Sound

William Basinski

Born June 25, 1958 (age 68)

William Basinski (born 25 June 1958) is an American avant-garde composer based in New York City. He is also a clarinetist, saxophonist, sound artist, and video artist. Basinski is best known for his four-volume album The Disintegration Loops (2002–2003), constructed from rapidly decaying twenty-year-old tapes of his earlier music.

Known For

Closure
Sep 11, 2026
Closure · 2026
Closure
2026
MovieDocumentary
After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel scours the depths of the Vistula River, torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the hope that his son may still be alive.
Faya DayiFaya Dayi · 2021
Faya Dayi
7.42021
MovieDocumentary
A spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar, immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf Sufi Muslims chewed for centuries for religious meditations – and Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. A tapestry of intimate stories offers a window into the dreams of youth under a repressive regime.
Midwinter HueMidwinter Hue · 2017
Midwinter Hue
2017
MovieDramaDocumentary
A man steadily bashes through the snow. He disappears and the trees, covered in white, shift and show a beautiful array of hidden colors. A poetic, meditative short film about letting go of the past and embracing the unknown future.
Disintegration Loops (dlp 6)Disintegration Loops (dlp 6) · 2013
Disintegration Loops (dlp 6)
2013
Movie
The experience of listening to Disintegration Loops (dlp 6) "brings the trials of life and death into a sublime focus".
Calabasas 1/26/20Calabasas 1/26/20 · 2021
Calabasas 1/26/20
2021
MovieDocumentaryHistory
A dense fog in the San Fernando Valley cancels a meeting of UFO hunters and causes an unexpected tragedy in the nearby mountains.
Disintegration Loop 1.1Disintegration Loop 1.1 · 2001
Disintegration Loop 1.1
8.62001
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Disintegration Loop 1.1 consists of one static shot of lower Manhattan billowing smoke during the last hour of daylight on September 11th, 2001, set to the decaying pastoral tape loop Basinski had recorded in August, 2001. Shot from Basinski's roof in Williamsburg Brooklyn, this is an actual documentary of how he and his neighbors witnessed the end of that fateful day. It is a tragically beautiful cinema verite elegy dedicated to those who perished in the atrocities of September 11th, 2001.
Cascade (The Deluge)Cascade (The Deluge) · 2015
Cascade (The Deluge)
2015
Movie
A short animated film by William Basinski and James Elaine.
Iceland CelesteIceland Celeste · 2022
Iceland Celeste
2022
MovieMusicDocumentary
Why have an ugly black mirror in your living room when you could have an ambient winter wonderland this holiday season? Put it on repeat and enjoy the crystalline ice storm wonder as noon goes to night.

Filmography

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