People who feel they are drawn to perform certain acts repeatedly often state that the pressure that builds within them, until they re-commit, can become intolerable. Different people are affected by this in different ways. A preoccupation with the act sometimes manifests itself in an inability to focus or concentrate on anything that isn't in some way connected to the end goal of repetition. There is no obstacle that they will not circumnavigate to reach it. Five minute walks become hour long detours if the possibility exists of sating the need. A visit to the cinema becomes an exercise in identification. Sleep patterns are disturbed, dreams are bereft of colour. Only the object of desire stands in stark relief.
Ballard (the writer) understands the internal politics of pathology. He successfully imbues the afflicted characters with this trait, from its inception to the limitless survival of a greed that just won't go away. It's been said that to read Crash is be in the presence of a disturbed mind, and to be offered a glimpse of how that could destroy a comparatively normal lifestyle. In fact, Ballard keeps this up with such commitment throughout the novel, that people become suspicious of his motivation. Who could possibly produce such a steady stream of inventive descriptions without having a dangerous fascination with the subject matter? Anticipating this, Ballard named the lead character after himself. With knight's-move thinking, he's waving the question in our faces, to the point where throughout the whole of the book, the writer is always on the page... Asking; is this something Ballard himself had to do to rid himself of his own car crash hang ups?
Perhaps as a result of this, the periods immediately after the needs are fulfilled are often described as the calmest point between the act itself and the next one. Throughout the book, Ballard is only satisfied when he reaches the next plateux of perversion. His paraphilia escalates, accelerating away from him, but after each one, the frenzied image-dumps of dashboards and transmission tunnels disappear and there is only reticence. Conversely, Ballard feels absolutely no shame for his actions, growing closer to his wife as a result. While Ballard refers to an abstracted love life with Catherine, his own practices have become entirely abstract. While never referring to it thusly, the car is what holds his fascination.
This track was an attempt to document those infrequent moments of calm. Often the percussion I layer on to these tracks is heavy, deep in the bottom end. This time, I chose a selection of what I will self-consciously call 'ethnic' instruments from the mountains of South-East Asia. Bells and chimes always evoke postcard pictures of foothills and stillness. The next instrument to be layered was the deep bass pulse. This is a four note swivel, revolving backwards and forwards. This provided an excellent counter point to the sparser percussion in the mid-section, leaving me feeling as though the whole floor of the track would open up, wider and wider. This feeling of expansion was augmented with the airy pads which emphasise the pulses but also introduce their own recognisable chord structure.
Finally, an incredibly temperamental sine-based whistle lead was layered over the top. I had a nightmare getting an expressive whistle, to the point where I was frequently pushing the gain too high. Without the limiter running in this instrument's FX chain, it would have dominated the track. As it stands, it provides the type of detail needed to finish it.
Music written, performed, arranged and produced by Richard Cannon.
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3:33Transmission Animationby SaRaKuz24832,316 views
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