"Mother of Vinegar" is a sample-based live recording project, following my previous heal_the_bay series (which the numbering here continues) and the live-to-tape MONO series, for which various audio sources are sliced, looped, and combined for live Internet broadcast in the sonic crucible of digital audio software, which does all the work of keeping things synchronized to a clock counting the "common time" of today's popular music, four beats per bar.

As the acetobacter converts alcohol into acid, this alcohol usually itself the product of fermentation of sugar by yeast, so too does this process break down something sweet. From the ash heap we'll try to forge new bricks; until then the stream-form makes the process a kind of fetish: means as ends.

Each entry below has a link to the Youtube page on which each stream was originally presented as well as a link to a downloadable high-bitrate MP3; the MP3 comes straight from my computer and will sound better. Youtube doesn't support high-bitrate audio and increasingly forces advertising on the viewer; a future version of this site will cease linking to Youtube altogether.

Please note that 010 through 016 begin and end with a panning saw wave that some may find harsh. You can use this to calibrate your stereo.

063: Goodbye God, I'm Going Hawaiian (We've Only Just Begun) [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] was streamed the evening of April 25, 2025. [1:13:35]

062: Uptime [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] was instended to celebrate a year of "daily driving" a Linux-based operating system by recontextualizing some of the loops I made while running it (albeit still using the same proprietary "DAW," with the "Wine" compatibility layer). Streamed the evening of December 23, 2024. [1:59:29]

061: be/coming attraction/s: The Mother of Vinegar Fourth Anniversary Special [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] presents a collection of new and familiar loops on the occasion of four years since my first stream. This stream was subject to a "content ID" automatic copyright claim and the Youtube video has been automatically truncated by Youtube to remove the parts it recognizes as copyrighted; the MP3 audio is presented in full and uncut. Streamed the evening of April 12, 2024. [42:10]

060: Kurt [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is another shoebox shrine to a fetishized celebrity. Streamed the afternoon of April 5, 2024. [19:21]

059: Moon [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] attempts to extend in time a cathartic moment from a popular rock album. This stream was subject to a "content ID" automatic copyright claim and the Youtube video has been automatically truncated by Youtube to remove the parts it recognizes as copyrighted; the MP3 audio is presented in full and uncut. Streamed the evening of March 31, 2024. [25:13]

058: My Little Baby [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is yet another dragnet full of scraps of sixties love songs. Streamed the evening of February 15, 2024. [38:11]

057: Impluvium [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a rain dance for the new year. Streamed the evening of January 21, 2024. [36:38]

056: The Mother of Vinegar Three Year Anniversary "Best-Of" Virtual Cassette Experience, Side B [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is the second of a two-part showcase of the breadth of samples and loops I've gathered across three years of streaming. It is slightly too long to fit on one side of a C120 audio cassette, and the title is, as of the time of its recording, the maximum allowable length for a Youtube video. Streamed the night of April 11, 2023. [1:05:46]

055: The Mother of Vinegar Three Year Anniversary "Best-Of" Virtual Cassette Experience, Side A [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is the first of a two-part showcase of the breadth of samples and loops I've gathered across three years of streaming. It is slightly too long to fit on one side of a C90 audio cassette, and the title is, as of the time of its recording, the maximum allowable length for a Youtube video. Streamed the night of April 10, 2023. [46:00]

054: Shat [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a digital simulation of a performance of one of the twentieth century's greatest entertainers. Streamed the morning of March 22, 2023. [24:27]

053: Melody of Love's Refrain [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a Valentine's Day-themed mix featuring only loops cut from recordings of the compositions of the recently-deceased Burt Bacharach, whose mid-sixties hit records have become background music for longing for several generations of listeners. Streamed the afternoon of February 22, 2023. [36:00]

052: All Right [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] ends the year on a contemplative note. Streamed the evening of December 31, 2022. [33:38]

051: Trapped [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] marks a very personal anniversary. Streamed the evening of December 28, 2022. [29:43]

050: Xmas [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] layers recordings of reconstructed vocal devotional music of the medieval period and other "early music." Streamed on Christmas Day 2022. [11:24]

049: Holy [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] combines several recordings of a well-known Christmas carol with snippets of other related tunes. Streamed the evening of December 24, 2022. [20:30]

048: Blue [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] mainly uses audio of the Apollo 17 mission as made available by NASA via the Internet Archive, on the fiftieth anniversary of its launch and the production of the famous photograph it took of the planet we live on. Streamed the afternoon of December 7, 2022. [18:21]

