004: my golden record.
i like to imagine that i worked at NASA and got to tell the aliens my desert planet discs myself, but alas i shall share them with you instead.
( x minute read).
an idea by india southgate.
i have decided on a few parameters to make my own golden record so that it is as close to the voyager 1 golden record as possible. since it is intended to be a time capsule that preserves 'a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings.' (president carter), i have decided to primarily include 'musical selections from different cultures and eras'(sagan, wiki), over the diagetic, environmental sounds that were included on the 1977 disc. however, i have neglected including images as i simply do not want to. i would be struggling to pick for too long or just include 100 pictures of kate bush. to keep my selection concise and intentional, i will be limiting my run time to about an hour as that is roughly as much as one could cram on one 12' vinyl record, though i have created two discs as in the origional. in terms of material i would be a contrarian and make it silver, because i can. the songs are ordered intentionally as i wish to have some element of chronology and movement between culture but also some correlation by theme. disc one encompasses examples of cultural music traditions, whereas disc two focusses on more contemorary works.
(listen along with my golden record playlist!!)
disc one:
1. breathe / time by pink floyd (1973)
although i think it's important to illustrate how we humans experience and articulate the experience of time through figurative imagery and metaphor, typically through descriptions of an abstract, fluid, or ephemeral nature, i think it's really funny to start the record off with screaming. i think it would be funny to scare the shit out of the aliens and send them instantly on an extestential crisis. 'breathe' also illustrates the atmosphere and environment of earth. i would have included 'breathing' by kate bush here but i'm easing them in to that... i also think it's important to demonstrate stereo to them. i think they must be adept at electricity already but i don't think that they would have witnessed the beauty of surround sound stereophonics. i hope this stands as a good contrast to what succeeds this track. i think the jump from psycadelic and overlapping sound will really allow the next minimal polyphonic songs to pop.
2. gambangan on bass piano (1940)
gamelan had to be the first world music track on disc one so i can show the aliens the good shit. i have been obsessed with (specifically) balinese gamelan since i watched this beautiful video on instagram of a ceremony or event at this indonesian theme park (with the majestic gold folktale creature statue). i found it instantly entrancing. i have many records of gamelan. although a non traditional interpretation of this music, using a bass piano rather than the traditional insruments, gong cycle, and microtonal pelog scale, i think colin mcphees transcription and unsusual tonal quality of the piano are a compelling compromise. i also think the two players at the lone piano allow the illusion of a full balinese orchestra but since there is only one instrument i think it will be easier for the aliens to focus on... i don't know how their ears work. i also think that they would notice that humans can work together in sync and i think that's important to show.
3. mossoulou by oumou sangare (1991)
oumou sangare, the wonderful malian singer sings this in french, most likeley a left over relic of the colonialism mali experienced. i think it's important for the aliens to know many factors about human history, starting with how humans can be cruel to eachother yet those who are oppressed can be creative even under injustice also that ones identity can be fluid regardless of external strife. i also think its important for them to know about oral story telling to preserve tradition, to warn and to document what it feels to be oppressed. i think i am trying to teach them empathy in some small way, and that music is about feeling rather than physics. though thinking about it they may be more inclined to be all techno-bjork abour music, purifying it down to technical rhythms and sine waves.
4. telilit by fatou seidi ghali (2014)
in the theme of african prodigy, i simply have to show the aliens this song. as part of les filles de illighadad, translated to the women/girls of illighadad, i think this tuareg song is exceptional. not only does this introduce the concept of a drone tone to the aliens but it introduces them to minimal acoustic arrangements. although it is just fatou accompanied by guitar, the guitar part is complex and immitates a whole band. it introduces the aliens to desert psychedelic music (not that this song was particularly psycadelic, yet the genre does exist with other tuareg examples) that the aliens can listen to if they so want to.
