[5-6.2.07] Milkcrate 13 + audio

It's 4:15am and we're not even halfway yet...

That's right, I'm doing my first 24 hour Milkcrate session in over a year at Seb and Lauren's around the corner from where I live. I won't tire you with the details of the sessions (click the above link if you're curious), but I thought I'd run over some observations that I've had so far regarding the creative process.

For the first time in a session I'm not using a computer to edit soundfiles. This is a deliberate choice as I've wanted to see how the creative process would be affected if I started taking away accurate visual representations of sound (such as wave form editors.) Because I'm only using a minidisc player and my old 4-track tape machine (as well as a digital delay stompbox), I've found that the change has been quite dramatic, resulting in a more linier process. It's my impression that the visual cues that I've removed from my usual process (though useful in many ways) are interruptions, presenting any number of options, directions and tangents to shoot off in. I'm thinking of this from the perspective of branch growth - I would much rather a simple branch structure as opposed to something sprouting out in all directions. This economical approach encourages a discipline of sorts - since this process is bound by the limited capabilities and inherent flaws of the technology, I'm required to concentrate more on how I wan't something to sound before I start work on it, rather than nitpicking it as I go (I find the latter is a destructive and petty way of going about things.)

Anyway, enough Eno-esque babble, I'm going to make another coffee and get back to before a brief nap as the sun comes up.

You can listen to three of my tracks so far from the Milkcrate ftp server (click links below.)

BTW, if the audio sounds a bit murky/crackly/poppy, that's all part of the old skool aesthetic - ya dig dawgs? ;)

Signals in a Snowstorm (2.5 MB)
Radio In Fog (With Strangers) (4.4 MB)
Swarm (4.5 MB)

[2.2.07] Rocks, Mouth and Delay #1 mp3

Here's the first of my little forays into rock music :). I have recorded myself playing rocks by cupping a flat one in my palm and striking in with another. I can control the resonance of the struck rock by putting my cupped hand up to my mouth, by opening and closing my mouth I can control the resonance and respective pitch of the sound. On this recording I have recorded two tracks of myself playing the rocks to my Tascam 424, then upon playback I routed a digital delay effect send and altered the delay time and feedback settings in realtime. It does sound a little bit clunky, but should give a fair representation of this technique, the delay is used to make the process a bit more interesting.

Rocks, Mouth, Delay #1.mp3

[30.1.07] Rock, stone, pebble, etc.

Over the past month or so I've taught myself how to 'play' rocks, stones and pebbles. Inspired by the activities of the acoustic shaman Akio Suzuki, I've found that these materials can create some very interesting sonic results when the right discipline and focus of listening is applied in conjunction with a resonant space. I've made some audio recordings over the past couple of weeks, but my server is giving me grief - hopefully the situation will be rectified in the next couple of days, with some description of my playing techniques. Stay posted.

[21.1.07] Making Sound Work: Sound art workshop

On the weekend I checked out Jason Sweeney's "Making Sound Work" sound art workshop at Headquarters Studio in Richmond, invited by Jason to drop by and talk about sound art and myself for a bit.

The workshop attracted just under a dozen participants from broad artistic backgrounds, including two guys who came all the way from Melbourne for the event! The workshop kicked off on Saturday, and I dropped by on Sunday afternoon to see how things were coming along. The sessions involved participants creating works (as individuals or small groups) with whatever materials were around, this included vintage synths, guitars, tape machines, record players, samplers, effects pedals and microphones. The works performed were more or less improvised, with a compositional and performative structure worked out beforehand (which included loose instructions by Jason.) The results were varied though mostly enjoyable with plenty of creativity, spontaneity and invention from the participants. In fact, some of the best works I heard were from the participants who were either unfamiliar or had some trepidation about using a particular instrument or device. As a result, there was refreshingly little ego in sight.

I talked briefly about how sound art is regarded as an artistic practice, giving examples of my own work as well as commenting on some the performances I had heard that afternoon. I mentioned that the predominant nature of the works (which were conceptual and process driven) had a strong tie to the aesthetic of sound art, and how the absence of a formal language (i.e. musical) dictated the works in terms of being inter-mediatory, spontaneous and in some cases, specific to particular space or object. I also mentioned how pleasing it was to not see a single laptop in sight!

I did contribute one work later in the afternoon - walking very slowly from one end of the gallery space to the other using an egg-shaker to articulate the resonances of each room.

Jason's Website

Here are some pictures I took:

[16.1.07] Re-directing

Inspired by the blogging of my friends Seb and Lauren, I have decided to set-up an alternate blog which will contain posts not commonly associated with The Soniferous Garden. This move comes about after receiving some emails from disgruntled readers who would rather not read one of my recipes or fan-boy lists, which is fair enough I think.

