Disquiet Junto Project 0663: Drive Way
The Assignment: Record a piece of music that complements the hum and whir of a hard drive.

This week’s project was proposed by novelist Robin Sloan (Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, Sourdough, Moonbound) in response to a post I made on social media about the annoying sound of an HDD drive I accidentally purchased. I had mistakenly thought it was an SSD drive. We previously did a project inspired by Sloan’s work almost exactly 7 years ago, at the end of August 2017 (more details at disquiet.com/0296).

Step 1: Either record the sound of an HDD drive or use a field recording available online, such as this one from Freesound:

https://freesound.org/people/eardeer/sounds/401271

Step 2: Consider how that drive sound, even when quiet, could be irritating if heard while one is listening to music.

Step 3: Per Sloan’s proposal, “record music to harmonize with, or play against, the whirr.” (It’s up to you if you want to include the sound of the drive along with your music.)

. . .

Deadline: Monday, September 16, 2024, 11:59pm (that is: just before midnight) wherever you are.

More on the 663rd weekly Disquiet Junto project, Drive Way — The Assignment: Record a piece of music that complements the hum and whir of a hard drive — at https://disquiet.com/0663/

The image associated with this project is licensed thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. It was taken by Evan Amos — whom Popular Science has reportedly referred to as “gaming’s most famous photographer” — as a part of Vanamo Media.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laptop-hard-drive-exposed.jpg

Disquiet Junto Project 0663: Drive Way

701733178214 [disquiet0663]

acoustic bass and hard drive hum
hard drive sound courtesy of eardeer on freesound
https://freesound.org/people/eardeer/sounds/401271

000000000001111111111111111111111111111000000000000001111

More on the 663rd weekly Disquiet Junto project, Drive Way — The Assignment: Record a piece of music that complements the hum and whir of a hard drive — at https://disquiet.com/0663/

disquietjunto

disquiet0663_drivedriftingaway

I mixed a number of hard drive recordings and combined the result with a drone sequence created in Pure Data.

More on the 663rd weekly Disquiet Junto project, Drive Way — The Assignment: Record a piece of music that complements the hum and whir of a hard drive — at https://disquiet.com/0663/

The image associated with this project is licensed thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. It was taken by Evan Amos — whom Popular Science has reportedly referred to as “gaming’s most famous photographer” — as a part of Vanamo Media.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laptop-hard-drive-exposed.jpg

Drive Drone (disquiet0663)

Holly Myers — disquiet0663

Disquiet Junto Project 0663: Drive Way

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0663-drive-way/68624/1

Step 1: Either record the sound of an HDD drive or use a field recording available online.
Step 2: Consider how that drive sound, even when quiet, could be irritating if heard while one is listening to music.
Step 3: Per Sloan’s proposal, “record music to harmonise with, or play against, the whirr.” (It’s up to you if you want to include the sound of the drive along with your music.)

I wanted to add a futuristic element to this suggestion. The ambient drone is paired with distorted plucked synths, while evolving bass growls blend with the futuristic rumble of a cyberpunk car. I wanted to evoke the dystopian feeling of driving through abandoned, overdeveloped landscapes. The eerie atmosphere is intensified by dissonant, off-key sounds, with sharp, jarring moments created by the clashing harmonics of the lead synths. This track is designed to engage the listener’s imagination of this scenario while also provoking discomfort through sonic shocks. I hope you appreciate this piece by not enjoying it! 

*I used and AI image generator to create the cover art; suggestions described the  cyberpunk dystopia I wanted to present to the listener*

MAX DURHAM - CYBER-DRIVE (disquiet0663)

disquiet0663

slanting sunlight rays
a warm hazy afternoon
the forest to hear
(Marc Sheridan)
https://www.naviarrecords.com/naviarhaiku592-slanting-sunlight-rays/
Komposition1068 Klavier

slanting /naviarhaiku592/

For this third of three, I chose the inspired track by Campos and Samplair from last week ... https://soundcloud.com/tannes-marrei/soothing-nightmare-carnival-disquiet0698-with-samplair

Check out my collaborators' brilliant work at https://soundcloud.com/tannes-marrei and https://soundcloud.com/user-248104983 ...

