excerpts from "Utility Music"

Westheimer's Discovery: A couple of months in the laboratory can frequently save a couple hours in the library.
—

Utility Music is the result of a year long exploration of a Doepfer A-100 modular synthesizer system of my own planning, beginning on January 1, 2019 and ending December 31, 2019. It was my attempt to learn more about the foundational building blocks of synthesis and to explore the idea that interesting and compelling synthesizer-based music can be realized without the aid of modern DSP and “fancy” hardware within the format.

Beginning each week on Monday, I would begin a new patch from scratch and continue to develop it until the end of the week. On Saturday, I would freeze the patch and "perform" it without making any new additions. Sunday was set aside for recording the result, taking down patch notes, then taking the patch apart so that the process could begin all over again the next day.

The final audio portion of the project is a mosaic assembled from these weekly stems. Accompanying the CD is a 72 pg. perfect-bound book containing further information on the project as well as weekly point-to-point patch notes and insights into process.

https://j-w-m.bandcamp.com/album/utility-music

Josh Mason "Utility Music" preview

Anna Stessel

Poet experimenting with sound waves

ZWhitchW01
SILAS<3 : RHYMING SINGULARITY
STIXART

Antifesto is a creative alias of Bert-Jan Zuiderduin, a Dutch composer and sound-designer who doubles as a psychotherapist in private practice and at a human rights charity in London.

Bert-Jan originally studied Art and Media Technology at the University of Utrecht before going on to study composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. As greatest influences he cites Conlon Nancarrow and Morton Feldman. 

Through his later psychotherapy studies and practice, Bert-Jan stumbled across Carl Jung’s theory of the Transcendent Function, which describes a dialectic transformative process very much akin to his own way of writing. In essence, this theory describes two opposing forces joining to create a third. 

Bert-Jan’s work juxtaposes often contrasting ideas or even techniques. Makes use of extremely structured as well as completely improvised or accidental material. Another characteristic is the simultaneous occurrence of repetition and continuous change as has also been explored in minimalist music.

Previously, Bert-Jan worked more conceptually, for example his work ‘Beauty Sleepers’ existing of field recording made in Teylers Museum, Haarlem, where the composer attempted to bring back to life the ‘sleeping’ scientific instruments from bygone ages. There was even an electronic homage to Frank Zappa (‘20.000.000 False Moustaches Can’t be Wrong’).


Album:
https://antifesto.bandcamp.com/album/the-hearsayologist

el_mare_maschinsky in connection with WAHRISE
.._..*_*--.--.:.--.;.__.._..*_*--.--.:.--.;.__.._..*_*--.
and by the way,
the nail caught in her dress
during a conversation with whatever
and her absence of an open mind,

her brother was chasing a trap of nature
in dusty plastic woods,
where wild digital creatures straggle,

as yet with or without success,
we don't know.
and in the meantime ... .. ... ..
... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .. .. . . .

I can't understand
why people are frightened on new ideas.
I frightened of the old ones.
● John Cage

Josh Mason "Utility Music" preview

josh_mason