Over the Edge, Vol. 9: The Chopping Channel

With 2016's The Chopping Channel, plunderphonic pioneers Negativland resume the series of CDs culled from broadcasts of their long-running Over the Edge radio show. Since 1981, the groundbreaking program has been consistently pushing the limits of what can be achieved with the medium of live radio, and while the group have posted hundreds of OTE episodes for free download via their website as well as the Internet Archive, they hadn't released an entry in the OTE CD series since the '90s. As with nearly all of Negativland's undertakings, the concept and release were both long in the making, and the disc arrived the year after the death of Don Joyce, who had hosted OTE since its inception (dating back to before he joined the band) and was an immensely important part of the group. He appears throughout The Chopping Channel under the guise Bud Choke, frequently reminding listeners that he's "putting the biggest possible smile on [his] voice," while sounding like that statement couldn't be further from the truth. Other contributors include Negativland members Peter Conheim and Jon Leidecker (aka Wobbly, who took the reins of the show after Joyce's passing), as well as Mark Gergis (Porest). The album, also like many Negativland projects, is a scathing critique of consumer culture, revolving around the concept of a bloodthirsty, money-hungry global corporation doubling as a home shopping network. The malicious channel's disturbing wares include drums made from the skins of small boys, as well as a brand of "Ethnic Prosthetics," also manufactured from human flesh. The group took this notion of commodifying people as products to its extreme by packaging early pre-orders of the CD with actual samples of Joyce's ashes, as well as audio carts he'd edited and utilized during his myriad broadcasts. The release is one of the densest, busiest, most overwhelming mixes in the group's history — especially impressive given the fact that they were created live on the air. True to its title, the samples on The Chopping Channel are sliced and diced and regurgitated with lightning speed, yet recognizable slivers of songs by Barry White, Madonna, and Nirvana poke through (not to mention the mutilated voice of Negativland's old pal Bono). Fittingly, Joyce repeatedly proclaims that all music has been de-valued ("We sell our music for less because it's worth less!"). Chaotic, surreal, and biting, The Chopping Channel is yet another perfect cut from Negativland.