047: Jimi [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] again uses only the sounds of one particular hit recording artist. Streamed the night of November 27, 2022. [26:33]

046: That Almost Wasn't [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] presents only sounds from a particular Hanna-Barbera cartoon which has been rebroadcast on cable at times since it first aired fifty years ago. Streamed the night after Thanksgiving 2022. [27:28]

045: Stiff and Wondrous Old [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] examines various pop-cultural ideas about "early" music. Streamed on Halloween 2022. [31:56]

044: Surf's Up (No Need to Move) [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] includes only sounds from recordings popular on college campuses in 1972. Streamed the evening of October 23, 2022. [46:38]

043: Before Your Time is Through [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a rollicking "Rocktober" mix exploring some sounds of the disco backlash and the rehabilitation of "rock" as the "pop" music of the 1980s. Streamed the evening of October 11, 2022. [29:26]

042: Anxiety FM [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] (WARNING: This recording contains feedback-like sounds that some may find harsh.) is another round of direct four-on-the-floor techno, layering several passes of computer-triggered FM synthesizers and drum machine with elements of randomization, including sounds of the machines misfiring. Streamed the evening of September 28, 2022. This stream is also MONO-004. [23:27]

041: Kharkiv [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] consists entirely of layered solo bandura performances in the Kharkiv style, sampled from disc-based digital media. Streamed the evening of September 24, 2022. [30:19]

040: The Chillest End-of-Summer Mix That Ever Was [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a "party mix" with a "back to school" flavor layering bits of some recordings I heard this year, with audio from films of the deceased auteur. Streamed the evening of September 14, 2022. [23:35]

039: Degradation 2 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] [320kbps MP3, truncated] (WARNING: This is the longest stream yet and these MP3s are very large files.) is a longer and more refined execution of an idea, described below, that I first attempted three months ago. Two versions of the MP3 are available to download: In addition to the original recording, there is a "truncated" MP3 processed with Audacity's "truncate silences" feature, as was the previous "Degradation" stream's MP3 (036), though this set of sounds included more intentional silences. Per the GPL v3, this stream is distributed "as is" without warranty of any kind to the extent permitted by applicable law. NEW: Examine the scripts used in this stream here. Streamed the evening of August 31, 2022. [3:41:44]

038: Pool Party [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] celebrates the launch of a new version of this web site with a "classic" "end of summer" "party mix." Streamed the afternoon of August 28, 2022. [20:47]

037: The Angel of History/Over the Rainbow [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] includes highlights from the two-hour advertising special that was billed "the official LA pride parade," as telecast by KABC. Streamed the night of June 30, 2022. [22:23]

036: Degradation [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a live software performance of found audio sources passed through a computer program of my own design meant to simulate the decay of digital media; variations on a theme sentimentalized by association with disaster. Slices of a popular song repeat over and over, losing progressively more data on each pass, until the computer no longer recognizes them as audio files. My recording of the second half of this stream was lost and later re-recorded, so the pattern of degradation heard in the MP3 may differ from that in the stream audio above; furthermore the MP3 was processed with Audacity's "truncate silences" feature to remove loading times for a smoother listening experience. Per the GPL v3, this stream is distributed "as is" without warranty of any kind to the extent permitted by applicable law. NEW: Examine the scripts used in this stream here. Streamed May 5, 2022. [1:41:56]

035: Factory Packs [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] considers the given by using only sounds and pseudo-randomizing sequencing tools that come with a particular widely-used "digital audio workstation" software suite. Streamed May 1, 2022. [18:34]

034: Angel [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] celebrates thierrty years of a famous perfume and twenty years of a famous beer ad campaign. Streamed the night of February 15, 2022. [14:30]

033: Future File '81 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] strings together several interviews about the future prepared for radio broadcast in 1981, including the voices of Judith Resnik and Timothy Leary. This stream was subject to a "content ID" automatic copyright claim and the Youtube video has been automatically truncated by Youtube to remove the parts it recognizes as copyrighted; the MP3 audio is presented in full and uncut. Streamed the night of December 31, 2021. [32:25]

032: Everlasting [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a deep house "megamix" based on two hits a prolific songwriter wrote for his youngest brother. Streamed the night of December 29, 2021. [29:52]

031: Days Like This: 60 Years Since the 60s [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a droning look back at some of the early hits from everyone's favorite decade. Recorded the night of December 1, 2021, due to technical challenges it was streamed a few hours later. [39:24]

030: My Birthday [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] features some of the earliest recordings I can remember being exposed to. Streamed before dawn on the morning of August 15, 2021. [37:14]

