BY MICHAEL RAINE
the center of the
“ At technological debate , then , is a new kind of listener — a listener more participant in the musical experience . The emergence of this mid-twentieth-century phenomenon is the greatest achievement of the record industry . For this listener is no longer passively analytical … He is also , of course , a threat , a potential usurper of power , an uninvited guest at the banquet of the arts , one whose presence threatens the familiar hierarchical setting of the musical establishment ” – from Glenn Gould ’ s essay ‘ The Prospects of Recording ’ ( 1966 )
Would Glenn Gould love or loath Uninvited Guests ? Billy Wild doesn ’ t know if the late , iconic Canadian pianist would love the music , but he ’ s sure Gould would love that the album exists . He also knows that Gould ’ s fans hate him .
“ We were called the Antichrist ! On a YouTube comment this guy called us the Antichrist and it got like 50 likes ! A bunch of people like , ‘ I second that – these guys can burn in hell !’” he tells Canadian Musician , laughing with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment .
What the classical purists hate is that Wild and other producers , rappers , and singers from his Toronto-based Division 88 collective dared to chop up some of Gould ’ s most iconic recordings and use them in hip-hop and R & B productions . But this is not something they did on a lark with no respect for one of Canada ’ s greatest-ever composers and musicians . No , the nine-track Uninvited Guests album was eight years in the making . The journey to get this album made and released transformed Wild ’ s understanding of classical music and entrenched in him a deep appreciation for Gould as a revolutionary artist and thinker . and more . Fatefully , Billy Wild , who was then a pretty unknown local musician and producer , got roped in to help with a small part of it by his friend , DJ LRS . Their task was to remix a Gould song as an EDM track that would be played at this event .
“ Everybody who ’ s in Toronto and into music has heard the name , but I didn ’ t understand his importance . I was a rock producer , so not only did I not know much about Glenn Gould , but I really didn ’ t have much idea about sampling or anything of that nature . But I just took it on anyway because , you know , I was a young kid wanting any opportunity I could get ,” Wild recalls .
The remix was supposed to be a simple , one-off project , but while working on the track and researching Gould a bit more , Wild found an essay published in High Fidelity magazine in 1966 called “ The Prospects of Recording .” When writing it , Gould had recently quit performing live in favour of studio explorations . “ It ’ s basically him predicting the future of music ,” Wild marvels . “ This is around 2012 and the things he was predicting were like my everyday production stuff – splicing
Uninvited Guests was released in October of 2020 , but its origins go back to September 2012 when the University of Toronto hosted a symposium examining the music , writings , and influence of Glenn Gould . It drew speakers like Bob Ezrin , Alan Cross , Adrienne Clarkson , Lang Lang , Chilly Gonzales ,
UNINVITED GUESTS ALBUM COVER
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