Writer, painter, sculptor and composer
Brion Gysin (Britain, 1916) was the true inventor of the "cut-up" technique
made popular by his friend William Burroughs. The two experimented with it
while in Paris during the 1950s,
Burroughs focusing on novels while Gyson applied it to just about any art,
including "music" (audio cut-up).
I Am That I Am (1960) is a trancey recitation, a premonition of both
minimalism and spoken-word performance.
He also invented a "Dreamachine" (1961), a spinning cylinder that emanates
light to be experienced with the eyes closed.
"The Process" (1969) was his first novel.
His recordings include:
The Brion Gysin Show (S-Press, 1978),
Songs (Hat Hut, 1981), a collaboration with Steve Lacy,
Orgy Boys (Hat Hut, 1982),
The Poem of Poems (Alga Marghen, 1998),
The Pool K III (Alga Marghen, 1999).
Self-Portrait Jumping (Made to Measure, 1993) collects
Gysin's texts scored by Ramuntcho Matta and arranged by
Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, etc.
Recordings 1960 - 1981 (Perdition Plastics, 1996) is mostly spoken-word
and interviews.
One Night @ the 1001 (Sub Rosa, 1998) collects music performed at his
Tangiers club in the 1950s, and more spoken-word.
Gysin died in 1986 in Paris of a heart attack.
"The Last Museum" (1986) was his last novel.
New York Times article about a Gysin retrospective
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Andrea Mello)
Scrittore, pittore, scultore e compositore: Brion Gysin (Taplow House, Inghilterra,1916 - Parigi, Francia,1986), fu il vero inventore della tecnica del il cut-up, tecnica di composizione basata sul montaggio di spezzoni di nastro magnetico pre-registrato, resa in seguito più popolare dal suo amico William Burroughs. I due sperimentarono tale tecnica in molti casi: mentre a Parigi, durante gli anni ’50, Burroughs si focalizzò solamente su romanzi, Gyson, ne fece uso in ogni forma espressiva d’arte, inclusa la musica.
Nel 1969, Gybson pubblica il suo primo romanzo, "The Process".
Per quanto riguarda le sue incisioni: The Brion Gysin Show (S-Press, 1978), Songs (Hat Hut, 1981), una collaborazione con l’eclettico Steve Lacy, Orgy Boys (Hat Hut, 1982), The Poem of Poems (Alga Marghen, 1998), The Pool K III (Alga Marghen, 1999).
Self-Portrait Jumping (Made to Measure, 1993), include i testi di Gysin sottolineati dalla grafica da Ramuntcho Matta e arrangiati da Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Lizzy Mercier, Descloux ecc. Recordings 1960 - 1981 (Perdition Plastics, 1996), comprende interviste e parole libere. One Night @ the 1001 (Sub Rosa, 1998) colleziona musica e parole registrate al suo club, il Tangiers, durante gli anni ’50.
Gysin, morì nel 1986 a Parigi per un attacco di cuore. The Last Museum (1986) fu il suo ultimo romanzo.
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