[60]Project

Mathew Adkins - [60]Project

When discussion first started with the Artistic Director of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF), Graham McKenzie, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of musique concrete and the pioneering work of Pierre Schaeffer, we quickly dismissed the idea od presenting a historical overview of 'significant works' and focused on the creation of a new original work. That composition would show how Schaeffer's ideas were still important and relevant to today's sound artists and composers who are working across a wide range of experimental electronic music.

Thus began [60]Project.

From the outset, the involvement and the contribution of sound materials by over 60 of the world's leading electronic composers and sound artists were essential. During the early months of 2008 a steady stream of emails went back and forth across the globe as more and more sound artists, composers, laptop improvisors, and experimental turntablists accepted my invitation to take part and contribute. The response was overwhelming.

The project had two distinct pre-compositional stages. Each of the participants was initially asked to contribute one sound object or a short improvisation with a sound object. Nothing was prescribed as I wanted everyone to respond to the concept of the project in their own way. Each of these sounds was uploaded to an ftp site which acted as a repository for all of the material.

For the second stage, I asked all the participants to create a variety of sound treatments based on any of the initial material. This second stage produced some wonderful and unexpected sound fragments. Some decided to focus on a small number of sounds and develop short or in some cases extended phrases, whilst others set out to utilize all of the material in a variety of imaginative means. These second stage processed sounds were again uploaded to the ftp site.

In July of 2008, I took all the sound material from both stage one and two to the Ina-GRM studio in Paris where the final work, [60]Project, was assembled. I set myself similar limits that Francis Dhomont had established with his Frankenstein Symphony (1997) - a work made up of layering and mixing fragments of works by multiple composers.

I allowed myself to cut and edit material to suit the compositional purpose and to layer material. A limited amount of transposition was used in order to facilitate the seamless transition from one section of material to another. At no point did I process any of the sounds further.

...

This large and ambitious collaborative project presents a unique cross-section of contemporary practice in sound art and brings together musicians from all around the globe in a piece that celebrates Schaeffer's revolution in sound.

Those who took part with their generosity of time and sounds are: A_dontigny, AGF, Lars Akerlund, Michael Alcorn, Javier Alvarez, Miguel Azguime, Natasha Barrett, Francois Bayle, Gonzalo Biffarella, Ludger Brummer, Mira Calix, Christian Calon, Lawrence Casserley, Richard Chartier, Rhodri Davies, Vladislav Delay, Donnacha Dennehy, Francis Dhomont, Lawrence English, eRikm, Dror Feiler, Christian Fennesz, Ambrose Field, Iris Garrelfs, Gilles Gobeil, Kink Gong, Jonty Harrison, Tim Hecker, Erdem Helvacioglu, Zoe Irvine, Christina Kubisch, Diane Labrosse, Andrew Lewis, Mats Lindstrom, Francisco Lopez, Eric Lyon, Stephan Mathieu, Adrian Moore, Ake Parmerud, Gert-Jan Prins, Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, Pedro Rebelo, Steve Roden, Sebastien Roux, Scanner, Janek Schaefer, Conrad Schnitzler, Si-cut.db, Wayne Siegel, Rodrigo Sigal, Sogar, Pete Stollery, Paulina Sundin, Kees Tazelaar, Terre Thaemlitz, Todor Todoroff, Kasper T Toeplitz, David Toop, German Toro-Perez, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Hans Tutschku, Rodrigo Cicchelli Velloso, Marc Weiser/Rechenzentrum, Yeoh Yin Pin, John Young, and Christian Zanesi. (Mathew Adkins)

Tracklisting:

1. [60]Project: Abstract - Ambient {7:50}

2. [60]Project: Concrete - Instrumental {8:12}

3. [60]Project: Concrete - Experimental {6:02}

4. [60]Proejct: Sea Soundscape {9:00}

5. [60]Project: Urban Soundscape {7:04}

6. [60]Project: Ambient Instrumental {5:58}

7. [60]Project: Noise Study {2:43}

8. [60]Project: Extended Vocal {13:04}

(1) (2)

