Impro session with the whole (!) team:
- Fred Aerden (spoken word & processed field recordings)
- Nicolas Claus (guitar, bass, loops) @nic-ooze
- Olivier Taskin (synth, drums, loops) @olitaski
- Antonin De Bemels (groovebox, piano) @antonindb

Image © Eliyott Steffens aka https://www.youtube.com/@retro.chimie
Watch an extract with live visuals here: https://youtu.be/NSAn26xVPzY

Recorded on September 29, 2022

Impro session "no slam" 29/09/2022

Im dunklen Tann

Materia Prima was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and was premiered on March 16, 2023 by Daniela Candillari and the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Materia Prima draws inspiration from the mythological motif of the cosmic ocean. This motif, which can be found in the creation stories of a strikingly wide variety of cultures and religions, describes a cosmic ocean of primordial, often chaotic waters from which the universe was created. The title, Materia Prima (Latin for prime, or original matter) refers to the substance viewed as the material cause of the universe.

There are two musical elements that form my piece, sustained sounds and brief impulses. The impulses act as drops of water in a still, vast sea, creating waves of activity that disrupt the stability of the sustained material. The harmonic structure of the piece is built upon a similar opposition, one between the harmonic series of a low B-flat and the open strings of the string instruments, particularly the open A – the note from which the entire piece emerges. The piece unfolds through gradual processes of transformation as it attempts to reconcile these opposing materials. At its core, Materia Prima strives to find serene spaces in a turbulent and chaotic world.

Materia Prima (2023) for orchestra

Messier 54

ALLEGORY for bassoon, live electronics & lights

1377 5

SenSen - X

INOPERATIVE SYSTEM ™© 2var133varF (Senglar Rmx)

Counting down the days
drifting as seasons change
languish inside four walls
my cage
the stage is clear
and the curtains fall

this life is just a dream
fade out and disappear
...

Disappearing Act - Single

Disappearing Act

"Free the party, for the people"

Modular synth + compressor

Mixed in synth
mastered

F-T-P Drone

ÂKÂSHA, for string chamber orchestra performed by Ensemble Allegria on 18 September, 2020, in Oslo, Norway. Recording by Wolden Lyd.

The meaning of Âkâsha derives from a description that I found in the book Raja-Yoga And Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms written by Swami Vivekananda in 2012:

“The whole universe was composed of two materials, one of which is called Akasha. It is the omnipresent, all-penetrating existence. Everything that has form, everything that is the result of combination, is evolved out if this Akasha. It is the Akasha that becomes the air, that become the liquids, that becomes the solids; it is the Akasha that becomes the sun, the earth, the moon, the stars the comets; it is the Akasha that becomes the human body, the animal body, the plants, every form that we see, everything that can be sensed, everything that exits; it can not be perceived, it is so subtle that it is beyond all ordinary perception; it can only be seen when it has become gross, has taken from. At the beginning of creation there is only this Akasha. At the end of the cycle the solids, the liquids, and the gases all melt into the Akasha again, and the next creation similarly proceeds out if this Akasha”.

This became a source of inspiration for a new work, exploring continuous interwoven sonic entities of gradually changing timbre based on textile patterns. My intention was to create distinct patterns of timbre, which develop from one noisy material into seven independent timbral layers, later transforming into one monolithic soundscape.

The work is dedicated to Anton Lukoszevieze.

ÂKÂSHA_Ensemble Allegria

Konstantinos Baras, a Greek composer with a passion for complex and saturated sound, embarked on his musical journey following a diagnosis of HanDL syndrome at the age of 18. Baras is recognized for creating works that convey intense emotions and delve into the complexities of trauma, employing visceral, chaotic sounds marked by a continuous energy flow and aggressive gestures. 

Utilizing digital signal processing, noise, distortion and live interactivity, Baras extends the timbral profile of traditional instruments and seamlessly blends disjunct materials into unified structures. With interest in site-specificity and interdisciplinary collaboration, he works often with dancers and movement artists and engages creatively with space, lights, and visual effects. 

His continued entanglement with black metal and techno contributes to an arrestingly distinctive sound palette, exploring the potential of repetition and bodily mechanics to intensify a sound’s impact on the listener. Toward that aim, Baras organizes his compositions through various processes of iteration and fragmented circularity, manipulating duration and density, often utilizing repetitive material but subtly altering it with every reappearance. The end result is driving, gripping, and grave.

His music has been performed and commissioned by Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain Moscow Contemporary Ensemble (MCME), Ensemble Nikel, and Ensemble Multilaterale, with performances in festivals and conferences such as, IRCAM ManiFeste, MIXTUR, Darmstadt, reMusik, ilSuono, Ticino Musica, among others.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at Northwestern University, Baras holds Masters degree from Boston University, and Bachelors degree Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

ALLEGORY for bassoon, live electronics & lights

BARAS

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