0 Records as Instruments 53 4.1 Records Between the Studio and Dancefloor 53 4.2 The Topology of the Battle Record 56 4.3 Dubplates: Mapping Sounds with an Editing Grid 60 4.4 Digital Dubplates: Re-Klocking 65 4.5 Digital Dubplates: dj sniff trio 66 4.6 Embedding an Impulse 66 Chapter 5 Resonating Differences of the Record 68-81 5.0 The Duality of the Turntable 68 5.1 Damage on the Record 69 5.2 Repetitive Differences 74 5.3 The Spin Library: An Archive Towards Nothingness 75 5.4 The Resonating Traces 77 5.5 Drumming 2018 78 5.6 Dualities without Conflict 81 iv Chapter 6: Conclusion 82-88 6.0 “Exploring Sound” to “Listening with Hands” 82 6.1 Future Research Directions 86 Bibliography 89-99 Mediography 100-102 Appendices 103-108 v List of works Compositions 1. Re-Klocking (2018) [Audio] Duration: 4:42 1-1. Digital dubplate used for Re-Klocking [Audio] Duration: 0:19 2. dj sniff trio (2018) [Audio] Featuring Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (drums) and Mitsuhiro Sakaguchi (keyboard). Duration: 4:02 2-1. Digital dubplate used for dj sniff trio [Audio] Duration: 0:51 3. Drumming 2018 (2018) [Audio] Duration: 8:52 3-1. Digital dubplate used for Drumming 2018 [Audio] Duration: 0:30 Performances / Installations 4. Reverse Collection performance (excerpt) with Shane Aspegren for Tarek Atoui’s exhibition on 9th June 2017 at Para-Site Gallery, Hong Kong [Video] Duration: 12:14 4-1. Setup for Reverse Collection [Video] Duration: 0:27 5. Deconstructing the DJ Set performance (excerpt) from 26th January 2018 at Bar Isshee, Tokyo Japan [Video] Duration: 5:55 vi 5-1. Resonating platter [Video] Duration: 0:31 5-2. Direct drive motor [Video] Duration: 0:26 5-3. Plastic cover speaker [Video] Duration: 0:38 5-4. No-input headphones [Video] Duration: 0:26 5-5. Rotating Objects [Video] Duration: 0:11 6. Duo with Shane Aspegren recorded on 17th December, 2015 at City University Hong Kong School of Creative Media (Recording and editing by Vivian Wenli Lin) [Video] Featuring Shane Aspegren on drums. Duration: 6:59 7. Duo with Ken Ueno recorded on 20th December 2017 at GOK Sound Tokyo, Japan. [Audio] Featuring Ken Ueno on vocals. Duration: 10:02 8. Spin Library installation performance (excerpts and full duration) on 1st December 2017 at Vitamin Creative Space Mirrored Gardens Guangzhou, China 8-1. Feedback tones [Video] Duration: 0:22 8-2. Amplifying through vibrations [Video] Duration: 0:18 8-3. Bouncing cartridge [Video] Duration: 0:11 vii 8-4. Objects attached to self-built cartridge [Video] Duration: 0:10 8-5. Balloon feedback [Video] Duration: 0:24 8-6. Spin Library 1st performance full duration [Video] Duration: 17:24 Instrument Research 9. Handmade Records and Noise Turntables workshop (excerpt) on 8th July 2017 at Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF), Sapporo Archive, Japan [Video] Duration: 0:25 9-1. Rubber bands [Video] Duration: 0:09 9-2. Paper record [Video] Duration: 0:07 9-3. Self-built pickup cartridges with objects attached [Video] Duration: 0:18 10. Modified Portable Turntable Instruments (2018-2019) 10-1. Modified Handytrax portable turntable instrument (2018) [Video] Duration: 0:39 10-2. Spin Collectors (2019) made in collaboration with Yuma Takeshita, Kazuki Saita [Video] Duration: 0:42 10-3. Modified National SF-321 portable turntable instrument (2019) [Video] Duration: 0:15 viii 10-4. Modified National SF-321 portable turntable used in performance installation on 2nd July, 2019 at Asian Meeting Festival 2019 Denchu Hirakushi House