Enjoy! 🤗

More on the 699th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Third Third — The Assignment: Record the third third of a trio — at https://disquiet.com/0699/

more halF unusuaL

halF nightmarE [disquiet0699] with Campos & Samplair

More on the 700th weekly Disquiet Junto project, View Frame — The Assignment: Share the view and some sounds inspired by the view — at https://disquiet.com/0700/

SONG 98 - Disquiet0700 - View Frame

Disquiet Junto Project 0700: View Frame
The Assignment: Share the view and some sounds inspired by the view.

The cover picture shows the view from my window. I used a virtual modular system and wanted to create the feeling of crowded chaos, of structure and nervousness, of importance and frivolity. All from a distance, as I am still outside the picture looking out of the window.

The (cover) image does not perfectly equal the inner image I had in mind, as it is lazy sunday afternoon and vacation time, so the city is not that busy at the moment.  

--
More on the 700th weekly Disquiet Junto project, View Frame — The Assignment: Share the view and some sounds inspired by the view — at https://disquiet.com/0700/

Discussion:
https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0700-view-frame/72046

BandCamp

Busy Street [disquiet0700]

#4193 92.44% 343 left): Jun.7, 2025: Before you were or any hearts to beat  (again, William Butler Yeats from May 22, 2025) 

“I never expected my heart to tremble so deeply”

In “before you were or any hearts to beat,” Chair House captures the ephemeral pulse arising from stillness, crystallizing it into notes. The transparent touch reminiscent of post-rain air gently caresses past memories. As the title suggests, this melody preserves the warmth of days when hearts still raced, instantly transporting listeners back to their former selves—where improvisational inspiration and meticulous sound design weave the unique Chair House soundscape.


*** NEW SELECTION ALBUM 30th JUST RELEASESD ***

Today's pure primal piano music here. Happy if this music makes you feel peaceful.. : )

Looking for absolute natural beauty every day for Piano Ten Thousand Leaves. Target number is 4536:
This piece may might have good 1/f fluctuation characteristic although I stopped investigating it each piece.

######## Latest Album: 30th SELECTION ALBUM JUST RELEASED ########

"wind of mysteriousness" - the 30th selection album of piano ten thousand leaves

youtube: FULL VIDEO with 20 full songs in very high quality sounds
https://youtu.be/tkqms1ZjAEg?si=RlWgQZBbe9z523f_

spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/7CiAmnJmm5Wnm3CVfmC234?si=tImTyWj5TT6dUBRhMRXVYg

apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/jp/album/wind-of-mysteriousness/1817351475

amazon music:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=chair+house+%E4%B8%8D%E6%80%9D%E8%AD%B0%E3%81%AE%E9%A2%A8&i=digital-music&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

all music streaming services:
https://linkco.re/PQ45u0dG?lang=en


before you were or any hearts to beat - #4193 (92R44 percent 343 left) chair house 250607

Recorded, edited, mixed & mastered on 28 May 2017 & 06 Jun 2025 by Jim Lemanowicz at Blissville Electro-Magnetic Laboratories of Massapequa, USA. 

Synths, effects

Photography/Art - Jim Lemanowicz, 06 Jun 2015 & 06 Jun 2025, Massapequa, NY, USA 

©2015, 2025 Jim Lemanowicz

---

This original version of “Usually May Disappear” was submitted as part of Disquiet Junto Project 0701: Gap Ear. The Assignment: Break apart a piece of music and fill the resulting spaces.

