Aleatoric pleasures

With 22 genres, 756 artists, 693 albums and 5197 tracks to choose from, my iPod shuffled up a nice and surprising 24 minute playlist this week:

- A Chud Covention: "Silent Sorrow" (Sorrow 12", 1987);
- Sunn 0))) & Boris: "Akuma No Kuma" (Altar, 2006);
- Goblin: "Markos (Alternate Version)" (Suspiria OST, 1977).

I love all three tracks individually: the echoing and droning and churning electronic voice phenomena of Skinny Puppy and Á;GRUMH collaboration "A Chud Convention"; the heavy yet surprisingly un-macho combination of vocodered voice, Sunn 0))) drone, start/stop drum rhythms and Beatle-esque (!) copper instruments of "Akuma No Kuma"; and the nervous energy of the proggy-yet-minimalist percussion piece "Markos".

But together the playlist provides the pleasures of an aleatory montage, a pleasure that was technologically impossible only a few years ago.