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Yes - I didn't get round to doing a post, last week - what with internet connections not behaving as is their want when one is in the middle of the South Pacific..... this week we are off to the east end of London to listen to two institutions of Hackney. The fabulous Piano Circus peforming Scutigeras by the composer Heiner Goebbels and commisioned esp. for them. This piece is for two pianos and four electronic keyboards (synthesis and samples) and cut into the piece at strategic points we have the sensational Frank Key of Hooting Yard discribing a night out at a certain pub that once had a most shabby reputation - but sadly these days it has been discovered by the trendy young things - Oh well, all good things must come to an end. I have a sneaking feeling I could get into trouble if I were to post a downloadle MP3 of this so perhaps one could navigate to www.waihekeradio.org.nz and possibly there could be a lo rez streamable podcast to found somewhere there.
Why is it that the medium of radio has become nothing more than a vehicle for playing music, delivering information, or marketing product…? RADIA, the European (and beyond) community of radio arts stations, has decided that this is far to limiting and asks artists around the world to compose work that explore the medium beyond it’s present boundaries. Firstly, let’s listen to a piece created by Brazilian artist F. Ribeiro, for Rádio Zero entitled Radiodance Opus.01:"Y Do B? This piece describes itself as: “…start(ing) from the voice, the presence of the verb and the dance of electromagnetic fields to compose a body program of synaesthetic flexing of the body limits, it's listening and gestures. In the metaphysical inversion of the body (udob), the representation of the clash of embodiment springs a question: why do we keep insisting on engineering the "being"? Why do we still believe in artistic performance when it has no longer the power to update the world? We ask the listener to watch his body with utmost attention during the broadcast and dance. Voices (heard and un-heard): Veridiana Zurita, Julia Rocha, Daniel Fagundes, Daniela Dini, Gabriel Kolyniak, Guilherme do Vale, Chico Science, Frank Zappa, Key Sawao, Ricardo Iazzetta, Vivian Caccuri, Katherine Strandberg, entre outras.”
And then we’ll finish off with Incidental Parallels by Pôm Bouvier B. from Radio Grenouille. This composer says of her piece: “‘for some time and repeatedly, I've been travelling through 3 cities: Paris- Brussels- Berlin. In each city I spend at least one week to fix a route that can be disturbed by incidences. An incidence means a digression and it is also the point where a line meets a surface. I accept all those incidences that divert me from my route. And I translate them into sound through a topographical portrait of the cities’. Pôm Bouvier B. lives and works in Marseille. She has followed an atypical path through music. From listening to very diverse music, to scenography, video and theatre performance, she finally settled in electroacoustic music.” MP3 here waihekeradio.org.nz/
Tonight we find ourselves starting our journey in Java. Six musicians of The Institut Seni Indonesia in Surakarta were commisioned to compose a piece each in 2008. The Rahayu Supanggahe contribution: Anané Ånå (Raison D'être) show us as that contemporary composition is alive and doing very well in the region. Bruce Russel, a New Zealand guitarist' electro acoustic composer and Corpus Hermeticum record label director belongs to that rather dark noise scene that the country is famous for - alot of NZ's experimental stuff comes from a post rock or jazz tradition rather than the digital synthesis croutching-over-laptop scene. This piece, Brakemens Blues has "...been made entirely from samples taken from the Midnight Crossroads Tape Recorder Blues album, which (he) made with Ralf Wehowsky for A Bruit Secret." And know over to Eastern Europe to listen to Krzysztof Knittel: 306 Granice Niczego. I don't have any info on this particular artist and this peice and how it was put together, but it comes from the Polish Radio Experimental Studio in Warsaw : 1957- 1985. This was Polands' hotbed of musique concrete and electronic and electro acoustic composition and produced over 60 composers in it's time. Although the studio belonged to Polish Radio, it was responsible for many autonomous works.
