Shelter Press is happy to announce the release of Perceptual Geography, Thomas Ankersmit’s latest record. The music was created as a loosely structured piece for live performance in 2018-2019, commissioned by CTM in Berlin and Sonic Acts in Amsterdam, and premiered there on the GRM Acousmonium. The music is inspired by - and dedicated to - the pioneering research of American composer and installation artist Maryanne Amacher (1938-2009), and created entirely on the Serge Modular analog synthesizer.

Ankersmit and Amacher first met in New York in 2000, and kept in touch over the following years. Her concerts and installations left a deep impression on him. Amacher, being close to the Tcherepnin family, also first introduced Ankersmit to the Serge synthesizer, developed by Serge Tcherepnin in the 1970s.

In the piece, Ankersmit explores different “modes” of listening: not just which sounds are heard and when, but also how and where sounds are experienced (in the room, in the body, inside the head, far away, nearby). So-called otoacoustic emissions (sounds emanating from inside the head, generated by the ears themselves) play a prominent role. When turned up loud, the material moves beyond the loudspeakers and starts to trigger additional tones inside the listener’s head; tones that are not present in the recorded music. Cupping the ears with the hands and slight movements of the head also help to bring these tones to life. Maryanne Amacher was the first artist to systematically explore the musical use of these phenomena, often referring to them as “ear tones”.

The title is a reference to Amacher’s essay “Psychoacoustic Phenomena in Musical Composition: Some Features of a Perceptual Geography”, and despite the all-electronic instrumentation, a dramatic sense of landscape and environment often emerges. There are sparks of fire, howling wind, distant thunder, a swarm of bats disappearing into the distance. Ghostly, floating tones are contrasted with highly dynamic sounds darting around the listener, and large, heavy waves rolling in slowly. “Ear tone” stimuli weave in and out of these textures, emerging from them. Once or twice, the music seems to completely freeze in time, but a slight movement of the listener’s head reveals changes.

For each live performance, Ankersmit tunes his instrument to the resonant characteristics of the performance space, so that the sounds activate the structure, traveling through the architecture and setting it in motion.

The record is accompanied by an extensive conversation between Ankersmit and Serge Tcherepnin, creator of the Serge Modular and friend and collaborator of Amacher.

This is a digital-only release (CD and download) because the “ear tone” material can’t be adequately transferred to vinyl.

Please play loud and use speakers, not headphones. 
credits
releases March 19, 2021

Music: Thomas Ankersmit
Mastering: Kassian Troyer
Design: Bartolomé Sanson
Interview editing: Michelle Arrouas

THOMAS ANKERSMIT 'Perceptual Geography' (EXCERPT) (SP130)

Following on from the 2016 Korea Undok Group compilation LP Penultimate Press is proud to release the follow up, Senescence. Covering material recorded in the last two and a half years, this new cd comprises 50% works previously available on private tiny run cassettes and 50% works made for an abandoned lp. Abandoned being a good word to use again here as this collection of barley-there trace element songs and decaying acoustic snapshots will leave the listener with a sensation not so dissimilar to the feeling abandonment conjures.

Please note there has been zero mastering on this release as we wanted it to sound as shit as possible.

Fixed Ending

Push beyond the boundaries

Arturas Bumšteinas
So-called Space
Sloow Tapes- CS 30

Continuum-collage piece by Lithuanian composer Arturas Bumšteinas created in 2015 from incidental music sampled from various Lithuanian radio drama's from the 1950's to 2000's. A strange heady brew which juxtaposes music, sound effects, rudiments of vocal expression and various acoustic instruments among others in a compelling cut-up, reminding at times of People Like Us or Dirk Schaeffer's recent work for Peter Tscherkassky's movies. Edition of 70 copies.

Arturas Bumšteinas

Released September 19th, 2022

Lorenzo Abattoir, Angelo Bignamini, Andrea Borghi, Devid Ciampalini, Marco Ferrazza, Nicola Fumo Frattegiani, Giovanni Lami, Fabio Perletta, Nàresh Ran, Gaspare Sammartano, Dominique Vaccaro

11 schegge

"Spectral is a collection of tracks using either the Buchla 296 or 296e
Spectral Processor. It was fun taking it into different sonic universes to see 
what it would reveal. Enjoy!" - Todd Barton, 2022

TODD BARTON - SPECTRAL ( excerpt)

Kara - Lis Coverdale - Buried Trig

LP released by ISSUE Project Room's Distributed Objects imprint on September 18, 2015

Order at http://issueprojectroom.org/distributed-objects/thiefth

Originally released on CD in 2005 and out of print for a decade, Thiefth is the first of four collaborations between poet Susan Howe and musician David Grubbs. This first LP edition, a limited run of 100 copies, is accompanied by a special edition letterpress print produced by Grenfell Press. Howe and Grubbs were first brought together when the Fondation Cartier in Paris proposed a collaborative performance. Grubbs had been a dedicated reader of Howe’s for more than a decade, and the opportunity to work with Howe’s poetry and her voice immediately intrigued.  In late 2003, the two set about to create performance versions of “Thorow” and “Melville’s Marginalia,” the two of Howe’s longer poems that comprise Thiefth.

Preview - Susan Howe and David Grubbs: Theifth (DO04 LP)

"Youth Organ" by Brett Naucke from "The Mansion" album due out early spring 2018 on Spectrum Spools.

"Youth Organ" by Brett Naucke

Joachim Nordwall &
Coppice
Gabi Losoncy
Kevin Drumm
Tim Barnes & Jeph Jerman
John Duncan

Commuication is the Key
CD (E235)

entracte.co.uk/projects/joachim-nordwall-e235/

Release date: January 2019
Limited edition of 100 copies
Mastered by Jacques Beloeil
•
Challenge, stimulation, creativity.
Admiration. Inspiration.

Communication is the Key

Joachim Nordwall (E235; 2019)

https://madalynmerkey.bandcamp.com/album/oranges

🍊🍊 New Music 🍊🍊

Pitched Material

Holoid

ISSUE Project Room is a non-profit center for innovation, discovery, development, and presentation of new music, sound, dance, performance, literature, video, and film.

Preview - Susan Howe and David Grubbs: Theifth (DO04 LP)

IssueProjectRoom

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