Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Event Horizon



A preview of my set for the Moers Festival in Cologne, Germany - concerts in complete darkness.  With that in mind, much of this new work is moving towards a unapologetically "cosmic" sound, but one rooted in earthly sources - the detritus of acoustic recordings.  With ever smaller amounts of sonic material, more expansive and expanding sound-fields.  For the first time, I have also incorporated (asynchronous) loops as a prominent aspect of the composition, creating a loosely musical structure underneath the wildly buzzing and fluctuating drones.
Many of the original recordings were made in a drum shop - the percussive strikes of a vibraphone, marching drums, tuned toms and various pieces of metal.  Though some field recordings have been equally productive - in this case, the sound of a bocci ball rolled across a concrete courtyard to the accompaniment of 6am crow-calls.  Many of these distinct or identifiable atmospheric details are obliterated through waveform manipulations, but something of their artifactual quality is retained, deep in the "DNA" of the spectra.
It has been refreshing to take a break from the obsessive vertical qualities of tracks from the past two years, and to work instead with loose, horizontal structures - uncoordinated and slowly unfolding, arranged in timbral rather than rhythmic relationships; revealed in smooth, large "moments" rather than the jagged, highly-crafted "gestures" of much recent work.  It feels like a drink of water, a dive into dark matter.