Disquiet Junto Project 0588: Swell Time

The Assignment: Make some surf music

Step 1: We’re going to make some surf music. Think about the word “surf” separate from the word “music.”

Step 2: Make some surf music inspired by the thoughts that arose in Step 1.

. . .

Deadline: This project’s deadline is the end of the day Monday, April 10, 2023, at 11:59pm (that is, just before midnight) wherever you are. It was posted on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

. . .

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Disquiet Junto Project 0588: Swell Time

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Nawak

swing in the scum - disquiet0588

Wav (disquiet0588)

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Swell Time

Disquiet Junto | Swell Time - disquiet0588

After a number of years absence I have started participating again in the Disquiet Junto. This week's prompt was as follows:

Step 1: We’re going to make some surf music. Thing about the word “surf” separate from the word “music.”
Step 2: Make some surf music inspired by the thoughts that arose in Step 1.

My process was as follows: simulating waves using filters and white noise, then using envelope followers, resonators and effects to generate musical materials from this, and then adding a background field recording. So fairly simple but easing myself back in...

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Disquiet0588

A mix of recorded & electronic sounds.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Surf Surround (disquiet0588)

P.oceanica is a slow-growing species of Posidonia, a global seagrass that provides food and shelter to marine organisms, protect coasts against erosion, and purifies natural water resources. P.oceanica covers the entire coastline of the Mediterranean Sea with its network of roots and rhizomes. One colony discovered off the coast of Ibiza is believed to be nearly two-hundred thousand years old, which would make it the oldest living plant in the world.

Marta Solé, a research scientist in environmental engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona Tech (UPC), has spent her career studying the impact of noise pollution on marine biology. Solé’s previous research demonstrated that cephalopods hear sound through small sensory organs, which become damaged when noise exceeds a certain volume and frequency. P.oceanica have exhibited similarly adverse effects to noise, compromising the plants’ ability to connect to root systems and gather nutrients from the ocean.

Suss Müsik considered the metaphorical duality of sound waves and ocean currents as a framework for this Junto project. Three “waves” of synthetic material were treated with various distortion effects and allowed to pass over each other. A cyclical pattern simulates the gently modulating seagrass that lies beneath the surf, insulating its tender blades from the harsher noise just above the crashing waves.

The piece is titled P.oceanica and was recorded live to Tascam 8-track. Those who wish to learn more about Solé’s work are encouraged to read The Sounds of Life by Karen Bakker.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: 

Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

P.oceanica [Disquiet0588]

When I think of surf, two things immediately come to mind - the sound of water lapping the shore and the Beach Boys. So after setting up a simple filter/lfo to simulate the sound of the waves, I hauled out my theremin. My first thought was to try and recreate the "Good Vibrations" theremin solo, but I'm afraid I'm not that skilled. So I ended up with whale sounds, which is good enough and in keeping with the theme. I added a melange of "drippy" sounds from the Wing Pinger and tamed the theremin with the granular setting in the Cosmos. The result is a moody, slightly trippy trip into the depths of the wide open sea....

disquiet0588

I took this week's assignment quite literally and created a patch on the Korg Opsix that I felt was reminiscent of the sound of waves. Recorded live in a single take.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Sine Wave Surf (disquiet0588)

Thinking about the word „surf“ separate from the word „music“ brought up:
- Waves, pelicans, seagulls (obviously)
- The novel „The Sellout“ by Paul Beatty where the protagonist, Bonbon, often goes surfing, mostly alone and in dawn or dusk (if I remember it correctly).
- The movie „Point Break“
So I set out to make music with sounds of the sea, someone surfing alone - mostly waiting for waves - and some dark turning point approaching. It’s mostly freestyling with synths.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Disquiet0588 - Bonbon

Disquiet Junto Project 0588: Swell Time
The Assignment: Make some surf music

What can be surfed? A wavetable synth. How can it be surfed? By the sound of sea waves. This was the starting point for this patch with the virtual modular system miRack.

The wavetable module "Seven Seas" gets modulated by CVs generated from the field recording inputs (that you can hear parallel). The pitch is generated by the seawaves cv, mixed with a LFO for more variety (and the LFOs speed, too, is slightly modulated by the waves cv).

As a result the playing of the wavetable synth follows mostly the sea waves – it's surfing it. (Interspersed additional recordings of an internet surfer and a theremin (only for some 'good vibrations'…).)

I did so many versions and was never satisfied with the modulation of the wavetables itself, but this day is over. Whether all the effort was worth it? I have no idea, but I think I learned a lot. Anyway, there's a more traditional first version that I discarded, here https://soundcloud.com/winterer/surfing-seven-seas

--

Thanks to this internet surfer sound recording
https://freesound.org/people/16HPanskaBenda_Jonas/sounds/503635/

And thanks to this fantastic (!!!!) recording of a beach in France:
https://freesound.org/people/emmanuel.faivre/sounds/573224/

--

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Surfing The Seven Seas [disquiet0588]

disquiet0588
Groovy Moment
    • Key: F minor     BPM: 119     Time signature: 4/4     DAW: Reaper
    • Instruments: Bass, Drums, Saxophone, Pipa, Ocean waves
    • Plug-ins: Ozone 9, Neutron 4, Izotope Visual Mixer, Expose 2
    • IDEA: Use a the sound of ocean waves and instrument sounds use in surf music but not exactly played or sounding exactly like surf music
    • PROCESS; downloaded the sound of waves from Freesound. Added a sub bass sound, drums, saxophone, and an Asian Pipa

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Groovy Moment

for the disquiet junto //

wave ambience + surf rock riffs = this

==

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Surf Season (Spindrift Refrain)

[disquiet0588] Surf Season (Spindrift Refrain)

Video here...https://youtu.be/JTSLLEhHzfk
Disquiet Junto Project 0588: Swell Time

The Assignment: Make some surf music

Step 1: We’re going to make some surf music. Think about the word “surf” separate from the word “music.”

