Joanna Brouk

March 11, 2020

Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Joanna Brouk, an American electronic artist active in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Brouk’s fascination with sound began with poetry. She inspected words and phonemes by repeating them out loud, a technique she later cross-applied to notes and phrases of music. Each of her compositions features only a small handful of instruments, and she plays each one with immense attention. 1981’s The Space Between is a beautiful showcase of this style. Hearing Music, a two-hour compilation of cassette recordings and unreleased material, offers a broader range of instruments, including flutes and experimental synths. Brouk, who passed away in 2017, said, “If you want to know where my music came from, it was silence.”

The Space Between by Joanna Brouk (40m, no vocals) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Hearing Music by Joanna Brouk (130m, 🗣 on disc 2 tracks 10-12) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Have a good Wednesday.