Composers @NeilLuck,  @IndiaJordan and @DavidAustinGrey share their music and words on the place of distractions in the process of making music. Are distractions bad or are they necessary? 

We listen to the sounds of a dream, hear the power of music to heal, and dive into what it means to create music during lockdown. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and writer Will Eaves for a unique insight into composing. 

Our recommendation at the end is for @IndiaJordan's newest release Watch Out! by @ninja-tune 



In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 

NEIL LUCK
-Phantasy (2020), by @chihiroono and Neil Luck 
-Severed Heads (2021) from the album Downturn Fantasies released by @entracte music

INDIA JORDAN
-"Dear Nan King" and "Emotional Melodical" (2020) from the album "For You" released by @localactionrecords
-"And Groove" and "Feierabend" (2021) from the album Watch Out! released by @Ninja-Tune in May 2021 

 DAVID AUSTIN GREY
-Over Seas and Out of Reach (2020), a commission by @stoneylanerecords, performed by David Austin Grey (piano, electronics), @mike-fletcher-music (clarinet, flute) and @davidduffymusic (double bass, electric bass)  
-A Dark Place to Nest (2019), a work developed at @snapemaltings

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (@umneym @resonance-fm) and mixed by @ChrisBartholomew, with the theme tune composed by @rob-bentall. 

Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Distractions (Neil Luck, India Jordan, David Austin Grey) | Ep.7

Alex Reed

Caleb Owusu-Yianoma

David Colebourn

George Jefford

Gustavo Clayton-Marucci

Max Stanton

Michael Dunlop

Milo McKinnon

We are delighted to share ‘Whispers from Ancient Vessels’, a new work by Damsel Elysium created last year as part of the Black Composers Open Call. This was nationwide call to support British composers and music-creators from the African and Caribbean diaspora to create new works as part our third series celebrating Black histories, stories and sounds on the British Music Collection.

Whispers from Ancient Vessels - Damsel Elysium

Miriam Chapman-Rosenfield: Now!

Happy International Womens Day!

Today, as part of our #IWDPlusOne campaign, we’re thrilled to be launching our Instagram mini-series, #TheGuestlist, offering fresh perspectives on the music industry.

The series, hosted by Naila Barrett, anchors itself in the issues of sustaining a creative career while facing and fighting barriers.

In this first episode, Naila Barrett speaks to visual and sound artist @damselelysium (Djenaba Davis-Ayo) about self-acceptance, identifying as non-binary and getting called cool by @vogue-magazine.

And don’t forget to tune in over the next few weeks to hear Naila chat with producer-DJ @floraytw and interdisciplinary artist @jesleyfaye!

Visit https://soundandmusic.org to find out more

#BreakTheBias #IWD2022 #IWDPlusOne

The Guestlist: Episode 1 with Damsel Elysium (Djenaba Davis-Ayo)

As part of our #IWDPlusOne campaign, we’re producing an Instagram mini-series, #TheGuestlist, offering fresh perspectives on the music industry.

The series, hosted by Naila Barrett, anchors itself in the issues of sustaining a creative career while facing and fighting barriers.

In this second episode, Naila speaks to DJ and producer Jesley Faye Fantalgo about everything from Grammy aspirations to astrophysics.

Don’t forget to check out episode 1 with visual and sound artist Damsel Elysium, and tune in soon for our final episode with producer-DJ Flora Yin Wong!

Visit soundandmusic.org to find out more about our #IWDPlusOne campaign.
#BreakTheBias #IWD2022 #IWDPlusOne

The Guestlist: Episode 2 with Jesley Faye Fantolgo

As part of our #IWDPlusOne campaign, we’re thrilled to be launching our Instagram mini-series, #TheGuestlist, offering fresh perspectives on the music industry.

The series, hosted by Naila Barrett, anchors itself in the issues of sustaining a creative career while facing and fighting barriers.

