Revealing the dark torch (naviarhaiku609)

Recorded, mixed & mastered on 07 Sep 2025 by Jim Lemanowicz at Blissville Electro-Magnetic Laboratories of Massapequa. 

Sax, samples, effects.

This original version of "Slop Sink Sings Hip Pop” was submitted as part of Naviar Haiku 609: Revealing In The Dark.

revealing in the dark
the sadness of things
a fisherman's torch

by: Tagami Kikusha

Tagami Kikusha (1753-1826) was a Japanese multi-disciplinary artist and Buddhist nun, mostly known as a poet, painter, calligrapher, and tea practitioner.

Photography/Art - Jim Lemanowicz, 02 Oct 2020, Upper East Side, NYC, USA

Music & art © 2020, 2025 Jim Lemanowicz

For more about the Naviar Haiku Challenge, see www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Slop Sink Sings Hip Pop (naviarhaiku609)

As will as the haiku:

revealing in the dark
the sadness of things
a fisherman's torch

this also takes cues from the accompanying image, which together make up Naviar Haiku challenge 609, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

A bit of a change for this one, I didn't use anything modular and didn't do everything in a single take.   However with the waves field recording, chord sequence, (technically dyads), played using a custom patch for Dreamsynth from Cherry Audio:  https://cherryaudio.com/products/dreamsynth and the footsteps at the beginning in place. 

I then recoded volume automation for those elements allowing me to live mix them with my performance using the Creature From The ID stand alone synth by Giorgio Sancristoforo: https://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/softwares which was passed through delay and reverb effects, in place as I recorded so I could judge their effect. 

With those main elements done I added the extra footsteps and buoy bell. After listening to the Creature sounds and deciding that in places they more resembled short wave radio interference than whale song I added the Morse Code.

Sounds used.

Waves - My own recording but available from freesound: Waves_on_a_Shingle_Beach by Mr_Lamppost -- https://freesound.org/s/800900/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Footsteps: walking slow on stones by launemax -- https://freesound.org/s/249921/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Buoy bell:  S29-19 Bell buoy.wav by craigsmith -- https://freesound.org/s/675693/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Morse Code - generated nn line using Morse Code Translator: https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html

The Sadness Of Things - (naviarhaiku - 609)

Unusual glass (naviarhaiku610)

Recorded, mixed & mastered on 12 Sep 2025 by Jim Lemanowicz at Blissville Electro-Magnetic Laboratories of Massapequa. 

Synth, samples, effects.

This original version of "Let's Eat Right To Keep Fit” was submitted as part of Naviar Haiku 610: Dropped Glass.

dropped glass -
its ring
outlasts the fall

by: Darren Bourne

halF unusuaL is "an evolving space inspired by play in the spirit of ‘hai’ (meaning “fun” or “unusual” in the word haiku). Here, improvisation connects the unexpected, mining the boundary between music and non-music to shape sound worlds that feel oddly familiar in their oddity."

You can find Darren’s music on Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/half-unusual and Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb2bmRZgyBACkW6lnkTWHSw , and check out his website - https://www.halfunusual.com to find out more about his publications and merchandise.

Photography/Art - Jim Lemanowicz, 21 Oct 2020, Manhattan, NYC, USA

Music & art © 2020, 2025 Jim Lemanowicz

For more about the Naviar Haiku Challenge, see www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Let's Eat Right To Keep Fit (naviarhaiku610)

The haiku that inspired this:

dropped glass -
its ring
outlasts the fall

Naviar haiku challenge 610, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge 

Was a clear indication that every sound would be in some way derived from or be a simulation of glass. While the final piece is the result of a one off live mix performance there was a lot of assembling of elements and preparation including routing audio to numerous effects.

Not possessing any glasses that properly ring I experimented with other glass objects and found I got acceptable results from several lamp shades, these were recorded and split into single hie samples. I used a simple patch in VCV Rack to play these in a semi random sequence; the result of which is passed through Moon Echo, Audio Thing. It is also routed to GRFX from Imaginando and separately to a combination of SpaceBlender, Soundtoys and ShimmerVerb, Eventide. Together these are used to build the opening of the track.

The central drone section had to be prepared in advance because of audio driver limitations.  I recorded the output of two random but overlapping sequences again generated using VCV Rack, then used that audio to excite and resonate a simulated glass disc with holes in it using Substrata from Giorgio Sancristoforo.

The closing section features two again semi random sequences generated with Voltage Modular and passed as MIDI information to two separate instances of Clear Glass from QuietMusic. The faster sequence also has a small amount of Stardust 201 Tape Echo, Cherry Audio, added towards the end.

Dropped Glass - (naviarhaiku - 610)

Little song for Natsume Seibi Haiku:

"Half-asleep eyes
open to a dreamlike world
of blossoms"


Half-asleep blossoms (naviarhaiku611)

When I read the haiku that guided this:

half-asleep eyes
open to a dreamlike world
of blossoms

Naviar haiku challenge 611, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

I had a couple of ideas for a more literal interpretation but as I developed the track these were discarded. Everything was created using Voltage Modular, the individual elements were separated allowing for multi track recording. As an experiment I ran the Speldosa VST from Klevgrand inside VM, this is the basis of the Sparkly Bursts, doing it that way made it much simpler to control the output which was then processed externally through SpaceBlender from Soundtoys and a touch of Valhalla's Supermassive. All recorded in a one shot lave take, live mixing and manipulation of probabilities and subtle modulations. Other than mastering effects the only notable addition in post recording was adding Gong Amp (AudioThing), to the central "Melody".   

A Dreamlike World - (naviarhaiku - 611)

Recorded, mixed & mastered on 24 Sep 2025 by Jim Lemanowicz at Blissville Electro-Magnetic Laboratories of Massapequa. 

Synths, effects.

This original version of "Amplitude Of Acoustic Vibratio” was submitted as part of Naviar Haiku 612: Faring Over The Lake.

faring over the lake
drawing the light
an autumn butterfly

by: Yatsuka Ishihara

Photography/Art - Jim Lemanowicz, 30 Oct 2015, Central Park, Manhattan, NYC, USA

Music & art © 2015, 2025 Jim Lemanowicz

For more about the Naviar Haiku Challenge, see www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Amplitude Of Acoustic Vibration  (naviarhaiku612)

Little song for Yatsuka Ishihara haiku:

"Faring over the lake
drawing the light
an autumn butterfly"

Faring over the light (naviarhaiku612)

I'm primarily a visual artist both 2D and 3D, for the last decade I've operated almost exclusively in the digital 3D realm.   since the late 80s I've made periodic forays into the sonic world, MIDI sequencing, minimalism, musique concrète, found sounds  and improvisation. I am seldom happy with anything and seldom consider a piece finished.

Making music is about being surprised.
https://www.patreon.com/blisterpop
Linktree for more - https://linktr.ee/blisterpop

Little musician from little island. OST for films, documentary & videogames.

New tracks tagged #naviarhaiku