More on the Disquiet Junto at: disquiet.com/junto/

More on the 701st weekly Disquiet Junto project, Gap Ear — The Assignment: Break apart a piece of music and fill the resulting spaces — at https://disquiet.com/0701/

Usually May Disappear (disquiet0701)

https://soundcloud.com/robertknote/we-will-withstand
https://disquiet.com/2025/06/05/disquiet-junto-project-0701-gap-ear/
Komposition1057 Klavier lang

Don't close the gap [disquiet0701]

I 'misused' Microsoft Word to create this ... see the accompanying visuals at https://youtu.be/6dIBIYtLmE4 ... and hear the 'spinoff' track at https://soundcloud.com/half-unusual/half-akjhdjsdmnn ... I think you'll agree, it's the best use of the word akjhdjsd,mnn to date ... 😁😜 ... Oh, and lead vocals by the Word robot! 🤖

This project is the second of three that are being done by the Disquiet Junto in collaboration with the 2025 Musikfestival Bern, which will be held in Switzerland from September 3 through 7. The festival topic this year is « Kette » — which translates, as the organization explains, to “Chain”: “Chains connect but they also bind. They create relationships but also restrictions. As a gift they look nice, feared when used in vice, and yet they can span bridges across fire and ice.” All three Junto projects will engage with the work of Svetlana Maraš, who is the Composer-in-Residence for the 2025 festival.

We are working again at the invitation of Tobias Reber, an early Junto participant, who is in charge of the educational activities of the festival. This is the seventh year in a row that the Junto has collaborated with Musikfestival Bern.

More on the 702nd weekly Disquiet Junto project, Chain of Applications — The Assignment: Make music by misusing a piece of music software — at https://disquiet.com/0702/

visuals (YouTube)

halF wrotE [disquiet0702]

This was my contribution for Disquiet Junto Project 0702: Chain of Applications. The Assignment: Make music by misusing a piece of music software. This project is the second of three that are being done by the Disquiet Junto in collaboration with the 2025 Musikfestival Bern, which will be held in Switzerland from September 3 through 7.

Here’s a copy of my post on the Disquiet Junto 0702 discussion thread on Lines:

I rarely use the metronome in Ableton Live, even when recording on top of a rhythm. Maybe it’s the lack of experience with it but I find the sound too distracting. For this project, decided to not use the metronome as a rhythm aid but as a sound source to be sampled and manipulated into an experimental composition.

First, recorded the sound with a Panasonic microcassette recorder. I then recorded it back into Ableton Live. The output connection on the recorder was picking up some static and noise but used the recording anyway, From there I used Audio Damage Circa to loop and mangle the audio. Used Imagiro Autochrome, SoundGhost Jumble and ValhallaRoom for effects. The result reminds me of a chorus of frogs, insects and other creatures in some wetland at night.

More on the 702nd weekly Disquiet Junto project, Chain of Applications — The Assignment: Make music by misusing a piece of music software — at https://disquiet.com/0702/

Metronomia Chorus [disquiet0702]

This track was created for the Naviar Haiku group.
599
https://www.naviarrecords.com/naviarhaiku599-rain-rituals/

2025-06-26

rain rituals - (Naviarhaiku 599)

My 33 1/3 series book about the Aphex Twin album <i>Selected Ambient Works Volume II</i> was published in 2014. The book was one of the top 5 bestselling titles for the calendar year, and in 2015 was ranked by Pitchfork as one of the "33 best" of the 100-plus books in the 33 1/3 series. It has subsequently been translated into Japanese (2019) and Spanish (2018)

Since 2012 I have moderated the Disquiet Junto group, which began on SoundCloud. More at disquiet.com/junto. 

I've written for Nature, Pitchfork, The Wire, Down Beat, Boing Boing, NewMusicBox, Red Bull Music Academy, Art Practical, the website of The Atlantic, and many other publications. 

I've exhibited sound art at galleries in Los Angeles (Crewest), Manhattan (apex art), and Dubai (DUTAC), and I had a audio-visual installation at the San Jose Museum of Art as part of its 45th anniversary.

And since 1996 I've run the website Disquiet.com about the intersection of sound, art, and technology.

disquiet0663

Andreas Kitzmann

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Ángel L. Martínez / Spirit Turnpike

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