In our third episode, Naila speaks to producer-DJ @floraytw (Flora Yin-Wong)about her career beginnings, the effect of the pandemic on her practice and some of her inspirations.

Don’t forget to tune in over to our previous episodes with visual and sound artist with @damselelysium and artist @jesleyfaye!

Visit soundandmusic.org to find out more

#BreakTheBias #IWD2022 #IWDPlusOne

The Guestlist: Episode 3 with Flora Yin-Wong

FAUZIA's A Way Home was created as part of the British Music Collection's 2022 Open Call for Black Composers. 

Learn more about FAUZIA's project: https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/article/fauzia/
Visit FAUZIA's website: https://fauzia.co/

Music by FAUZIA

The British Music Collection is a living, developing archive that seeks to create dialogues between new music history and the pioneering, often underrepresented artists of the future through the curation of open calls and opportunities like this one. To find out more, visit: https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk

A Way Home

A Way Home - FAUZIA

Listen to the new single Pensive Panic from Usher Lavelle's forthcoming EP From Distance. The EP will be released on 14th July 2023, and is available to pre-order at the link above.

This work was created as part of the 2020 Black Composers Open Call on the British Music Collection. Head to britishmusiccollection.org.uk for new music, editorial and more.

Music by Usher Lavelle, co-written with Lucy Tun.

From Distance

Pre-order the EP

Pensive Panic - Usher Lavelle

Dustin O'Halloran's 'We Move Lightly', remixed by Robert Lippok

We Move Lightly (Robert Lippok - Pataphysical Remix)

Vindthya composed this piece at the 2015 Sound and Music Summer School.

Straight Boys

Ikue Mori + Maja S.K. Ratkje

Tour Dates:

28 March - Newcastle
The Cluny,
Lime St, NE1 2PQ
8pm, £10
www.tuskmusic.co.uk
www.avfestival.co.uk

29 March - Ulverston
The Studio,
Lanternhouse,
The Ellers, LA12 0AA
7pm, £5
www.lanternhouse.org
www.octopuscollective.org

30 March - London
Cafe Oto
18-22 Ashwin St,
Dalston, E8 3DL
8pm, £10
www.cafeoto.co.uk

31 March - Belfast
Black Box
18-22 Hill St, BT12LA
10pm, £10
www.movingonmusic.co.uk

Sound and Music, [no.signal] and TUSK Music are delighted to bring together the electrifying improvisors Ikue Mori and Maja S.K. Ratkje for their first ever duo performances together.

This unmissable string of dates brings together two truly iconic female figures of high-grade musical experimentation. Having pursued unseen angles in rock music in the late-seventies with the legendary DNA, the Japanese-born Mori has become one of the world’s most celebrated and respected improv auteurs, while since the turn of the century the Norwegian Ratkje has dazzled with her maverick vocal work, feted compositions and thrilling explorations of pure noise. These four rooms will be filled with wild sonic colours, forged by a pair of musicians who span two generations of fearlessly inventive soundcraft.

Ikue Mori left Tokyo for New York in 1977, began playing the drums and soon formed the legendary No Wave band DNA with Arto Lindsay and Tim Wright, appearing on the highly influential compilation No New York.

DNA dissolved in the early 80s and Mori began experimenting with drum machines, developing a singular improv style with an instrument people rarely associate with instant composition. As her technique evolved, she moved onto working with a laptop around 2000.

Over the past 3 decades, Mori has accrued an impressive reputation as an improvisor, testified by her stellar cast of collaborators, including John Zorn, Kim Gordon, Jim O’Rourke, Zeena Parkins, Mike Patton, Thurston Moore and an impressive discography courtesy of labels such as Tzadik and Mego. She regularly performs with Parkins as the duo Phantom Orchard and in various combinations with Zorn, and is a member of the trio Death Ambient with Fred Frith and Kato Hideki.

Over 3 decades since her first impact on avant garde music, Ikue Mori’s influence on musical explorers of all generations is still profound.