Updates of Last Post and Announcements

Thanks to all the folks who offered advice and moral support during my time without a properly-functioning computer. My old laptop computer, which I have been using to deliver the material posted on this blog as well as the device to maintain this blog, is nearly dead. My hard drive is about to fail and something on my system in Windows seems to be corrupted. The problems on the old computer became worse and I decided to reformat the computer. After I reformatted the computer, the computer would not boot. To make a long story short, I had to buy a new laptop computer as I ran out of hope and patience for the old computer. As expected, my new computer has a bigger hard drive, more memory, and faster processing power. I was lucky to find a good deal. Hopefully, my new computer will last as long or longer than my old computer. Yes, it is a PC, but it has the Windows 7 Home Edition (woo hoo)! This is, by the way, the first post here in the Closet using my new computer. (My first real blog post on my new computer is over at my other blog, A Basement of Curiosities. Sorry.)

I am also letting you all know that I have opened up a Facebook account. I registered on Facebook some months ago. I had plans for it, but I was distracted and forgot about it. I decided to give it another go. I may or may not have plans for it, but now you have an opportunity to be my friend and for me to be friends with you. You will have to register on Facebook to do this. Then look up "Grey Calx" to find me.

Now, I have a working PC, the Closet once again is "back on the air." Now I have some posts to take care of. Talk to you soon and best wishes.

Technical Difficulties

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. My laptop has not been working correctly for the past week. I am typing this post on a computer at the library. Something is causing my CPU to be used even if I am not doing anything. My processing speed is slow and therefore I cannot do much of anything. Last night my laptop took about 30 minutes just to get Windows up and running. I had to switch to Safe Mode where I am unable to access the Internet, but at least my computer works a little better. I plan on reformatting my hard drive sometime in the next few days. Hopefully, that will solve my problem and this blog will be back on the air soon.

As Recorded by Thomas Edison

various artists compilation - As Recorded by Thomas Edison

released on LP, no release date given

Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 10, 1847. He started his career, as many prominent Americans, by selling newspapers. Later he followed the familiar pattern by printing his own little newspaper. Soon he became interested in chemistry. While working for the Telegraph Company, he indulged his craving for inventions.

He built a factory in Newark, to manufacture his machines. When he gave up the factory in 1876, he opened a laboratory in Menlo Park. There he worked on a perfected telephone, a phonograph, a dictaphone, a microphone, a megaphone, a lightbulb and improved the dynamo. Before his death in 1931, he had patented more than one thousand inventions.

Oddly enough, he stumbled on the phonograph, his favorite "Brainchild", by accident. Working as a telegraph operator, he found that an incoming message made a needle vibrate and scratch a pattern on a rotating paper. This message could then be played back.

We have secured some of the lesser known recordings of Th. A. Edison and captured them on this record for lovers of NOSTALGIA.

A collector's item consists of rare recordings. In most cases, singers and bands are no longer available for recording. We have tried to update the sound quality of this album. Yet, it should not be compared to a recording made today. (from the liner notes)

More Edison recordings are here and here.


Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Shirley Spaulding - Danse Arlequin {3:02}
Shirley Spaulding - banjo

2. Sibyl Sanderson Fagan - The Bird and the Saxophone {3:13}
Sibyl Sanderson Fagan - whistling

3. Green Bros. Novelty Band - Kismet (Foxtrot) {3:27}

4. Imperial Marimba Band - A Garden Dance {3:49}

5. Joe Roberts and John Burckhard - Poppies (A Japanese Romance) {3:34}
Joe Roberts - banjo solo; John Burckhard - piano forte

6. Sodero's Band - The Warbler's Serenade {4:04}

Side 2

1. Atlantic Dance Orchestra - Memories of You (Foxtrot) {2:49}

2. Lenzberg's Orchestra - Buddies (Waltz) {3:51}

3. Max Fell's Della Robia Orchestra - Romance (Waltz) {4:09}

4. Green Bros. Novelty Band - Congo Nights (Foxtrot) {4:08}

5. Noble Sissle - Crazy Blues (vocal) {3:30}

6. Premier Quartet with orchestra - Pocahontas (vocal) {3:21}

(1) (2)

