Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself
The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds.

Background: On September 29, 2023, there is going to be an event at a place called the Berkeley Alembic, in Berkeley, California, where I’ll play recordings of music that share a specific theme, and I’ll discuss the sounds with the people who come to listen. The event is titled Music That Listens to Itself, part of the Expanded Listening series developed by Erik Davis (Techgnosis, Burning Shore). That is the theme. Part of the goal of this project is to develop tracks for potential inclusion in the event, and to pursue ideas related to the event’s theme.

Step 1: The underlying idea is to produce music that, so to speak, listens to itself. This would be music that employs techniques to revisit itself — repurposes itself — as it proceeds. From reverb to echo to tape loops to granular synthesis to accessing a buffer, various techniques serve such a compositional and performance purpose. Consider a means to achieve this result.

Step 2: Record a piece of music that employs the technique you focused on as a result of Step 1. Please note: for the Berkeley Alembic event, I’ll be sharing music that is particularly quiet, particularly appropriate to a meditative state of mind. You don’t need to record quiet music for this project, but quiet music is what I’ll be playing at the event.

. . .

Deadline: This project’s deadline is the end of the day Monday, September 18, 2023, at 11:59pm (that is, just before midnight) wherever you are. It was posted on Thursday, September 14, 2023.

. . .

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself

Having some looping fun with Audio Damage's wonderful Enso tool!

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

more halF unusuaL

halF selF [disquiet0611]

[disquiet0611] Self - Oscilation - Waves

SonicLab just released Oceanic, a software that allows for the sonification and simulation of ocean waves. Think of up to five currents that generate waves and some buoys that rise and fall with them. To better hear how the system influences itself, the effect of the waves are mapped to pitch and pan changes.

I performed with its sound generation tools, keeping the slow and steady ebb and flow primarily intact. Oh, and the title is the percentage of salt in the ocean.

***

Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself

The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds.

Background: On September 29, 2023, there is going to be an event at a place called the Berkeley Alembic, in Berkeley, California, where I’ll play recordings of music that share a specific theme, and I’ll discuss the sounds with the people who come to listen. The event is titled Music That Listens to Itself, part of the Expanded Listening series developed by Erik Davis (Techgnosis, Burning Shore). That is the theme. Part of the goal of this project is to develop tracks for potential inclusion in the event, and to pursue ideas related to the event’s theme.

Step 1: The underlying idea is to produce music that, so to speak, listens to itself. This would be music that employs techniques to revisit itself — repurposes itself — as it proceeds. From reverb to echo to tape loops to granular synthesis to accessing a buffer, various techniques serve such a compositional and performance purpose. Consider a means to achieve this result.

Step 2: Record a piece of music that employs the technique you focused on as a result of Step 1. Please note: for the Berkeley Alembic event, I’ll be sharing music that is particularly quiet, particularly appropriate to a meditative state of mind. You don’t need to record quiet music for this project, but quiet music is what I’ll be playing at the event.

Additional details: disquiet.com. Tickets: eventbrite.com 1. About the venue: berkeleyalembic.org.

(...)

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Three Point Five [disquiet0611]

Uncannily I had been working on this piece this morning using the harmonics from piano chords I'd played and recorded a while back. I'm exploring and teaching myself how to compose usimg the editing and effects of the Logic Pro X multiverses. I'd been drawn to soft quiet sounds and was using delays and echoes to create subtle patterns that play off one another.

I was halfway through this and then @disquiet Marc sent this email prompt out saying this ...

"Step 1: The underlying idea is to produce music that, so to speak, listens to itself. This would be music that employs techniques to revisit itself — repurposes itself — as it proceeds. From reverb to echo to tape loops to granular synthesis to accessing a buffer, various techniques serve such a compositional and performance purpose. Consider a means to achieve this result."

... which was exaclty what I was doing anyway. I must be psychic.

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Music Itself Listens To (disquiet0611)

Holy crap you guys. Ok so I don't know if this counts, this was done ALL MANUAL, but basically I played all the piano keys one octave at a time, so starting on A, then A then A then A, etc to the highest one. Then I saved that track as A. Then the same with B and so on to G. So seven tracks corresponding to seven letters. Each track was a little over a minute long.

And I had this giant list of alphabetical verbs on my computer so I carved out only what started with A through G AND had A-G in the second letter, and then had Alex the male computer record it. (I had Samantha the female do it too but their timing was different and it was too hard to weave. Maybe some other day.)

So then with the spoken verb track leading the way, I place the appropriate first letter and second letter and let it play.

Any time it the second letter changed I brought in the letters (it was more interesting bringing in both than just the changing letter), and likewise anytime the first letter I brought in the corresponding two tracks for the first two letters.

So this got really bulky in the BE-CE section, and pretty full most of the time but winds up and winds down.

Some interesting notes:

--I have no idea what "AFK" is. I left it in there. It's probably a mistake.
--My bottom E key is dead so you hear the percussion of me trying to get a sound out of it.
--Left other ambient sounds in.

I'm uploading one with and without voice.

(This is the version NO VOICE.)

---

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-list…ts-712124101357 1

About the Disquiet Junto: disquiet.com/junto/

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

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-pr…-listens-to-itself/

Disquiet 0611 Abate Cackle Get (no voice)

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it  proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Hirsute Bollard -  disquiet0611

Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself
The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds.

