Equally visual artist and composer, Christian Marclay emerged in the 1980s as a forerunner, in parallel with the hip hop community, of turntablism; manipulating and mixing vinyl records on multiple turntables. Working both solo and as a partner in the downtown improvisation and noise scenes--with artists including John Zorn, Shelley Hirsch, Elliott Sharp, Otomo Yoshihide, Butch Morris, and Sonic Youth--Marclay's work in montage, mashups, cutups, and appropriation bled into a successful career in photography, sculpture, filmmaking, and ensemble composition. See Graffiti Composition (2002), Sound Holes (2007), The Clock (winner top prize at the 2011 Venice Biennale), and the most recent, 48 War Movies (2019). This program features the full solo set for multiple turntables recorded at Roulette on 29 October 1984.

Tracking The Odds: The Roulette Concert Archive is a monthly hour-long radio special produced by Roulette Intermedium (roulette.org) and broadcast in partnership with Wave Farm’s WGXC 90.7-FM and Standing Wave Radio. The broadcasts feature selected highlights from Roulette’s New York experimental music space dating from the early 1980s to the present. Thousands of rare, formative, and often unheard recordings by innovators and adventurous musicians populate the archive. Tracking The Odds airs the third Thursday of each month at 1 a.m. ET and is archived at wavefarm.org.

Founded in 1978, Roulette operates a 400-seat concert hall on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn with a focus on experimental and unorthodox music and performance across all genres and media. It's archive of thousands of audio and video recordings is currently being restored.

Pictured: A screening, reading, and performance for Henry Hills' film "Money" at Roulette (1985) with dancer Pooh Kaye surrounded by (L-R) John Zorn, Tom Cora, Ciro Baptiste, (obstructed, possibly Sally Silvers), Abigail Child, Diane Ward, Susie Timmons, Alan Davies, Bruce Andrews, Ikue Mori, Jim Staley, Butch Morris. Photo: Lona Foote.