And now for some more fabulous experimental pop: a.P.A.t.T and their barking mad, Apprentice Attention. They're a 5 piece from the Northwest of Britain. they take the mickey most delightfully! Young Mexican composer Hugo Morales Murguía is based in the Netherlands these days. His work covers everything from electronics to more traditional forms of instrumentation. Here's a string quartett of his from 2002. Let's finish off with some contemporary psychedelic rock from Japan.KAWABATA MAKOTO created Acid Mothers Temple in the 90's and describes his work as "extreme trip music". His influences come from Stockhausen and the Krautrock scene and not the west coast of the States as one may expect. Here's and excerpt of 3 tracks: Sweet Juicy Lucy, Mammery Intercourse and Hare Hare Hallejulah - blow out super high. From the album entitled Wild Gals A Go Go and rumoured to be used as soundtrack for a Porn movie. Hmmmm - a wonder what was going on in that movie....Drop that acid tab and enjoy the trip! download MP3 here
waihekeradio.org.nz
Let’s start with some early Mira Cilax. These days she appears to be doing a lot more collaborative work with trad./classically trained musicians. These 3 pieces: Sixnot6, I May Be Over There But My Heart Is Over Here and Distracted 2 are off her first album, an electronic work, from about 8 years ago – gosh! Doesn’t time fly. She was the first female signing on the WARP label and a lot of anoraks couldn’t cope with that and she even received hate mail – can you imagine?!?! I believe she is no longer Mrs. Half-Of-Autechre, these days. Dirk Bruinsma has been performing at STEIM recently and here is a recording of a live concert in Sofia Bulgaria 2009. This is a solo project that has been a year in the making. He wants to investigate saxophone technique when combined with live technologies processing and randomized structures. OK – now we all know that the Brits do the best beat driven music on planet earth – no argument there and the only stuff that’s worthy of any note, in my opinion, can have it’s ancestry traced back to traditional Jamaican Dancehall – Dubstep/Dubcore from London and Bristol are fine examples of this. Minimal and repetitious rhythm (as all good dance music should be) and that wonderfull sense of accent OFF the beat which is something the Caribbean invented. This is all about feeling below the waist – I dare anyone not to want to get up and shake their tush when this one comes on: turn the volume up to maxim! It’s called 1999 by Noodles.
Gyorgi Ligeti considered by many to be the greatest composer of the 20th century, came to popular attention through a couple of pieces of his being used as soundtrack by Kubrick on his 2001. This is his Ten Movements for Wind Quintet composed in 1968 and it explores his micropolyphony invention, further. Here he also explores acceleration and deceleration by note groupings as opposed to tempo changes. This is an effect created by decreasing and increasing note events and the subsequent density of sound. Next we have Mick Jagger playing with a MOOG for Kenneth Angers 1968 film Invocation of My Demon Brother. I think if anyone were to get thru to the end of this without slipping a cyanide capsule in their cuppa, they’d deserve a medal! And let’s finish off with a trip down to the bottom of the North Island of NZ. Wellington appears to be where all the interesting stuff is coming from these days and here are 3 tracks: Tibetan Glitch No. 11, Aliceao and The End by a turntablist/audio collagist young chap who goes by the name of Alphabethead
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This week we’ll start off with a bit of girly pop from TICKLY FEATHER – this is a sampler that came from The Wire and as far as I can make out it’s Annie and her laptop from Virginia USA – it’s the sorta thing some girls are getting up to these days - nasty but nice! Experimental Pop must be one of my favourite genres and not what one finds nearly enough of. A young chap who goes by the name of ERGO PHIZMIZZ performs wonders in this arena – all sorts going on here, from composition to collage. This is his Don Quixote in five parts – an Earballet he entitles it. I have to say I think he has a fantastically barking mad sense of pitch! STEIM's Artistic Director Takuro Mizuta Lippit, also known as DJSNIFF is an exponent of turntablism and is considered something of a virtuoso of the turntable as a live performance instrument which is hooked up to a number of various interfaces and softwares. Here he works French Teacher and Chinese Water Torture. Apparently Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones is responsible for bring the worlds attention to THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA.
Let me quote: “…the musicians prefer to live and play near the sanctuary of their saint, Sidi Ahmed Shiech, and rarely perform outside Morocco. Joujouka is a small village in the Al Srif Mountains in Northern Morocco. For centuries the main occupation of the men of the village was playing music. The best Joujouka musicians traditionally played at the court of the Moroccan sultans. Joujouka is renowned for Sufi trance music, which utilises the technique of circular breathing backed by trance-inducing rhythms...” Here is a sampler care of THE WIRE which includes Habibi Wan Amali" ("My love what more have I") and "L'Aita" ("The Call"). Pop/Rock duo (or now trio) that go by the name of AGASKODO TELIVEREK and quote influences formBARTOK to DEVO They do that thing of sounding neither Rock n Roll nor computer sequenced yet both at the same time. They’re a kickin’ band and I think this was released as a single. Chris Cook, one of the organizers of the monthly electronic music performance events in Brighton calling itself SPIRIT OF GRAVITY, is also a performer himself and here is a live recording of him as one of his projects entitled SAME ACTOR where he plays the sitar “along with electronic jiggery pokery” And then we’ll finish off some more “is it Rock n Roll or is Synth?” Well – it’s quite clearly both! THE GUINEA WORMS are from Ohio, which is the home ground of the EFFING fantastic DEVO – but everybody of my generation thinks that!DOWNLOAD MP3 HERE
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After weeks of finding myself bent over a hot computer screen beavering away on countless radio drama episodes, |I’m really starting to think it’s about time I devoted some time and energy on my own stuff rather than playing techie for everybody else – would be nice if a bit of inspiration were to magically parachute in – but in the meantime…
