The Disintegration Loops

Originally released sequentially in the early 2000s, this massive box set fully compiles Basinski's accidental masterwork of decay. The project was created by digitizing old pastoral tape loops, only to find the magnetic tape physically crumbling apart as it passed the tape head, resulting in a profoundly moving, real-time audio deterioration. Synchronized with the tragedy of 9/11 occurring visible from his studio window, the work stands as a towering, highly emotional meditation on memory and mortality.