Various Artists | invalidObject Series
3" CD/MP3 | F.0014.0001 - .0024
The 'invalidObject Series' was established in 2000 as a sublabel of Fällt to release a finite series of twenty four 3" CD / MP3 works.
Matt Ffytche (The Wire) states:
"If Harry Smith's 'Anthology of American Folk Music' attempted to preserve something of the land and the folk that was historically lost, the 'invalidObject Series', 360 tracks on 24 3" CDs by 'some of the most respected artists operating within the field of '.microsound'', is a strange reversal of that concept - an attempt to make the present disappear into its own electronic micro traces, to hold a seance with the non-existant.
"Here one finds instant rituals derived from the most contingent or unlocatable events: from Steve Roden rubbing a contact mic on his foot for one minute to *0's bursts of barely audible extreme high and low frequency soundwaves. From 'folk' to 'invalidOjects': an encyclopedia of non-events won out of thin air and electricity.
"The more one probes this project, the more unusual and admirable it is. First off, there's the penchant of Fällt's owners, Christopher Murphy and W. Conrad Röntgen, for giving obscure and often disconnected data a ritual form.
"24 artists were approached to produce a 15 minute 3" CD, and each was to take as their title one term from the "original 24 JavaScript reserved words" such as 'default', 'do', 'void' and so on. Each 15 minutes was to be further subdivided into one minute segments, giving artists the options of producing 15 one minute tracks, which is generaly the case, or notionally dividing a single work into 15 segments. Such shared conditions create a strange and tantalising counterpoint to the sheer variety and contingency of the content."
Offering a unique perspective on a diverse range of musical output at the turn of the millennium, the series features work by some of the most respected artists operating within the field of '.microsound' and has been described as "a remarkable document of a vibrant artistic community and a critical moment in the evolution of digital music" (Philip Sherburne), "a showcase for the extraordinary range of practical approaches within contemporary electronic music" (Matt Ffytche, The Wire) and, simply, "impressive" (Rob Young, Editor, The Wire).
The 'invalidObject Series' was included in The Wire's '2001 Rewind' list. The artwork for the entire series was also featured in Adrian Shaughnessy's 'Sampler 3'.
To coincide with the Series launch in MP3 format at ExtraSensory 3 the entire Series was made available for free download throughout October and November 2000 during which in excess of 60,000 downloads were made. Following the release of the 3" CDs, the entire Series was again available to download in high bitrate MP3 format throughout September and October 2001 during which over a quarter of a million downloads were made. The Series is now available freely in MP3 format on an ongoing basis.
Each release in the 'invalidObject Series' was pressed as a limited edition of 250 3" CDs of which 100 copies were editioned as 24 CD boxed sets. Each 3" CD is housed in a full-size clear jewel-case with two-colour packaging - in Pantone™ metallic and black - designed by Fällt designers Fehler collaborating with Alorenz, Berlin.
Fällt are grateful to the following: the artists who contributed their time and energy wholeheartedly to this project and embraced the idea of offering their work freely in MP3 format; Angela Lorenz, for her invaluable assistance in nurturing the design; and finally to Cara Murphy, for her help on seemingly endless late nights packaging and dispatching CDs.
What the critics say...
"A showcase for the extraordinary range of practical approaches within contemporary electronic music."
Matt Ffytche, The Wire
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