Altered States [soundtrack]

John Corigliano - Altered States [soundtrack]

LP released in 1980; Altered States film also released in 1980

performed by a studio orchestra conducted by Christopher Keene; no information about the orchestra and performers provided

Watching this film during the later part of an evening when I was a teenager, I was freaked out by some of the scenes throughout the film. What made them really memorable for me was the music used with those scenes. The music enhanced those scenes as it sounded like it could only have been heard in those "altered states". Recently, I found and bought an LP copy of the Altered States soundtrack at an antique store. I have not thought about the film in many years until I acquired the soundtrack. The music is just as I remembered it although I sort of thought that I needed to watch the images when I played the record. Then I conceded that the music is powerful enough of course to stand on its own as it is intense, stark, and even hallucinatory. Just like the film, the soundtrack has moments when it is calm and (perhaps for lack of a better word) normal. I was stunned at the music back then, not even realizing that I was being exposed to the avant-garde maybe for the first time in my life. Now, of course, the music sounds like the stuff I usually listen to rather than music seemingly from another reality.

Note: There are a few segments of my LP copy that sound rough where there is an excessive amount of surface noise I could not get rid of.


Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Main Title and First Hallucination {4:38}
(Ritual Sacrifice and Religious Memories)

2. Love Theme {3:34}

3. Second Hallucination {5:06}
(Hinchi Mushroom Rite and Love Theme Trio)

4. First Transformation {3:32}
(Primordial Regression)

5. Primeval Landscape {2:12}
(In the Isolation Chamber)

Side B

1. Second Transformation/The Ape Man Sequence {7:53}
(Escape from the Laboratory, Stalking the Dogs and the Fight, The Zoo and Final Hunt)

2. Religious Memories and Father's Death {2:05}

3. The Laboratory Experiment: Jessup's Transformation, Collapse of the Laboratory, The Whirlpool and Journey to Another Dimension, Return to Reality {6:10}

4. The Final Transformation {4:05}

(1)

Oriental Bouquet

Abdallah Chahine - Oriental Bouquet

LP released in 1974; originally released in 1965

At the age of 80, Abdallah Chahine is one of the best-known pianists in the Arab world, and one whose mastery continues to delight his listeners. Perhaps his greatest contribution to Arabic music, however, is his invention of a piano capable of playing the quarter-tones which feature in some Arabic modes. The basic mode, Rast, uses a scale made up of 24 quarter-tone intervals arranged thus: -
Whole tone; three-quarter-tone; three-quarter-tone; Whole tone; Whole tone; three-quarter-tone; three-quarter-tone.

Compare this with the European major scale, made up of 12 semitones arranged thus:-
Whole tone; whole tone; semitone; whole tone; whole tone; whole tone; semitone.

Arabic piano music differs from the European equivalent in style, also, in that it is purely melodic: both hands play the melody at an interval of one or more octaves.
On this record, Abdallah Chahine plays music in ten Arabic modes; each item begins with a free improvisation (Taqsim), followed by a well-known folk tune. In four of the modes - Bayat, Rast, Sika and Saba - quarter-tones can be heard. (from the liner notes)
Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Hinayyina {4:36}
Mode: Bayat

2. Ya Taira Tiri {3:01}
Mode: Rast

3. Min Hana Mabsamuha {2:58}
Mode: Sika

4. Halalayya {3:06}
Mode: 'Ajam

5. Baktub Ismak {6:16}
Mode: Nahawand

6. Hawwil Ya Ghannam {3:25}
Mode: Nakreese

Side 2

1. Ya Nas Ana Mutt {4:35}
Mode: Higaz Kar

2. Lamma Rait Hagr Habibi {6:08}
Mode: Higaz Kar Kurd

3. Batit Uyuni {5:26}
Mode: Saba

4. Qadduka Al-Mayyas {6:20}
Mode: Higaz

(1)