The Chord Catalogue for Eight-O-Eight (2021, 2 x CD set)

A (very) free interpretation of Tom Johnson's classic 'The Chord Catalogue' (1986), which included all the 8,178 chords possible in an octave of a piano. This new version applies the idea to a Roland TR-808 drum machine. Since there are 16 voices/sounds on an 808 (bass drum, snare drum, low tom, mid tom, hi tom, low conga, mid conga, hi conga, clap, rim shot, claves, cowbell, cymbal, maraca, open hi-hat, closed hi-hat) all possible clusters – from 2 simultaneous voices to the whole 16 voice stack – amounts to 65,519 possible percussion chords. In true Johnsonian fashion, these are arranged in strict ascending order (see plots below) across the two discs.

2 CDs presented in a deluxe pack with spot-UV printing and a different permutation of the front cover text on each face.
Recorded by Stephen Sharp and Roc Jiménez de Cisneros in early 2021.

Special thanks: Cory Arcangel, Guy Birkin, Hampus Lindwall. And Tom Johnson.

SOLD OUT

(Plots by Guy Birkin)