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Gyroscope
| Gyroscope | |
|---|---|
| Running time | 3:35 |
| Appears on | Geogaddi |
Comments
Samples / Lyrics
- The drum loop passes quickly between the right and left channel. When wearing headphones, it sounds like it's spinning around your head. When reversed, it spins the other direction.
- Samples a recording of a "number station" found on the shortwave radio spectrum, which are used by the world's intelligence agencies to send secret messages to agents in the field. [1] This starts at about 48 seconds into the song.
- The recording was gifted by Sean Booth of Autechre before the Conet Project was released. [2]
- The recording is rumoured to be of E05 or "The Counting Station" operated by the CIA. [3] The numbers in the recording match the sequence of E05 with a 3-digit ID thrice "099" followed by counting "1234567890". [4]
- The numbers are in the following sequence:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0 9 9 0 9 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0 9 9 0 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0 9 9 0 9 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0 9 9 0 9 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
0 9 9 0 9 - Mike and Marcus have admitted to having an interest in shortwave radios in their formative years, and stated that some of their really early (i.e. pre-BoC) music was made by chopping up recorded shortwave transmissions. They have never explicitly mentioned these so-called "numbers stations", but those who have heard such transmissions can testify to similar qualities in some of their music: grainy synthetic transmissions that swing between perky, simple tunes, mysterious noises, children's voices, or even sheer aural terror.
- There is also some reversed guitar parts that swirl into the mix near the end of the track, which some have said may be from a 12-string.
Trivia
- When asked of one memorable experience from the production of Geogaddi, Marcus Eoin stated [5]:
"Yeah, for me it would be the track "Gyroscope". I dreamed the sound of it, and although I've recreated dreamt songs before, I managed to do that one so quickly that the end result was 99% like my dream. It spooks me to listen to it now."
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