In today’s episode, Film Forum presents a lively Q&A from the opening night of FIRE MUSIC, an engrossing chronicle of the free jazz movement. Joining us for the Q&A were FIRE MUSIC director Tom Surgal, executive producer Thurston Moore--best known as founder of the iconic band Sonic Youth--and legendary jazz drummer Warren Smith, who has played with a wide array of artists, including Sam Rivers, Charles Mingus, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, and Nat King Cole. In addition to his work in feature films, Tom Surgal is a celebrated music video director, jazz curator, and musician in his own right, serving as co-leader of the improvisational band White Out.
Photo by Nivia Hernandez

FIRE MUSIC – Tom Surgal, Thurston Moore, Warren Smith

FORMA416

Cultivated Sound is a hybrid between a collective and label in Brooklyn, New York. We are focusing on showcasing artists locally and internationally. Our mission is constantly evolving as we strive to integrate programs with collaborators and residents. To cultivate music as sound and introduce new music breaking genres.

https://www.instagram.com/chavezsayz/ https://www.instagram.com/maraperalta/ https://www.instagram.com/cultivatedsound/

Culivated Sound: Maria Chávez and Maŕa Peralta @ The Lot Radio 01 - 29 - 2023

String Theory

KONRAD SPRENGER - Stack Music

Format: LP / Digital 
Cat. No: PAN 78 
Release Date: 2 June 2017

p-a-n.org

purchase: bit.ly/2rdmu6S

Released by:
PAN
Release date:
1 July 2017

Having felt restrained by the limits of traditional instruments and the techniques tied to them, composer, music producer and artist, Konrad Sprenger (b. Joerg Hiller), spent years developing various algorithms and custom instruments to realize his work. His recent focus has been on rhythmic patterns based on the Euclidean algorithm, using a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar.

The unique system can create complex rhythmical patterns whilst tuning the strings during performance - sounding at once like an electronic instrument, a drum computer, a guitar, a harpsichord, even at times as a full orchestra. Hiller has long collaborated and performed with minimalist Arnold Dreyblatt, and musician/instrument builder Ellen Fullman amongst others, and first built primitive acoustic mechanical instruments, gradually developing a more complex, digitally-controlled system. “My guitar gives me the possibility to discover almost every aspect of the sound produced by the excitation of the string – as if scientifically under a magnifying glass.” He says. “I can control such parameters as the speed and time, length of the attack, the intensity, the pitch (allowing the use of different tuning systems), and the location of each string in space by the use of 6 speakers.”

Early on, Hiller realized that the harmonically complex sound of strings are impossible to reproduce digitally, and therefore became interested in the development of mechanical instruments, visiting European collections of Pianolas, Orchestrions in Belgium and Holland. Within his live performances and on this new recording, his music is influenced by the insistent rhythms from Minimalism, Krautrock and Techno, and their shared focus on transcendence through a propulsive, full-spectrum sound.

Informed by early American folk music and its descendants (John Fahey et al), his new album Stack Music presents a selection of recordings over the years from residencies and live performances, such as ’Opening’, an early live performance of the digital guitar system recorded in New York and composed at Phill Niblock’s Intermedia Foundation Loft, whilst ’Rondo’ consists of recordings of the guitar played by a motor with shoelace exciters, horns, and piano harp. In ‘Largo’, he utilises the software Melodyne to generate midi notes from a original guitar system recording.

The release is mastered by Rashad Becker at D&M, featuring artwork by Bill Kouligas.

Konrad Sprenger - Opening (PAN 78)

From Seabat's Outside The Disc - https://seabat.bandcamp.com/album/outside-the-disc

The Bridge

www.thelotradio.com
instagram.com/thelotradio
facebook.com/thelotradio
twitter.com/thelotradio
soundcloud.com/thelotradio

Palto Flats w/ Quiet Time @ The Lot Radio 02 - 27 - 2019

I play synth in the improv band White Out. I also experiment with recording, processing, and assembling sound.


String Theory

lin11c

Related tracks