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

ClosureClosure · 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.
Severe ClearSevere Clear · 2026
Severe Clear
2026
Movie
A cloudless morning in New York City is interrupted by a series of attacks that will change it and the world forever.
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 LoopsDisintegration Loops · 2021
Disintegration Loops
2021
MovieDocumentaryMusic
As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 looms near, William Basinski contemplates the enduring legacy of 'The Disintegration Loops' (his elegy to the 2001 Attacks), while quarantined in the midst of COVID-19.
Later in the ClearingLater in the Clearing · 2025
Later in the Clearing
2025
MovieDocumentary
In a small Hungarian town painter Péter Molnár leads filmmaker Márton Tarkövi on a journey through meadows, clearings and Molnár’s drawings. The viewer joins them, as they discuss art, time and life itself.
Disintegration Loop 1.1Disintegration Loop 1.1 · 2001
Disintegration Loop 1.1
★ 8.72001
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.

Filmography

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