A piece for laptop ensemble and percussion  by Charles Céleste Hutchins, performed by BiLE on 29 April 2011 at the We Are Birmingham shop

Partially Percussive

sounding out Bingham priory
extracts from an improvisation recorded on location, 03 april 2025.

hervé perez, alto saxophone, ©2025

sounding out – is the practice of deep listening, a connection with the spirit of a place.
these recordings are explorations of outdoor acoustics and sacred sites, investigating the nature of space and architecture, natural topography.

find more recordings of sounding out:
https://nexttimestudio.wordpress.com/

sounding out

the pilgrim

the pilgrim [Bingham Priory april 2025]

My version of a chaconne, an application of a bit of Henry Cowell's ideas for rhythm (as previously embodied in Leon Theremin's Rhythmicon). Written using a seven-note subset of a microtonal Meta-Slendro scale. This is my first published work to incorporate percussion (albeit synthesized or sampled)

This was recorded in a single take. There is post-processing (mixing and mastering) but no edits or overdubs. Some effects are digital, but all sound sources are analog, as are some of the effects.

Layers:
- a cloud of tones from two Wingie2 resonators, triggered by chaotic/stochastic triggers
- a slow repeating melody rendered on modular synth (XPO + DPO) with multiple layers in unison (including a layer processed by the Cosmodio Glitch Witch pitch-modulated fuzz pedal), using Make Noise 0-Ctrl as sequencer
- a bass line that follows the melody, produced by the EAE Prismatic Wall resonator pedal with the Red Panda Labs Radius ring modulator, also driven by the 0-Coast 
- synthetic percussion, a combination of the Neutral Labs Scrooge (triggered by the Beast-Tek Amoeba and Mystic Circuits IDUM modules) and Disting EX sample playback (also triggered by Amoeba)

Image credit: https://throughlightandtime.com/ldn-122-lrgb-dr-350-29-june-2025-2/

A Furious Calm

sounding out St Raphael, Hexworthy
extracts from an improvisation recorded on location, 26 june 2025.

hervé perez, hochiku jinashi shakuhachi 2.1 in C, ©2025

sounding out – is the practice of deep listening, a connection with the spirit of a place.
these recordings are explorations of outdoor acoustics and sacred sites, investigating the nature of space and architecture, natural topography.

find more recordings of sounding out:
https://nexttimestudio.wordpress.com/

first light

first light [Hexworthy june 2025]

sounding out St Raphael, Hexworthy
extracts from an improvisation recorded on location, 26 june 2025.

hervé perez, alto saxophone, ©2025

sounding out – is the practice of deep listening, a connection with the spirit of a place.
these recordings are explorations of outdoor acoustics and sacred sites, investigating the nature of space and architecture, natural topography.

find more recordings of sounding out:
https://nexttimestudio.wordpress.com/

contenu

contenu [Hexworthy june 2025]

sounding out Fernworthy Stone Row
extracts from an improvisation recorded on location, 29 june 2025.
combines reverb and distant echo from trees all around this amazing location and across the valley

hervé perez, alto saxophone, ©2025

sounding out – is the practice of deep listening, a connection with the spirit of a place.
these recordings are explorations of outdoor acoustics and sacred sites, investigating the nature of space and architecture, natural topography.

find more recordings of sounding out:
https://nexttimestudio.wordpress.com/

soft bounce

soft bounce [Fernworthy june 2025]

sounding out loch awe forest
extracts from an improvisation recorded on location, 08 sept 2025.

hervé perez, hochiku jinashi shakuhachi 2.85 in G#, ©2025

sounding out – is the practice of deep listening, a connection with the spirit of a place.
these recordings are explorations of outdoor acoustics and sacred sites, investigating the nature of space and architecture, natural topography.

find more recordings of sounding out:
https://nexttimestudio.wordpress.com/

in awe of the flow

in awe of the flow [Loch Awe forest sept 2025]

weird beat blues and fragulated jazz with some saxophone improvisation and jangly guitar
voice sample: Ella Fitzgerald



the pale moon

beyond the clouds, the sky is infinite and all is inter-connected, like the branches of a tree

spiritual jazz - all instruments and sound design ©nexttime
+buddhist chant sample

beyond the clouds

north bay beach

All this time

BiLE (Birmingham Laptop Ensemble) are a collaborative group of composers (instrumental and electroacoustic), performers. Six artists were brought together through their shared interest in live performance and desire to perform and improvise together in an interactive ensemble.

BiLE has an open attitude towards experimentation with sound, allowing members of the group to bring their own tools and musical experience to the ensemble, rather than focusing on creating a single environment for live coding and sound generation. This means that composers with varied backgrounds can contribute musically to the performance.

BiLE’s core team of performers are: Julien Guillamat, Les Hutchins, Shelly Knotts, Norah Lorway, Jorge Garcia Moncada, Chris Tarren.

BiLE regularly perform with glitch artist Antonio Roberts.

Partially Percussive

BiLE

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