and Atelier, Tokyo Japan [Video]: Duration: 0:15 11. Evolution of Cut ‘n’ Play and Live Sampling Turntablism (2005-2018) 11-1. LUPA live sampling system (excerpt) on 30th July 2005 at Tank, New York, U.S. (Recording and editing by Vivian Wenli Lin) [Video] Duration: 5:28 11-2. Documentation of composing Re-Klocking with Modified TTM57mkII on 15th March 2018 at home studio, Tokyo Japan [Video] Duration: 5:29 12. Editing Grid for Mapping Sounds on a Rotating Surface (2015-2016) 12-1. First part of Spirit Possession (1978) by Max Roach and Anthony Braxton [Audio] Duration: 0:11 12-2. Edit of Sprit Possession on grid [Audio] Duration: 0:05 12-3. DJ Klock sounds edited on grid for physical dubplate [Audio] Duration: 0:16 All works are including in the accompanying USB memory drive and are also available from this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8etlqvnzgbdbbrc/AADJ- T1EXpdaGxuOtVx4GnVha?dl=0 ix List of Figures Fig. 1: Arnaud Rivière’s modified turntable and cartridge (photo by Rivière used with permission). Fig. 2: Self-built cartridges. Left: copper coils, middle: piezo disc, right: piezo film (photo by author). Fig. 3: Set up for performing with Tarek Atoui’s Reverse Collection at Para-Site Hong Kong 9th June 2017 (photo by author). Fig. 4: Before (left) and after (right) Deconstructing the DJ Set at Bar Isshee Tokyo, Japan on 26th January 2018 (photo by author). Fig. 5: Performance with modified Handy Trax portable turntable at Maiiam Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 23rd February 2019 (photo by Pongnarin Rungroj used with permission). Fig. 6: Spin Collectors (2019) made with Kazuki Saita and Yuma Takeshita. Right: First versions with flexible tone arm. Left: Second version with new tone arm and audio input (photos by author). Fig. 7: Self-built controllers: LUPA (left) and right: Audile (right) (photo by author). Fig. 8: Original flow chart of crossfader-triggered sampler Cut ‘n’ Play (2007). Fig. 9: Instrumental setup consisting of Technics SL1200MK2 turntable, Rane Empath mixer, Mac Mini computer, Stanton SCS3M and Novation Dicer MIDI controller, Motu Ultralite audio interface, and Blippoo Box synthesizer on 11th February 2016 (photo by Shinya Aoyama used with permission). x Fig. 10: Installation of third volume fader, extra buttons, and DC/AC circuit for crossfader (photo by author). Fig. 11: Battle records that map sounds at specific angels of the record - Label with graphics representing notes on Clocktave (left). Label for Secret Of The “Y” Formula (right) with sounds assigned to each angle of the record represented by the tip of the six of triangle-shapes (photo by author). Fig. 12: Max Roach’s drum solo cut to two wave files of 1.8 seconds, approximately the time for one revolution of the record, and mapped on to a circular surface. Fig. 13: Editing grid for placement of sound on rotating surface. Wave file image is of Portfolio: 3-3. Fig. 14: Performance setup for Tarek Atoui’s Spin Library using a laser-cut piece of vinyl at Vitamin Create Space Mirrored Gardens, Guangzhou China on 1st December 2017 (photo by Ryan Lai used with permission). Fig. 15: Setup using digital dubplates for composing Drumming 2018 at home studio in Tokyo 3rd March 2018 (photo by author). Fig. 16: Rane TWELVE (Photo taken from Rane product website: https://www.rane.com/twelve-twelvexus). Fig. 17: Listening session New Shine Nursing House in Tainan Taiwan on 21st November 2019 (photo provided by New Shine Nursing House used with permission).