This week I’m gonna play a lot of artists that have reared their heads on previous shows and thought it might be good to look at some of their other material – so, needles to say, we’ll start with something I came across for the first time just the other day thanks to THE WIRE online. SUN ARAW form LA is telling us what Californian Psychedelic rock is sounding like today. Berlin based Japanese synth artist Akira Inagawa known here as LAMBENT doesn’t do the computer programming thing – he's generally fiddling with synthesizers, samplers and whatever else he can get his hands on, manipulating in “real time”. This piece was recorded live – it’s quite early from about 2001ish and has quite a minimal feel to it. The amazing SCOTT WALKER– 60’s heart throb teen idol, 70’s crooner, disappearing into obscurity – and then: “WHOSH!” we find him coming out with this extraordinary experimental material exploring the potential of the recording studio. And to think this guy is in his 60’s! I never tire of FRANK KEY from Hooting Yard. It’s not only his brilliant writing but also the way in which he delivers the ludicrously implausible with just that hint of boredom and exasperation – it hits just the right note! Then, continuing the theme of vocal shenanigans, ADACHI TOMOMI, “performer, composer, sound poet, installation artist and occasional theater director” is (or has been) performing at STEIM(like RESONANCEFM, one of the most important hubs of the sonic arts on planet Earth!) as part of their 40th birthday celebrations – here he is processing his vocal performance everyway imaginable – god is that really a human voice?!?! Electro acoustic composer PAUL FRETWELL – this is a piece from 1999 – a wonderful exploration of how sound occupies space – I seem to remember in those days he was using software normally associated with sound design for film soundtrack. And then we’ll finish off with the luscious GARY BRADBURY ex Severed Heads – do let me describe him in his own words: “Sydney Australia’s favourite chronically depressed, long term ‘unemployed’, alcoholic, asthmatic, homosexual electronic music pioneer. A man who’s just spent the waking half of the last two years concocting this, his third collection of solo works titled ‘INSTANT OBLIVION’ between copious amounts of drinks and bouts with day time television”
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September 24th 2009 03:06
Last week didn’t quite pan out as planned. The “on location” film crew thing with the sound boom was most educational – definitely a young mans' game so that’ll be my first ‘n last! Being part of community radio throws up all sorts of interesting moments… am now finding myself doing soundtrack work for broadcast drama and spoken book monologue stuff – I must say I’m starting to enjoy it now in a Luvvy-Darling-Theatrical fun kinda way…was also asked to describe what my show actually was – some couldn’t get a handle on it apparently. My immediate response was - so...!? Creating boundaries with genre labelling feels like an immediate restriction – why...!?
But on consideration I realised that this was an important question for me to ask myself – what DO I think I’m doing … I guess it’s something along the lines of trying to tackle what I believe all Radio should strive for, and that’s to challenge an audience to listen in new and different ways. Comfort zone muzak anaesthesia isn’t my thing, AND importantly, bring a sense of humour to it all. Why is it that of all the arts, musicality and sound design takes itself SO goddam seriously – what’s wrong with a bit of piss-take and good fun!!
Turns out the pre recorded show that I tried to upload didn’t play last week for various tech. reasons AND sendspace threw a tantrum and wouldn’t let me upload for them either – so last week was a non event… that means we’re getting it THIS week, natch
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September 17th 2009 07:00
A couple of days back I found myself in the broadcast booth offering a bit of moral support for a new DJ who found herself doing a show on her own for the first time and having to face a malfunctioning mixing desk. I suppose if I were her I could almost feel like Thor Heyerdahl going solo on the Con Tiki, hundreds of miles from the nearest island and watching bits of the reed structure that make up the raft falling off in chunks and slowly sinking out of view into the depths…As I was sitting there, the aforementioned DJ turned on both MICS (they were still working!) and included me in the show as we found ourselves chatting about elements of the music she was playing – the phone rang: “ Could you please not talk and just play music” said the voice on the handset – well, really! I was rather annoyed by that – do our audience have absolutely no desire to be informed, or am I simply a petulant child who doesn’t like to be told to shut up...!?
OK – tonight I find I’m doing a pre-record, which will hopefully be uploaded in time for broadcast. I’ve been rather silly and found myself saying yes to too much – this week I’m attached to a camera man with a sound boom and feel like a parasite on the end of an umbilical chord – or is it a male Archer fish fused to the body of a larger female – I dunno, it’s late and I can’t think of any clever metaphors. No track list this week for various reasons - and having no luck uploading MP3 - please try in a couple o' days and see if I've had more success...!
www.waihekeradio.org.nz/
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September 10th 2009 06:44
Well - it's ALL drama at Waiheke Radio this evening. The mixing desk has gone into a nose dive and we find ourselves with one slider/channel to do everything on - oh what fun, let's see what the evening holds - I think I'll keep a glass of wine onhand - that's the Dunkirk spirit!
http://www.osaka.ie
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Actually had some feedback last week in the form of phone calls and texts - both positive and negative. At least I know somebody is listening. I've certainly been expecting the ANGRY OF SURBITON type calls - afterall, if you take people out of their comfort zone they tend to get rattled and lash out, so I guess job well done! This week......
Really Long Link
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