Author Archives: john

207: blind spot : S1:EP10 : nautical night

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Over the past month and a half, I’ve been working on an archive project—digging up and remastering radio work I was involved in from 2004–2006. I’ll be re-releasing select episodes as a part of this podcast. If you are interested, you can follow the progress of the archive here.

The first release is Episode 10, one of the more straightforward early shows, where Richard, Philip, and I showed up at the station with bags of records and a computer, mixing around a theme for an hour.

Blurb: Field recordings, weathered songs, and distant whale calls drift and collide, forming a sonic choir of ocean life, with sounds real, recorded, fabricated and imaginary. Performed by Richard Holland, Philip von Zweck and John Wanzel.

Nautical Night  originally aired on August 8, 2004 live to air on WLUW 88.7 Chicago.

Blind Spot (2004-2006): a weekly live experimental radio program exploring sound collage, performance, music, improvisation, and field recordings as a broadcast form.

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206: Vim, Vigor and Vitality (or Arrangements Are in Hand or is it Self Hypnosis)

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Vim, Vigor and Vitality (or Arrangements Are in Hand or is it Self-Hypnosis) drifts between assertion and reassurance. A slow pulse moves underneath the piece, joined by the low, sustained presence of a cello. Voices surface in fragments, pause, and return, circling the British takeover of the Falkland Islands—not as a lesson in history, but as an echo that refuses to settle.

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206: Ice is forming on the river below

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As the air cools, the water does not freeze all at once—it slows. Heat rises from the surface and meets the cold air above, creating a thin fog that drifts like breath. Small crystals begin to form in the moving water, collecting gradually.

The sound thickens and settles, turning motion into stillness, one note at a time. Notes feel heavy and deliberate, low and steady, as they stretch and pull against themselves. Tension, then ease back, never rushing. Softly widening the space and letting the tones linger.

And in the end, a drumline, to bring in the New Year.

Thank you for listening.

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