Phonetinuss was performed by The Dublin Laptop Orchestra, 
in the Kevin Barry room of the National Concert Hall, Dublin


Phonetinuss is created by altering phonetics differently to how they are usually perceived. This is achieved by layering them with synths and other processing equipment till the original words are sometimes undistinguishable.  Thus creating a new harmonic language. Striping words back to what they essentially are; human sounds. Phonetinuus was originally conceived as a tape piece in early 2013, but has been revised and edited for the Dublin Laptop Orchestra. 

Phonetinuss - Performed by the Dublin Laptop Orchestra, ICC Concert

Live performance piece written for The Dublin Laptop Orchestra. 

The piece was written for laptops using built-in cameras as motion sensors and GameTrak gaming controllers. The aim was to bring a theatrically and physical presence to the electronic music performance

The moment seizes you... (ICC 10: Live Performance by The Dublin Laptop Orchestra 2014)

Here are some  and offcuts of the original soundtrack I composed for the 2015 Irish film Monged, which debut at this years Galway Film Fleadh. The film was made with the master students for Filmbase.  

Plot:
Dave is a wannabe drug dealer stuck with a batch of experimental new pills, Ray is a failing club DJ getting by on a daytime radio slot, and socially awkward office worker Bernard just turned up to the wrong party by mistake. When Dave enlists Bernard’s help to test out his new consignment, the weekend descends into a riotous cocktail of narcotics, booze, clubs and parties. Embarking on a series of drug fuelled misadventures, the three lads get more from the weekend then they’d ever bargained for. Bernard discovers a Dublin he never knew existed as Ray struggles to deal with his personal relationships and Dave tries to break the world record for selling drugs, because on Monday morning he’s got to clear his debts with one truly psychotic gangster.

Dave - I Lost Nadia's Number

Corkfella - Intro

Corkfella - Full Theme

Bernard - Theme II

Bernard - Nadia II

I composed this piece for the United Nations, for World Migratory Bird Day 2015. The video, which the music accompanied was part of the 2015 video contest, which it ended up winning. The video link is below and was made by Guywithredbeard Productions. 

World Migratory Bird Day 2015 video:
https://youtu.be/7yJkg-6F4P4

World Migratory Bird Day 2015

Ripples - I, II & II was composed for the Irish Composers Collective concert on the 18th December titled  'Winter Strings'. The concert was made up of a string duet, performed by the amazingly talented Jane Hackett and Yseult Cooper Stockdale. 

The idea for Ripples came when I was reading an interview with Gyorgy Ligeti and the static quality of his music. Ripples is not based on Ligeti’s style or his static technique, but more on the imagery he used to describe it. “Reflections and refractions, like ripples”, this beautifully descriptive line immediately evoked me into trying to compose a piece that portrayed ripples in water. The only limitation I put on myself was that each moment or ripple couldn't be longer then 2 pages of manuscript, relating to limited essence of the displacement of a ripple before it becomes murky and is lost within itself.

Ripples - I, II & III

Chucky Our Law was short film made by a good friend of mine and  great film maker Daire o'Suilleabhain in 2013. This is a cue from a drinking scene, and is the main musical cue within the film. 

Chuckey Our Law is a short film about three young men and their attempt to protest The Queen’s visit. As well a being a satire of armchair republicanism in Ireland today, it’s also the story of the realisation that you have outgrown your friends.

Chuckey Our Law -Drinking Scene

Láithreacht was composed as part of the Irish Composers Collective's InSight Series which took place in Smock Alley on the 27th of April. The piece was composed with the spatial awareness of the performers in mind. Influences for this piece where composers like Arvo Part and Morton Feldman, along with Plainchant. The program notes are below...


Program Note for Láithreacht

Láithreacht is the Gaelic word for ‘presence’, and this word, by its definition defines my thought process behind composing this piece for Tonnta. I wanted to compose a piece that negated the audiences’ preconceived notions of where the sound is coming from. The entire audience is blindfolded before Tonnta take their positions. This allows them to connect more with the space in which the sound occupies, and to be in the present. The text, if you can call it that, is made up of one word, “Láithreacht”, which is tore apart and manifests itself into a constant flow of texture that acts like waves sent out to in habit the natural performance space


Láithreacht (2016) - Performed by Tonnta

Here is a short track I did for  Spitfire Audio's - Albion 10th Anniversary Scoring Competition. Please give like, share and most importantly...Enjoy Music!

#spitfireaudio #startscoringmoviesnow

Spitfire Audio Competiton  - Stephen Kavanagh

Stephen Kavanagh is a native of Rush, County Dublin. His music is inspired by both old and new musical traditions, ranging from spectralism to minimalism. In his work, he tries to transport the listener through the emotional world of everyday life in which moments are depicted with their true disconcerting beauty and offered to the listener. He has received numerous performances of a variety of venues such asnthe Kevin Barry room in the NCH, The Samuel Beckett Theatre, and The Project Arts Centre.

Some of Stephen's work includes composing music for the United Nations as part of their campaign for World Migratory Bird Day 2014, and subsequently for their 2015 World Migratory Bird Day campaign ‘Energy-make it Bird Friendly’.  The summer of 2015 also saw the release of the Irish feature film Monged; which made its debut at the Galway Film Fleadh, and featured an original soundtrack scored by Stephen

Stephen_KavanaghMusic

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