Arthur Lang

Biography

My name’s Arthur Lang. I make music. I’ve always found that easier to say than to explain. I started writing and recording when I was young, mostly because it gave me something to focus on. I grew up listening to records in the car with my brother. Long drives with nowhere to go. I’m still trying to capture that feeling in my work. I’ve moved between jazz, film scores and some other things that are harder to put a label on, though I’ve probably shelved more tapes than I’ve released. Somewhere along the way I also ended up with a PhD in acoustics.

Lately, I’m interested in active listening. Too much music just passes through people. I don’t know if that’s a failure of the listener or the music itself. Probably both. I try to compose things that reward you for paying attention, even if they don't make sense the first time around. Most of what you’ll find here is unfinished or "in progress." I put this site up mostly for friends and family who keep asking what I’m working on. If you’re looking for a complete picture, you won’t find one. I tend to leave things open.

Discography

• Mauvaise Foi (1985)
  Style: Piano improvisation · 4-track tape.
• Fågelvägen (1988)
  Style: Field recordings · Noridc jazz · Piano improvisation
• Apophany (1993 • Monad Ljudteknik AB • LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered)
  Style: Ambient
• Sub Rosa (1995 • Monad Ljudteknik AB • LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered)
  Style: Jazz minimalism · Slow tempo
• NOIRIS (1997 • Monad Ljudteknik AB • LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered)
  Style: Noir jazz · Encoded material

LOOPS (work-in-progress)

Repetition opens doors, you know?

• Out of the Past — (404?)
• Call to Memory — (404?)
• Roses — (404?)
• Sonsonate — (404?)
• Opaque — (404?)
• DOORS — (404?)
• ROOMS — (404?)
• Absurd Man — (404?)
• Somewhen — (404?)
• Since You — (404?)
• NULL — (404?)

What caught my attention — Week 38

Monday.
Picked up the new Buena Vista Social Club record on the way home. It’s one of those albums that immediately makes you want to play it again.

Wednesday.
Rewatched In a Lonely Place. It’s strange how comforting that specific brand of cynicism can be. There’s something about a story where nobody gets what they want and the dialogue is sharper than it needs to be.

Thursday.
Spent an afternoon trying to “improve” a recording and ended up preferring the earlier version. Some flaws feel structural once you’ve lived with them long enough.

Saturday.
Read a short article about memory and perception that made me uneasy in a way I couldn’t quite place. I’ve been thinking more about how much of what we remember is reconstruction rather than recall.

Note: Beware the Cat.

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