Chillman

Performed by Elisabeth Smalt. 
Released on the CD Subvoice - unsounds.com/shop/physical/subvoice

Music For Viola

Watch me make nothing happen for like eight minutes or so.

Axlar

Juma - Selected Works (Excerpt 2)

The spike organ or nail chello (sic) is thought to originate from an early middle Europe monastic sect, the Iscariotians. They may have used the instrument to accompany their lengthy rituals contemplating the pain of the crucifixion.  

The Iscariotians are said to have been wiped out by returning crusaders at the behest of emperor Leopold III. Other commentators have suggested that the whole story may have been a constructed  alibi for the defeated crusaders plunder and desecration of the brewery of ..Santa Quaffa...


A possible surviving 'chello' object, made from of lignum vitae and iron, resides in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. Its interpretation is not without controversy with some critics asserting the object is nothing more than a kind of agricultural implement, though this does not explain its cruciform shape and carved decoration.

In 1972 the scholar . Roland de Févin was granted permission to investigate the Rouen Chello, explore its sound making capabilities and make recordings. his theory was that the instrument was to be played by a rosined bow.  Unfortunately de Févin's playing and handling resulted in two of the nails fracturing and so the investigation was terminated after only one day. The single recording de Févin made was never released but it was played to audiences on an European lecture tour he conducted shortly before his death in 1974. 

It has been subsequently alleged that de Févin's  investigation  coincided with the great fire at  Nantes cathedral. This lead to several occultist conspiracy theories, most notably retold in the pulp fiction novel Blood Nail-(Brownie Dane,1975) much of the plot was lifted for the Italian soft core film Sistero Orgasma (1977) where the action was switched away from a monastery to a scantily clad convent.(citation needed) 

On the film soundtrack, the sounds of the Chello were replicated by experimental electronic synthesiser the achoirorium- itself the  subject of intrigue- as its extremely high operating voltages caused the death of its creator  Luigi soon after the recording session.


This recording was made in 1980 by UK avant geographer Forster Iberix who attended several of de Févin's lectures.  He set about building a replica device and making reconstructions of the Iscariotarian mass based on a column of scribbled numbers  which appear reverso  in one of Leonardo da Vinci's codex's (Coded notebooks). The recording was released on an untitled flexi disk issued by cult French label sordide sentimental -who now deny any knowledge of its existence. It does not appear on their official discography.  Improbably- Haringey local studies library, London, has a copy in their archive. The library does not provide any method of playback for the flexidisc and items from the archive cannot be withdrawn -so some subterfuge was involved in me getting this track taped. Whilst the disk was in my possession an inexplicable number of minor disasters befell me -so I can assure you I hurriedly returned it.

disquiet0385
More on this 385th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Audubonus Instrumentum / The Assignment: Imagine a fake instrument, and make music with it — at:
https://disquiet.com/0385/
More on the Disquiet Junto at:
https://disquiet.com/junto/
Thanks to Paul Harrington for the Latin assistance.
Subscribe to project announcements here:
http://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/
Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co:
https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0385-audubonus-instrumentum/

The Nail Chello (disquiet0385)

First Terrace Records have the honour to present an album of new work by influential and idiosyncratic artist K. Leimer. 

His second outing for First Terrace, following his part on FTS001, the album finds the composer working in a solemn & focused mode, rendering deep sonic landscapes that shimmer, sink into themselves and play host to a slowly emerging carousel of auditory apparitions - dynamics delivered through his mastery of textural manipulation. 

Emerging in opposition to the sunless days & countless distresses of current US politics, each track is imbued with a refreshing sense of equanimity - in Kerry’s own words, he “does not profess that music - especially an experimental, lyric-free music - can change or influence such circumstances. But this is the context in which we now live, and this has shaped the music of Irrational Overcast — a coping mechanism for living under clouds of baseless beliefs and simplistic ideologies that disfigure and stifle what is an admittedly difficult though really quite lovely world.” 

The album is released worldwide on July 5th, on LP & digital formats, with artwork featuring images from Richard Misrach’s series of photographs documenting American petrochemical landscapes. 

Kerry includes this transcript to accompany "Irrational Overcast": 

"Authoritarian ideas that have persisted somewhere in the depths of human nature for millennia have resurfaced at a crucial moment for the environments we all inhabit — natural, cultural, intellectual and economic. The power and influence of this ideology will again prove catastrophic, as it already has for many people in many parts of the world. Authoritarianism, along with the refutation of our shared responsibility to one another and to objective knowledge in favor of personal gain & gratification consistently lead to disaster. Yet, somehow, a significant number of people seem to feel that this time will be different. To some extent they are right. It will be infinitely worse. 

Irrational Overcast is preoccupied with the perpetual failings of human tribalization, of assuming dominance over nature, of choosing belief and ideology over objective reality. The impetus was brought into immediate focus by the destructive impulses and actions of such excrescences as the Trump Administration and his republicans, as well as the blatant dishonesty and bigotry of thousands more retrograde, ill-informed nihilists operating in and outside the pubic sphere. 