5. dinah by sheila kay adams (1970's)
following on from my small spotlight on africa, i'm queueing up some appalachian nectar to show them that people travel and evolve and bring these traditions with them and keep them alive as part of their identities. i think the aliens would be able to hear the distant african influences of the banjo here. the sound of the environment around her is also an excellent point to make- people are inherantly close to nature. nature does not take away from the human spirit but almost harmonises with her. at this point i would be mansplaining to the aliens that the melodic voice line is being dictated by the melody she is playing and that the voice and instrument are married... then i'd probably have to explain marriage to them and they'd probably ask me questions like 'why would you do that lol' and id probably say i dont know, then guide the conversation back to how fatou did the same thing and they'd all go 'OHHHH I GET IT NOW' and we'd be able to move on...
6. hindewhu by ba-benzele pygmies (1966)
this track elaborates on the minimalism of telilit and is even more sparce- just voice and wood wind insrument. i'd like to think that this is the first time i would be showing the aliens that we have many ways to create sound in various and interesting ways, such as through air or by vibration, but i do think they would have established that earlier in the record. just wait until i tell them about percussion... i do love the simplicity of this song though. i imagine that it can be layered and collaberated on communally and i think that is what music is all about. i also like that the ba-benzele are sort of remote. i assume that the aliens, like the ba-benzele, would be far enough away from us to have their own cherished and wonderful traditions which i would very much like to hear (if my ears are built to pick up the frequencies they can put down) in addition, i want to show them that music can be instrumental even if it includes the voice. sometimes we don't have anything meaningful to say as humans, we just want to vibe..
7. adagio for strings op.11 by samuel barber (1940ish)
i want to show them a western orchestra to show them what is generally accepted or pushed all over the world to be the 'standard'. i show them this after i show other more microtonal less 12tet equal temprement scales because i wish that i was shown this in this manner too. i will show them to not accept musical standards. i also think this peice is great at utilising dynamics and silence and legnth to such a degree that the aliens would understand what makes music emotional. in addition, i want to make them sob. i jest, but i think that showing them how music is a decoration of time and that songs of incredible legnth can be musical, tonal and enjoyable. i want to disrupt this by showing them atonality so that they can be informed broadly of the scope of music that is created but i think playing something discordant after this emotional rampage is a bit of a kick in the teeth (if they have them).
8. wahdon by fairuz (1979)
in the theme of excellence, i must include the brilliant fairuz. she sings a poem in arabic, in honey tones that i really love. i want to make these little idiots cry while illustrating the difference that language has on how the notes are sung, whether syllabic or melismatic. i would also include an excerpt of carnatic sining but i am less versed on the perfect example to choose, however, i'd explain to them the raga and how it is like a scale but cooler, then devolve into microtonality and the like they'd probably like the music lesson. i also want to drive homw that lyrics have meaning, and i will roughly translate to them how sad wahdon is.
9. regiment by brian eno and david byrne (1981)
now who doesn't love a bit of my life in the bush of ghosts? >:). this will be the aliens first introduction to sampling. thankfully, with the preceeding tracks they will have been introduced to rhythm, polyphony, monophony, stringed and wind instraments, as well as mellisma and the emotional qualities of the voice though different languages. however, this may be their first reiteration of the fact that instruments of many times are meant to be played together in syncronicity. i do think that regiment is a great example of how the voice can be accompanied by layered rhythms and sounds aswell as how music is universal. c'mon, two white guys made this from samples of african music but they also played alot of it themselves which is incredible. i WILL make sure that aliens don't really know what race is but are somewhat familiar with the idea that most people have funky natures, yet certain people don't and we don't really know why... finally, i think this is a great follow-on from fairuz.
10. come meh way by sudan archives (2018)
i may be really nailing this home to the aliens that african music is great but i want to show them that the line between the traditional and the contemporary is very thin and that all it takes to rejuvinate tradition is desire and hope.
11. mack the knife by lotte lenya (1928ish)
albeit a strange segway to western languages, i do think that this continues the upbeat and contemporary vibe of the track listing. i want some jolly to counteract the sad we have just been through. this may just be a self-indulgent inclusion, but i want to show that across the world, vocal placement and technique is generally the same, with a forward bright dental placement that tends to have a pure and strong quality to it with some vibrato. ideally i would like to have shown them the exceptions to this rule like throat singing among the tibetan, sicillian, african and inuit people's because i think it is as beautiful as the nasal and pure tones.
