FORMAT by trevor jackson – 12 tracks on 12 formats

F O R M A T  by trevor jackson – 12 tracks on 12 different formats

on 25th february 2015, the creative director and music producer trevor jackson will release F O R M A T – his first album in 14 years. F O R M A T will initially be released as a unique limited edition consisting of 12 different musical formats each containing a separate track. a collected vinyl edition and digital versions will follow shortly after, all on the vinyl factory.  

F O R M A T charts the legacy of the physical music format, in a characteristically beautiful and uncompromising way, paying homage to physically released formats over the decades and also celebrating the artistry, design and individual experience of playing music via traditional methods.

for the limited-edition release each of the 12 tracks will be presented on a different format designed by jackson and produced by the vinyl factory. including 12″, 10” and 7” vinyl, CD, mini CD, cassette, USB, VHS, mini disc, DAT, 8-track and reel-to-reel. all items will be available individually online at www.formatvf.com except the reel-to-reel only available in a special edition of the entire set. an accompanying exhibition will take place at the vinyl factory in soho, offering people the first chance to listen to the album in full, see and purchase the limited edition formats and also experience a new audio-visual artwork by jackson.

‘every copy of a physical recording is different, a real object that has its own little story – a one of a kind, personalised by the effort you put in to purchase it, each time you touch it, and the unique ritual that goes along with playing it. I want the people who purchase these items to feel special; they will be the only ones who possess these tracks in any form at that time. the fact culturally everything’s become so convenient and easily accessible whilst in the process totally disposable is an important subject I needed to address with this project.’ – trevor jackson

FORMAT 1 – 12” vinyl

FORMAT 2 – 10” vinyl

FORMAT 3- 7” vinyl

FORMAT 4 – compact disc

FORMAT 5 – mini compact disc

FORMAT 6 – USB

FORMAT 7 – cassette tape

FORMAT 8 – VHS videotape

FORMAT 9 – minidisc

FORMAT 10 – DAT tape

FORMAT 11 – 8 track cartridge

FORMAT 12 – reel to reel tape

over the last 14 years years jackson has built up an archive of around 150 unreleased tracks. for F O R M A T he has carefully selected, re-edited and remastered tracks from various points through the last 15-year period to create a new body of work. touching on synth and beatbox workouts, proto-house, new wave, on italo and techno, on ambient and psychedelia, the tracks are, at the same time, none of these things. highlights of the album will be available to hear imminently, the full album not until after the exhibition; offering the public a unique chance to hear the record the same time as everyone else.

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read designboom’s interview with trevor jackson »