Step 2: Make some surf music inspired by the thoughts that arose in Step 1.

Eight Important Steps When Your Track Is Done:

Step 1: Include “disquiet0588” (no spaces or quotation marks) in the name of your tracks.

Step 2: If your audio-hosting platform allows for tags, be sure to also include the project tag “disquiet0588” (no spaces or quotation marks). If you’re posting on SoundCloud in particular, this is essential to subsequent location of tracks for the creation of a project playlist.

Step 3: Upload your tracks. It is helpful but not essential that you use SoundCloud to host your tracks.

Step 4: Post your track in the following discussion thread at llllllll.co:

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Step 5: Annotate your track with a brief explanation of your approach and process.

Step 6: If posting on social media, please consider using the hashtag #DisquietJunto so fellow participants are more likely to locate your communication.

Step 7: Then listen to and comment on tracks uploaded by your fellow Disquiet Junto participants.

Step 8: Also join in the discussion on the Disquiet Junto Slack. Send your email address to marc@disquiet.com for Slack inclusion.

Note: Please post one track for this weekly Junto project. If you choose to post more than one, and do so on SoundCloud, please let me know which you’d like added to the playlist. Thanks.

Additional Details:

Length: The length is up to you. How long until the tide changes?

Deadline: This project’s deadline is the end of the day Monday, April 10, 2023, at 11:59pm (that is, just before midnight) wherever you are. It was posted on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

Upload: When participating in this project, be sure to include a description of your process in planning, composing, and recording it. This description is an essential element of the communicative process inherent in the Disquiet Junto. Photos, video, and lists of equipment are always appreciated.

Download: It is always best to set your track as downloadable and allowing for attributed remixing (i.e., a Creative Commons license permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution, allowing for derivatives).

For context, when posting the track online, please be sure to include this following information:

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Surf City NZ- disquiet0588

This was my contribution for the Disquiet Junto Project 0588: Swell Time
Here’s a copy of my post on the Disquiet Junto 0588 discussion thread:
Surf music to me is about the ambient sound of the ocean and waves, as well as reverb heavy guitar rock that evolved here in California during the 1960s. I tried to create a more chill and meditative mood with this piece.

This was created using soft synths in Ableton Live mixed with a Fender Stratocaster played through a Strymon El Capistan V1 delay pedal. Additional effects include: Baby Audio Spaced Out, Arturia Rev INTENSITY and Rev LX-24 reverb plugins. Happy surfing.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1
About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/
Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/
Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Distant Pacific Swells [disquiet0588]

Latest Disquiet Junto project.

Step 1: We’re going to make some surf music. Thing about the word “surf” separate from the word “music.”

Step 2: Make some surf music inspired by the thoughts that arose in Step 1.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

water music [disquiet0588]

How much surf is too much? An overindulgence of aquatic affairs can doubtlessly cause complication. But even in excess, there is a soothing rhythm to the undulations of the waves.

Featuring synthesizers, harp glissandi, female vocals, and an ocean beach.

Surf Surfeit

Surf Surfeit disquiet0588

Surf, as in surfing the web. VCV Rack piece. Loosely inspired by the sound of dial-up modems and the experience of community in the age of doom scrolling.

Disquiet Junto Piece. 

The Assignment: Make some surf music

Step 1: We’re going to make some surf music. Think about the word “surf” separate from the word “music.”

Step 2: Make some surf music inspired by the thoughts that arose in Step 1.

More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Photo by vackground on Unsplash

[disquiet0588] Together by computer sidekick

Ocean Floor Motor Racer (disquiet0588)

Inspired by fieldrecordings of the seaside town Great Yarmouth this tracks celebrates the typical sounds of a British resort. Behind all these different sounds the waves of the sea are always ever present. This is accentuated by the piano-music improvised to the soundscape.

This track is based on the great fieldrecordings of @stuartbowditch (http://www.stuartbowditch.co.uk), who created these recordings as part of the Yarmonics sonic arts festival 2018 (@user-146670016, https://www.yarmonics.com/).
I used the following recordings kindly provided on freesound:
Waves https://freesound.org/people/Yarmonics/sounds/446367/
Seaside ambiance https://freesound.org/people/Yarmonics/sounds/446363/
Bingo https://freesound.org/people/Yarmonics/sounds/446364/
Arcade https://freesound.org/people/Yarmonics/sounds/446360/

This track was initially inspired by the Disquiet Junto Project 0588:
More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/ 1

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

Yarmouth Waves (Disquiet0588)

A recording of a gentle surf mangled through several algorithmic effects (Infiltrator, Dedalus Delay, and Digitalis) along with a drum track and some guitar noodling. The feeling of being tumbled in the surf while a band plays in the distance.
--
More on this 588th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Swell Time (The Assignment: Make some surf music), at: https://disquiet.com/0588/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0588-swell-time/

tumble (disquiet0588)

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.