Therefore, The Soniferous Garden will only contain posts which are related (in one way or another) to my practice, The Soniferous Amphx will be my personal blog, containing musings, photos, said recipes and lists, and anything else that seems extranneous.

Enjoy.

[16.1.07] Bowie @ 60: 25 fav songs

Rampaging journalistic pundits seem to be compiling list after list on Bowie at the moment as the lovely old codger has just turned sixty. I've decided to get in on the filthy action and compile a list of my 25 favourite Bowie songs. You may find some unfamiliar and alarming selections here. After all there are two songs each from his peroxide yuppie phase (Let's Dance) and the start of his WTF phase (Tonight).. but who doesn't go for pop trash now and again?

• 01. Fashion - Scary Monsters (1980): contains third greatest guitar solo of all time.
  
• 02. Always Crashing In The Same Car - Low (1977): contains fifth greatest guitar solo of all time.
  
• 03. China Girl - Let's Dance (1983): contains twelth best middle-8 of all time.
  
• 04. Art Decade - Low (1977): nice bubbly synth and synthestic strings.
  
• 05. "Heroes" - "Heroes" (1978): Eno's wall of sound that builds up.
  
• 06. Golden Years - Station To Station (1976): funky, chunky and melodica.
  
• 07. Sunday - Heathen (2002): glitchy, Scott Walker-ish, then those drums kick in at the end.
  
• 08. The Man Who Sold The World (1971): GREATEST guitar riff of all time.
  
• 09. Sound And Vision - Low (1977): Blue, blue electric blue...
  
• 10. Loving The Alien - Tonight (1984): great song, but has the most OTT video of Dav's career.
  
• 11. Seven Years In Tibet - Earthling (1997): goodness, what a beastly wall of guitar!
  
• 12. The Heart's Filthy Lesson - 1.Outside (1995): goodness, what a beastly NIN omage!
  
• 13. Space Oddity - Space Oddity (1969): lovely and quaint, 400 years ahead of it's time.
  
• 14. I'm Afraid Of Americans - Earthling (1997): angular.
  
• 15. New Killer Star - Reality (2003): those chord changes.
  
• 16. Bring Me The Disco King - Reality (2003): a jazz number with origins in Weimar, Berio, Mingus and Neptune.
  
• 17. Buddha Of Suburbia - Buddha Of Suburbia (1994): nice ditty.
  
• 18. Ziggy Stardust - ZS And The Spiders From Mars (1972): oh, you know.
  
• 19. Blue Jean - Tonight (1984): pure pop smut, veritable sonic pornograhy.
  
• 20. Let's Dance - Let's Dance (1983): pure pop gold.
  
• 21. Ashes To Ashes - Scary Monsters (1980): [insert superlatives]
  
• 22. Look Back In Anger - Lodger (1979): nice atmospherics.
  
• 23. V2-Schnieder - "Heroes" (1978): horn(y).
  
• 24. Young Americans - Young Americans (1975): oh matron it swings.
  
• 25. Rebel Rebel - Diamond Dogs (1974): another decent riff.
  

[16.1.07] BEAP 07 Abstract Submission - Feedback appreciated

Since leaving my post at Adelaide University as a failed post-graduate, I've been struggling to regain some confidence in my writing. Therefore, with the Bienniale of Electronic Art in Perth (BEAP) coming up in Setember this year, I thought I would submit an abstract on the CADE conference theme of 'stillness'. My abstract is a point of departure for examining sound and stillness, titled: 'Auditory Stillness as Phenomena.'

My writing skills are still rusty as you may notice, and hopefully it all doesn't seem too convoluted.

It can be read here, any feedback would be kindly appreciated.

[15.1.07] Sounds From Level Four article

Samara Mitchell has written a piece about the Shoot Collective for the upcoming issue of Realtime. You can read the section on Sounds From Level Four here.

[15.1.07] External website 'finished'

Right, time for a strong drink. The external website pages have been finished after much delay! You can browse them by clicking the links above, or if you're feeling lazy then just click here . However, being the mild dyslexic that I am, there may be some errors on the page - so if you stumble upon any please be gentle. Also, I've been having some problems uploading audio samples, and at present only the clip for Graupel is up.

[1.1.07] Resolutions

It is a new year, thus resolutions are to be fulfilled. Firstly, the external website has nearly been refurbished, I would have finished it off in the last couple of days but socialising, drinking and R+R have been wooing me of late. Secondly, I will start writing again since I have some confidence back at long last. Thirdly, I find a job in a bookstore after leaving my position at ANAT in two weeks time. Fourthly, I'm getting a haircut eventually...

...the latter resolution might help me with job prospects outside of the arts.