Nikola Tesla is already well-admired throughout history and the world (although that hasn’t always been the case). These days, he has a museum in his honor in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, his image printed on Serbian money, a plaque mounted on the New Yorker hotel on West 34th street in Manhattan where he died, and the corner at West 40th Street & 6th Avenue (also in Manhattan) named after him. And there are other notable sites and memorials, too.
Now, iconic New York City musician and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes) has released a quick 60-second preview of the Tesla-inspired “opera” he’s producing with composer Phil Kline. Jarmusch mentioned working on the project as far back as August 2010 in an interview with Pitchfork. So a few years have passed, and now we have sixty seconds of audio to contemplate. That’s not to say the full composition won’t be finished before this century is out — although that’s also possible — but rather that, like Nikola Tesla receiving the recognition he deserved for his many contributions to society, it will take time before we hear the whole score. So we continue to wait, but at least now there’s a sample of what Jarmusch and Kline have to offer:
While that’s just a sliver of sound, it is an indicator of where they’re headed. (It reminds me slightly of the Weather Warlock‘s drone synth sounds.) I look forward to the full composition and will post again when more becomes available.
[via WNYC’s Soundcheck podcast]
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