My notes can be found here: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/64092/9

Step 1: The underlying idea is to produce music that, so to speak, listens to itself. This would be music that employs techniques to revisit itself — repurposes itself — as it proceeds. From reverb to echo to tape loops to granular synthesis to accessing a buffer, various techniques serve such a compositional and performance purpose. Consider a means to achieve this result.

Step 2: Record a piece of music that employs the technique you focused on as a result of Step 1. Please note: for the Berkeley Alembic event, I’ll be sharing music that is particularly quiet, particularly appropriate to a meditative state of mind. You don’t need to record quiet music for this project, but quiet music is what I’ll be playing at the event.

[Disquiet_Junto_0611] Imaginary Windchime

An upright bass improvisation with echoes and delays...


For Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself

Contrebasse Soliloque (disquiet0611)

I extracted two samples from an old track of mine (Tape), lengthened the time, adjusted the equalization and finally mixed them together adding various effects. The basic track was synthesized in csound, the extraction carried out with audacity and finally the mastering with flstudio.
---
More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 2

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

re-tape - disquiet0611

An evolving drone sequence, sounds created in Pure Data.

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 2

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Reinvention (disquiet0611)

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 2

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

New Beginnings (disquiet0611)

release date: 15/09/2023   
More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

Swallows (disquiet0611)

Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens to Itself
The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds.

After using granular delays of different kinds in https://soundcloud.com/winterer/infinity-piano-mirror I gave the hardware feedback a try. Which wasn't that easy on the Soma Cosmos drifting memory station. First I used on of the outs directly on the ins which made some unspectacular noises that are now used in the rhythmic part. Then I used a Zoom H2 Mikro and it's line out as an input for the Cosmos and cheap headphones (expecting their destruction) for the output of the signal. I "played" the "instrument" by holding the headphones near the micro. So the Cosmos really "listen's to itself". I found the recorded result too harsh and slowed this stem down to 50% and EQed the whistles, to get their character just so as a musical contribution. My wife asked for the source of the strange sounds and my answer got woven into the recording, as did my squeaking chair (again). I cut all down to 3 minutes (because I train to be short at the moment) and added some additional FX just to soften the track. It's not as meditative as the piano granular first try, but more true to the prompt.

--

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

BandCamp album

The Cosmos Listens To Itself [disquiet0611]

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Where The Wind Makes A Curve (disquiet0611)

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Medivate (disquiet0611)

For this project I recorded a few guitar picks and looped the recording. To this I added some spare synth notes. The whole thing then went into a granular reverb. I gradually raised the effect level and finally removed the input entirely.

My goal - as to the prompt - was to put the listener into a meditative state. For this reason, the track is rather long and well above my usual two minute goal. The last few minutes are pretty meditative and I recommend listening only in company of a trained meditation guide so that you don’t get lost forever. You have been warned!

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/
Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 2
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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Disquiet0611 - Don’t Get Lost

The task of making music that listens to itself was approached by starting with a soft piano using Noire Felt which has a function that with desired probability feeds back the note played at 1 or two octaves lower.  So this was a piano that listens to itself.  Additionally, the core piano notes played were provided to another piece of software called Borderlands which allows one to take small segments of the track and loop them as a singlet or multiples (in the form of micro samplers) whilst applying treatments to alter length, rate (forward and back), pitch, etc.  Four such micro samplers were used to provide atmosphere to the track.  Finally, some background tones were added using a monome ARC 4 device to drive Electric Dharma Wheels in Ableton Live.

Just Deserted(disquiet0611)

This was my contribution for Disquiet Junto Project 0611: Music That Listens To Itself.

Here’s a copy of my post on the Disquiet Junto 0611 discussion thread:

Here's my attempt to create music that listens to itself by using delay, reverb, granular and tape effects. As the piece progresses and additional tracks were added, the mix levels of the effects were increased. Tried not to go overboard but might have done that anyway. Some tones toward the end started to feedback on itself, so had to dial things down a bit. 

Tracks were created in Ableton Live using Ableton's Wavetable synth, Max for Live Tombola, Sonic Beds Vol.1 by Jogging House, and Slate+Ash Choreographs/Landforms. Ambient noise tracks were added using Audio Thing Noise and FIELD by ELPHNT. Effects used: SoundGhost Drift, Cableguys Shaper 3, Baby Audio Transit, Inorganic Audio Liquid, Arturia Coldfire, Audio Damage Other Desert Cities, Sugar Bytes Graindad, Strymon BigSky, ValhallaRoom and Phonolyth Cascade.  Image by Vedanti via Pexels.

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/
Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 2
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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Lesser Facets Glowing [disquiet0611]

More on this 611th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Music That Listens to Itself (The Assignment: Record a piece of music that repurposes itself as it proceeds), at: https://disquiet.com/0611/

Some of the music resulting from this project may be included in a September 29, 2023, event at the Berkeley Alembic in Berkeley, California: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanded-listening-music-that-listens-to-itself-tickets-712124101357 3

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-0611-music-that-listens-to-itself/

Disquiet0611 - Listen...you!

Thought on W.B. disintegration loops
played soma Enner through Lightpedal and Strymon's Volante

everything dissolves(disquiet0611)

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.