Willem de Ridder: All Chemix Radio 2LP (Slowscan)

Long admirers of the Slowscan label and deeply curious about the European radio play tradition, this release piqued our interest, to say nothing of it including contributions from both Alvin Curran and Annie Sprinkle.

These texts push at limits. The accompanying sounds raise many more questions.

From the one-sheet:

“Willem the Ridder (193() is a prolific storyteller, cassette freak and Fluxus artist. George Maciunas made him chairman of Fluxus for Northern Europe and in this role he organised several concerts and Fluxfestivals. He cooperated with Nam June Paik and presented his Piano for All Senses in Amsterdam in his gallery Amstel 47.

He was the co-founder of the Mood Engineering Society (MES) with Dick Raaymakers, Louis Andriessen, Peter Schat, Ton Bruynel, Rob Dubois, Jaap Spek & Misja Mengelberg. De Ridder also founded the European Mail Order House and Fluxshop and started the Society for Party Organizing (SPO) to introduce audience generated theatre. Together with Wim T. Schippers he founded the Association for Scientific Research in New Methods of Recreation (Afsrinmor International) and they organised and participated in Fluxus events in different
European countries.

[…] These narrative pieces originate on the spot and include spoken word, field recordings and electronic sounds. Also released as very limited cassettes these pieces are now released for the first time on vinyl. 8 radio plays are mixed into 4 long pieces including collaborators such as Cora Emens, Stefan Weisser, Andrew McKenzie, Nick Nicole, Annie Sprinkle, Alvin Curran, Julia Romanov, William Levy & Hessel Veldman.”

*Edition of 300

The piece included in this attached video is not on this album, but gives some sense of de Ridder’s tone and conceptual project.