“Ikue Mori is one of the most respected musicians in the downtown scene, renowned for her abilities as an accomplished composer and improviser and as one of the foremost electronic music innovators.” (allmusic)

Maja S.K. Ratkje approaches music making with a broad palette and rare profundity. A graduate in composition from the Norwegian State Academy Of Music, her music is performed around the world by Oslo Sinfonietta, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra and many more.

Ratkje is also a major force in the world of noise and improvisation and is renowned for her solo performances, her work as part of groups such as SPUNK and Fe-mail and collaborations with artists such as Jazzkammer, Joelle Leandre, Jaap Blonk, Zeena Parkins and Stephen O’Malley.

Ratkje has an impressive discography of albums for labels such as Rune Grammofon, Important and ECM, and it is perhaps her album for John Zorn’s Tzadik label, River Mouth Echoes, that best exemplifies the considerable dynamic range of her work. A collection of tracks recorded over a decade, it includes orchestral pieces, electro-acoustic compositions, voice manipulations and sheer harsh noise and perfectly showcases the breadth of her musical ambition.

“Anyone who has seen or heard Ratkje perform live will know what a superb musician she is, and one who can genuinely be said to be extending the expressive range of the voice through technical and technological means…. Her work is celebratory and inclusive, an energising rallying call to those who are curious enough to peek out from behind the curtain of mainstream mediocrity.” (The Wire)


Ikue Mori master of deception

*** NEW 2021 SERIES OUT NOW: https://soundcloud.com/soundandmusic/sets/the-sound-and-music-podcast ***

International Women’s Day

What does it mean to be a female composer in 2018? How do we balance the need to illuminate common barriers with the need to hear individual stories?

In this special episode of the podcast, we listen to a range of composers on their own terms: Nicola LeFanu describes her earliest musical discoveries and her experiences as an academic; Shama Rahman recalls recording icebergs in the Antarctic; Sarah Sayeed reflects on the contrasts between classical training and learning “on the job”; and Erika Fox narrates her extraordinary journey as a composer through half a century of social change.

Sign up and listen!


Produced by: 

Sound and Music in partnership with Ben Eshmade

Sound and Music Podcasts

Sound and Music - International Women's Day (2018)

*** NEW 2021 SERIES OUT NOW: https://soundcloud.com/soundandmusic/sets/the-sound-and-music-podcast ***


Can an instrument be a sculpture, and vice-versa?

How can composers' archives be a source of inspiration?

And when does an artistic practice become a 'career'?

In this episode we listen in on two events from this year's Composer-Curator scheme: the SONA collective's 'Unpeeled' series in Sheffield, where Vicky Clarke performed loop-based manipulations through unique self-built instruments; and 'Synth Remix' in London, which drew on the rich legacies of female electronic music visionaries.

We talk with the participants about music, gender, technology and community, and hear excerpts from their live sets: from Vicky Clarke's playful, beat-based work and Jo Thomas' explosive textures, to the avant-song of Olivia Louvel.

Like what you hear? Find out more about Composer-Curator here, and apply to the 2019 programme: http://soundandmusic.org/projects/welcome-composer-curator

Sound and Music Podcast - Composer-Curator (2018)

Whistle tones are very quiet sounds created through a very slow stream of air breaking across the embouchure hole. These are hard to produce and even more difficult to stabilise. Sustained pitches are easiest to produce in the instrument’s top register; low register pitches are very difficult. Composers should notate whether they want a stable or fluctuating pitch (fluctuations will be caused by movements in the air stream and will go through the higher partials of the harmonic series). This technique requires a change of embouchure position and air stream speed, so is most reliable when there is a suitable amount of time given for preparation. The precise beginning of the sound is also not always within the player’s control, and a sound coming from nothing is often the most effective method of production.