12. maria misgeld kulning with daughter (2021)
in the spirit of vocal variety, i'd like to show off this beautiful example of music as communication by maria misgeld who calls with her daughter. like the whistle language of the andes (me thinks?) i think that it
0. barcarolle with emma calve (2024)
explanation
0. tibetan throat singing by unknown (around 2020)
elaboration on bulgarian/ sl by grimes and hands raised by japan
0. kakhuri by triomandili (2021)
explanation
LAST. mir stanke le (1982)
oh, the wonderous mystery of those bulgarian voices. i think this is a great place to end. it shows the aliens that dissonance can sound incredible.rockets tail
disc two:
1. james and the cold gun live at hammersmith odeon (1979)
elaboration
1. piss factory by patti smith (year)
elaboration
1. follow me by guisy dej (1984)
god, not much is known about guisy dej, all i have found is recently posted here. i didnt know until now that it was actually HER on the cover, i thought perhaps a male disco duo had used a beautiful but nameless 1900s snapshot to be the face of their brand and then left the vocalist uncredited on the track as was very popular to do in the 80's. i think they all thought 'yes lets get a skinny model to pretend she sung it on totps while the actual vocalist goes unpaid' at that point in time. MANY MANY MANY DID THAT (source- my dad). i am glad that guiseppina did not befall this fate.
1. title by artist (year)
elaboration
1. title by artist (year)
elaboration
1. title by artist (year)
elaboration
1. title by artist (year)
elaboration
1. title by artist (year)
elaboration
2ND TO LAST. big country (1982)
i include this one for my father. this was his favourite song when he was younger, perhaps when he was at school, i can't quite remember. i would like something of my fathers memory to live on in space, as i would like parts of all my favourite things to be immortalised... if i could put my best friends laugh on here, or a snippet of my lovers voice, i would. maybe it would be an 'all the love' moment where i make a montage of their voices and let it span a whole minute to live on forever. i can't be sure that the aliens would understand my reasoning for this, or even get why i have presente their voices in that way, all smooshed together, but i hope that they would feel my intentions and that the disc could convey that, stood alone on a record player. some things are understood though we necessarily may not be there to say it ourselves or even in the right and exact way that we mean.
run time (disc one):
1. breathe / pink floyd (1973) - 2:49
2. time / pink floyd (1973) - 6:53
3. gambagan / colin mcphee (1940) - 2:21
4. moussoulou / oumou sangare (1991) - 5:16
5. tellelit / fatou seidi ghali (2014) - 5:23
6. dinah / sheila kay adams (1970s) - 2:12
7. hindewhu / ba-benzele pygmies (1966) - 2:06
8. adagio for strings / barber (1940ish) - 9:01
9. wahdon / fairuz (1979) - 6:16
10. regiment / brian eno and david byrne (1981) - 4:12
11. come meh way / sudan archives (2018) - 2:35
12. mack the knife / lotte lenya (1928ish) - 3:39
13. kulning / maria misgeld (2021) - 1:06
14. barcarolle / emma calve and nina harrocks (2024) - 3:17
15. tibetan singer / unknown (2021) - 1:23
16. kakhuri / trio mandili (2021) - 2:01
17. mir stanke le / le mystere des voix bulgares (1975) - 3:17
-------------------total:61:47
run time (disc two):
1. james and the cold gun live / kate bush (1979) - 8:45
2. piss factory / patti smith (1974) - 4:40
3. pyramids/ frank ocean (year) - 0:00
4. love takes miles/ cameron winter (year) - 0:00
4. scary/ bjork (year) - 0:00
4. title/ artist (year) - 0:00
4. title/ artist (year) - 0:00
4. follow me/ guisy dej (year) - 0:00
1. paid in full/ artist (year) - 0:00
1. into the light/ siouxsie and the banshees (year) - 4:13
1. count contessa/ azealia banks (year) - 5:03
1. is it cold in the water/ sophie (year) - 3:33
2ndlast. big country / big country (1982) - 0:00
-------------------total:00:00
final thoughts/honourable mentions...
(if you have any thoughts about my golden record, please let me know on my guestbook!)
References:
date started: 02 may 2025
date finished: