Excerpts of the soon to be released Runningonair album Conspiracy Theory out on 4 June 2021

Conspiracy Theory

Runningonair - Conspiracy Theory - Album Excerpts

BAU is an eclectic album of electronic tracks spanning EDM, synthwave and esoteric soundscapes.  While at its core it is essentially accessible, below the surface each track was approached in a different way leading to very different outcomes.   Many of the tracks relate directly to contemporary events and ideas.  The result is snapshot of our time, peppered with distorted visions of the past and future.

Runningonair - BAU - album excerpts

While I initially conceived of Septimal as a study of microtonal harmony, it has developed into something far more complex and personal.

The word Septimal, meaning “Pertaining to all things Seven” is not widely used outside of the world of scales and temperaments, where it refers to intervals derived from the 7th harmonic. These intervals are often poor relations of intervals derived from the 3rd & 5th Harmonics, fighting for space on an otherwise occupied keyboard. By removing any notes derived from the 5th harmonic, the space opens up to allow the character of septimal intervals to shine, a coup within the harmonic series, perhaps?

Septimal was created from recordings of improvisations on the autoharp. Each piece attempts to explore the nature of the scale as well as the character of the instrument. Each note (string) is independently tunable, making it ideal for experimental scales. In Addition, the instrument lends itself to other experiments, exploring sonic possibilities such as taps, bumps, string scrapes and other mechanical noises of the instrument that make up so much of its character. This has led to a number of pieces where the tuning is far less relevant or even obscured, although always present.

From the early stages of this project, a potential narrative became apparent, hinted at in the track titles. While I think this is better left open to interpretation, themes of abuse, tyranny and war are clearly stated.

The tracks “The Front” and “Forget me not” were among the last produced and are reflections on the war time losses of my family during World Wars 1 & 2.

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Joe Evans - Septimal (Excerpts)

The analogy between the 4 classical elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire) and the 4 states of matter (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma) when highlighted, is fairly clear to see. The idea has always fascinated me, inviting some form of musical response. 

At the same time, I have become increasingly interested in the idea that intervals based on the same prime number may have similar characteristics in the way that they are interpreted by the mind. For example 5ths, 4ths and 9ths sound similar, having a structural or even an architectural quality and all share 3 as a common factor. The same can be said of Major and Minor 3rds and 6ths, the classic happy and sad intervals, which share 5. Even to non-musicians the octave, which has the closest relationship of them all, a factor of 2, sounds like the same note even though they are not. The question of whether these relationships are as clear in ratios of 7 or 11 is something I have increasingly wanted to explore. 

While considering these two ideas independently, it occurred to me that it might be possible to metaphorically pair numbers and intervals with states and therefore link the character of the intervals with the character of the state, as follows: 

Earth 2 Solid, Air 3 Gas, Water 5 Liquid, Fire 7 Plasma. 

It should be noted that there is nothing innately linking any one number to a particular state and in the case of “Earth” the timbre of the sounds dictates the harmony of the piece more than the notes themselves but the relationship is stated more obviously through rhythmic devices. 

The final 5th element, Ether, is somewhat of an aberration, being supposedly the material making up the “heavens” and having no equivalent as a state of matter in nature. It has however been hugely influential as an idea, lending its name to one of the most widely used communications technologies, Ethernet. This technology forms part of the bedrock of the virtual world we know as the Internet. Whilst the first four elements used only acoustic sounds with no artificial reverberation, the last element is created synthetically, perhaps reflecting an imagined virtual state of matter, hence: 

Ether 11 Virtual. 

Apart from Ether, all of the pieces consist of two sound sources, household objects made of glass or metal, and environmental field recordings collected over the last 30 years. Quite a few of these recordings were captured on cassette in the 1980s and have not been used since then. 

Like the pieces themselves, the title “Elemental States” is an amalgam and, as far as I can tell, not a scientific term. The concept of the classical elements has been explored in many ways artistically and spiritually through the years and has become embedded in mysticism both old and new. While I certainly hope the listener will connect emotionally or even spiritually to the work, it should be made clear that it is not inspired by spiritual ideas.

Joe Evans - Elemental States - Excerpts

The Music:
I think it’s safe to say that space, and more specifically, the sun and planets, have been the inspiration behind a large number of musical projects over the years.  While this work deals with some of this familiar subject, it does so with the emphasis on time and particularly by how it is marked by movement within the solar system.  

The piece “Ecliptic Plane” was initially conceived as a gallery exhibit exploring the synchronicity of the planets and their moons.  Once it was finished, it became clear that any release would need to be expanded to include a more complete picture of the solar system.  Each track then came about through a combination of examining the properties of the subjects and a series of mathematical music experiments conducted in parallel.

The tracks “Ecliptic Plane” and “Resonant TNOs” extensively use the data from the planets, their moons and other objects to create their rhythms and harmonies.  In the case of “Resonant TNOs” the musical scale was derived directly from the frequency ratios of the orbits of the titular objects themselves.

Whilst “Approaching/Receding Sun” and “Oort Cloud” are essentially impressionistic in nature, they are the results of mathematical experiments that have links with their subjects through mood and metaphor.

The Video:
The video is a companion for the piece “Ecliptic Plane”.  It shows the planets and their significant satellites in a series of eight videos.  The scale of the objects and light angles closely match the real thing but the orbital periods of the moons have been adjusted so that they all return to their starting positions.  While the film is not actually in black and white, no colour, planetary detail or star field, has been added.  This is not an attempt at a realistic portrayal of the solar system but instead, when combined with the music, a expression of the places depicted from a human perspective.
 
The Release:
This release is available in limited edition 100 x CDr & Data-DVD using high quality Aquaguard (matt) or Watershield (gloss) discs (depending on availability).  The covers are made from recycled card.  The video is released as a data file to ensure that the highest possible quality is available.  The audio will also be available as a download.


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Joe Evans - Ecliptic Plane - Sampler - Released 01-05-12

Affected Piano

Affected Piano was created in the Autumn of 2011.  Each piece originates from short extracts taken from the piano part of another work. Phases were taken, stretched, distorted, modulated, filtered, layered and then arranged as can be heard on the disc.  Occasionally the original phases are reintroduced in a repeated pattern.

The original piano part does not use the standard 12 note western tuning system (12EDO) but instead uses 19 notes (19EDO).  The result is that that while chords are to the greater extent familiar, unexpected changes and subtle new harmonies run throughout.

Although never planned as a spiritual work, the combination of effects and tuning often create that impression, shifting from elation to devastation, the work does not sit comfortably on this plane of existence.