Whistle tones

Multiphonics: There is a wide range of available multiphonics on the flute, and the advent of the Kingma system flute, with its greater venting, has increased the possibilities exponentially, especially for alto and bass. Standard alto and bass flutes have close-holed key-work, so the multiphonic possibilities are greatly reduced in comparison with an open-holed C flute. The important thing to bear in mind when writing multiphonics is that they will generally only work within a small dynamic range. As a general rule, the closer together the two notes are in pitch, the quieter they will be, and conversely, the wider the intervallic range, the louder the dynamic. Some more stable multiphonics might work over a range of dynamics, but this very rarely covers the whole dynamic range of the instrument. A list of multiphonics can be found in the resources mentioned below. It should be noted that due to the increase in tube size, alto and bass flutes respond differently to certain fingerings than C flutes, and pitches may be altered or non-existent. This is particularly true of notes in the high register, since the bigger instruments have fewer high harmonics in the sound.


Alto flute multiphonic example

1 - Echoes from Bali: for computer controlled synthesizers (1987)
2 - Ongaku: for harpsichord and tape (1982)
3 - A Vision of the Unseen: for tape (1988)
4 - Dancing on Moonbeams: for tape (1980)

All tracks recorded in the composer's studio, Glasgow.
All rights reserved © Janet Beat 2019

Dancing On Moonbeams - Janet Beat

A Vision Of The Unseen - Janet Beat

Echoes From Bali - Janet Beat

A selection of music composed in just one week (!) by talented young composers aged 14-18 at our annual Sound and Music Summer School.

Enjoy!

Scottie - Jazz Group Composition

Sam - Jazz Group Composition

Matthew - Jazz Group Composition

Liz  - Jazz Group Composition

Alex - Instrumental Group Composition

Kay Grant & Alex Ward - May I Have This Dance
From their 2011 album, "Fast Talk" (Emanem Disc)

Kay Grant & Alex Ward - May I Have This Dance

Supported by Sound and Music's 'Interpreting Isolation' grants.

Find out more at:
https://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/article/interpreting-isolation-part-2-selected-works

And That Is Why We Are Here Today - Wayne Bennett and Eleanor Turner (For 'Interpreting Isolation')

Composers Anthony R. Green (@piargno), Nathan Riki Thomson (@nathanrikithomson) and Amble Skuse (@ambleskram-1) share their music and thoughts on what music might mean beyond just sounds, and how we connect to each other and the world around us through the act of making music.

We listen to the sounds of an augmented double bass, hear the inner workings of a digital opera, and dive into a social justice piano concerto. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn and composer Des Oliver (@des_oilver) for a unique insight into composing. 

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (@umneym @resonance-fm) and mixed by @chrisbartholomew with our theme tune composed by @rob-bentall.

In this episode, you listen to the following music and sounds:
 

Anthony R. Green

• Collide-oscope V (2019) for mixed quintet, performed by Sound of Late.
• Piano Concerto: Solution (2019) for piano and percussion orchestra, commissioned by Robert McCormick for the McCormick Percussion Group (@parmarecordings)and soloist Eunmi Ko (piano) @eunmi-ko-1
• Collide-oscope II (2016) for string trio, performed by Desdemona.

Nathan Riki Thompson

• Seeds (2019), for solo augmented bass and electronics from the album Resonance, released by Siba Records / NAXOS.
• Ode to Nana (2019), duo with Nathan Riki Thomson and percussionist @adriano-adewale, from the same album.

Amble Skuse

• We Ask These Questions of Everybody (2019), a digital opera by Amble Skuse and Toria Banks performed by an all-disabled ensemble; commissioned by Sound Festival (@soundscotland) and supported by @help-musicians-uk, Mahogany Opera Group (@user-771585416), Ignite Ticket Fund and @creative-scotland.
• Normalised Interfacing Karlsruhe (2017), a soundwalk of Karlsruhe commissioned by Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe (ZKM)


Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Portals (Anthony R. Green, Nathan Riki Thomson, Amble Skuse) | Ep.4

Sound and Music is the UK’s national organisation for #NewMusic. Our mission is to maximise the opportunities for people to create and enjoy new music.

Popular tracks by soundandmusic