029: Retrogression 2: Flowers [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] layers bits of some recordings I liked in high school, and features by far the largest number of individual loops I've yet used. This stream was subject to a "content ID" automatic copyright claim and the Youtube video has been automatically truncated by Youtube to remove the parts it recognizes as copyrighted; the MP3 audio is presented in full and uncut. Streamed the night of August 13, 2021. [2:22:30]

028: Retrogression 1: Chain [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] layers bits of some recordings I liked in college. Streamed the night of August 1, 2021. [1:28:27]

027: Yowsah [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a homage to mirrored balls. This stream was subject to a "content ID" automatic copyright claim and the Youtube video has been automatically truncated by Youtube to remove the parts it recognizes as copyrighted; the MP3 audio is presented in full and uncut. Streamed the night of July 25, 2021. [49:34]

026: Doom [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a tribute to the mass appropriation of the image and legacy of a particular popular "underground" recording artist. Streamed the night of July 13, 2021. [28:25]

025: The Spirit of '76 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] incorporates field recordings, live radio, and discussion of Homer Laughlin collecting. Streamed the night of July 6, 2021. [34:24]

024: Anodyne [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] examines the restorative claims of popular "four-on-the-floor" dance music. Streamed the night of June 30, 2021. [40:00]

023: Heteropraxy [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] was streamed the night of June 29, 2021. [31:35]

022: The Silence About Which One Must Speak: 40 Years of Crisis [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] was streamed the night of June 5, 2021 on the fortieth anniversary of the first article in the Los Angeles Times on what would become the AIDS crisis; the next month, another followed. Later in the year a court upheld Disneyland's ban on same-sex dancing and not many years after that Disney too would be distributing AIDS dramas. [28:17]

021: Thank You Arthur [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] asks why we remain so haunted by the posthumous success of Arthur Russell's home demo recordings. Streamed the evening of May 21, 2021. [37:46]

020: That Ends Well: Red Theme for May Day 2021 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] examines the spatialization of sound, the audio-commodity, and the political inutility of entertaining music after the death of Eli Broad -- and celebrates fifty years of Amtrak. Streamed the evening of May 1, 2021. [53:14]

019: For Your Consideration: Plastic Theme From the 93rd Oscars [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is composed entirely from audio found on disc-based awards consideration promotional media sent unsolicited by distributors of "Oscar"-nominated movies. Streamed the evening of April 25, 2021. [39:24]

018: Swingin' Psych-Out [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] was streamed the evening of April 20, 2021. [33:52]

017: Anniversary Special [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] revisits some sounds and loops I've collected and used in these kinds of projects over the years, in celebration of a full year since my first "heal_the_bay" stream. Streamed the morning of April 10, 2021. [44:40]

016: Club Blanket International: Teleprayer for Easter 2021 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is built around audio and video provided to me by Pulkit. Streamed the afternoon of April 4, 2021. [43:42]

015: Clouds [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] incorporates various recordings of a well-known song and branches off from there. Streamed the evening of March 24, 2021. [23:21]

014: I Know You, Rider [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a "jam" based around one such well-known song. Streamed the evening of March 16, 2021. [25:01]

013: A Room Full of Emptiness: Purim Spiel 2021 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] uses a set of loops derived from a scenario I'd meant to stream with last year but never got around to. Streamed from my West Hollywood basement on February 26, 2021. [34:41]

012: The Drummer's Hair: Haircut Special 2021 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] celebrates my first haircut of the twenties and features a disparate selection of loops derived from musical and field recordings. Streamed the afternoon of February 14, 2021. [24:20]

011: What's Going On (Everybody Thinks We're...) [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] begins with a selection of time-stretched loops before shifting focus toward a particular much-sampled record that came out about fifty years ago. Streamed the evening of February 6, 2021. [41:00]

010: Rebranding Special, Pt. 2 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is another meandering mix in the vein of the previous one but even more hastily un-prepared. Streamed the afternoon of January 31, 2021. [44:25]

009: Rebranding Special, Pt. 1 [Youtube] [320kbps MP3] is a return to the form I began these streams with, and is my first lengthy stream direct to Youtube (having previously streamed to Twitch first and then uploaded it to Youtube). The visual component of this stream consists of filtered videos sent by a friend layered over my webcam. Streamed the afternoon of January 29, 2021 to celebrate the launch of a new version of this web site and the concurrent "rebranding" of my stream series as "Mother of Vinegar." (For my earlier series of streams from 2020, see the "heal_the_bay" page.) [37:41]

back to recordings // back to home page

( version history )