Room40

Olivia Block - 132 Ranks (Room40)

Olivia Block - 132 Ranks (Room40)

Many artists working under the catchall ‘experimental’ label nevertheless tend toward repetition, even cliché. Olivia Block, by contrast, rarely does the same thing twice. Indeed, her recorded output often feels like a series of literal experiments, designed and executed in rigorously controlled environments. With each release, Block conceives a new setup, introduces a new instrument or source material—or a new system or method of composition—so that her oeuvre has the feel of an ever-expanding research programme. When she has selected, explored, and documented a new idea (or technique, or space), Block publishes her findings and moves on.