I do not profess that music — especially an experimental, lyric-free music — can change or influence such circumstances. But this is the context in which we now live, and this has shaped the music of Irrational Overcast — a coping mechanism for living under clouds of baseless beliefs and simplistic ideologies that disfigure and stifle what is an admittedly difficult though really quite lovely world. Music, to my mind, can not clearly express anything so literal, or metaphoric, or allegoric — but Irrational Overcast makes the effort to articulate the problems created by some enduring and banal aspects of human behaviour. Which is the reason it is built of lo-fi, deformed emergent or regressing or fragmented phrases, subsumed by distortion, noise, wow and flutter… and played with the understanding that there can be no more bedtime stories." 

K. Leimer has been recording and releasing experimental and electronic music since 1979. Irrational Overcast is his first full length record for First Terrace Records, and his 20th solo album. His work can also be found on the Palace of Lights, RVNG, Origin Peoples, Invisible Inc., and Les Giants labels as well as through The British Library.

Irrational Overcast

K. Leimer  'Weather On The Fen'

Hypnotic (and historic) gong records from the mountains of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Kalimantan, and the Philippines. You'll hear amazing gong orchestras among a number of ethnic minorities, including the Jorai and other Montagnards, Kenyah, Modang, and Badjao recorded in the field by Georges Condominas, Jacques Dournes, Jose Maceda, Patrick Kersale, David Blair Stiffler, and Laurent Jeanneau. Many thanks to Vincenzo Della Ratta, Laurent Jeanneau, Yasuhiro Morinaga, and Cutri Giuseppe.  Cover images is taken from Patrick Kersale’s “Gongs Vietnam-Laos” (CD - Playasound #PS 65256).

PLAYLIST
Ensemble de Gongs Cing Arap, Georges Condominas (1982)
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Montagnard Gong Ensemble (VHS tape posted to Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXVCdA0Kqs
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Jeu de Six Gongs Plats "cing ting" – Village de Hang Kroc, Georges Condominas (1965-1966)
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Ensemble de gongs musique pour le sacrifice aux génies de la maison commune (1-2 #4). Recorded by Patrick Kersale (VDE-Gallo, 2001)
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Ensemble de gongs musique de funérailles (4-7). Recorded by Patrick Kersale (VDE-Gallo, 2001)
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Ensemble de gongs musique de réjouissances. Recorded by Patrick Kersale (VDE-Gallo, 2001)
Gongs of Every Power (exceprt), Patrick Kersale (2004)
Jeu de Gongs, Music of the Kenyah and Modang in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Recorded by Jose Maceda (1977).
GongASide (excerpt), Kink Gong. Recorded by Laurent Jeanneau (Discrepant, 2014)
Brao Kavet 1 Village Party, Gongs Ratanakiri. Laurent Jeanneau (Kink Gong 2004)
Kulintang - Badjao or Yakan Gong. Recorded by David Blair Stiffler (Numerophon, 1988)

GONGS OF EVERY POWER (MIXTAPE) (RIAFC 032)

Gongs of Every Power (Mixtape) (RIAFC 032)

Teredo navalis_excerpts

TEREDO NAVALIS | Enrico Coniglio

This is the third episode of the Disquietude podcast of ambient electronic music.

The goal of the Disquietude podcast is to collect adventurous work in the field of ambient electronic music. What follows is all music that captured my imagination, and I hope that it appeals to your imagination as well.

All six tracks of music are featured with the permission of the individual artists. More information at disquiet.com/podcast0003. Below is the structure of the episode with time codes for the tracks:

00:00 theme and intro

02:01 Dance Robot Dance's "Tangents"

09:43 Jeannine Schulz's "Beacon"

14:50 Orbital Patterns' "Found in the Fog"

22:15 Alan Bland's Boulder siren field recording

26:58 Heymun's "Ambient Cello & Strings on the OP-1"

29:31 Kin Sventa's "Octatrack Saxophone Drone"

35:56 track notes

40:01 outro

41:39 end

Thanks for listening.

Produced and hosted by Marc Weidenbaum. Disquietude theme music by Jimmy Kipple, with vocal by Paula Daunt. Logo by Boon Design.

Disquietude Ambient Podcast 0003

As Manchester’s streets and skyline are warped by the ever-accelerating process of urban renewal, the city’s edgelands and green spaces are at risk of being swallowed by waves of property development. Not only does this raise questions about the ecology of the city, as carbon sinks are flattened and wildlife is displaced, but it speaks to broader trends pushing urban residents away from shared space, community and local identity.  

This project shines a light on these spaces and the activists, academics, and local people who have taken up the daunting fight against corporate interests in the city in the name of biodiversity, urban ecology and community wellbeing. As we are faced with crises of both environment and mental health, the role of public green spaces has become ever more crucial in the eyes of those who enjoy, nurture, and maintain them.  

As the tide of urban growth edges closer to the open boundaries of our shared spaces, the trees, wildlife and insects continue their gentle movement, unaware that these spaces are likely reaching the end of their rich lineage. If nothing else, this project documents these final days. 

This work weaves together recorded conversations, composed music and field recordings from a handful of Manchester’s urban wildlife havens. Interviewees include community activists Julie Ryan and Tara Parry from ‘Friends of Ryebank Fields’, award-winning alternative tour guide Hayley Flynn (Skyliner) and Dr Jenna C. Ashton (artist, curator and lecturer at The University of Manchester).

Commissioned by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2020.

SF117 Sampler

Sublime Frequencies