Name: so the odd time by Vincent Meelberg
Duration: 11 min 46 s
Description: so the odd time (2007-2009) for string quartet

Tormenting Thoughts

dans un espace pantin

We park the car close to Col de Joux Plane. As we pull things out of the trunk, my ears open to a interplay of sounds, which strikes my unsuspecting ears as a wild, atonal improvisation performed by gamelan (ensemble). I turn to see a stream of cattle pouring alongside a nearby shed, following a well-trodden path close to us, along the edge of a small lake. Around each of their necks is a thick band of leather or canvas on which hangs a metal bell (looking handmade) with its unique sound. I stand for a while with my eyes shut and listen, enraptured. Above the continual ringing and bonging of my initial perception, I begin to hear individual sounds, sonic differentiation, and the question arises: 'what does the ringing of these bells sonify?' The movement of the cattle, for social or gastronomic reasons? A couple of hours later, traversing the mist-covered ridges, we still hear these bells, now transmitting the reverberation and decay of the reflection from the surrounding mountain surfaces as well: depth, distance and location. I wonder how the cows adapt (or don't) to the incessant sounding. Still later I learn that these sounds can transmit information concerning age, gender, species and fertility.

Some days later I make this recording, moving cautiously toward and among the cows and recording them from a few different positions. During the final 16 or so minutes of my 41 minute recording session I fell into a completely absorbed state, sitting on a mossy rock, eyes shut, lost in the sea of sounds and overwhelmed by the pure presence of these magnificent animals. At some point they started moving, and around 16:00 in this edit, I felt a large presence behind me. A cow was snuffling my backpack and gave me a gentle nudge. I decided that the message was 'time to move on now' and went on to join my herd.

Unfortunately the limitations of my Zoom H4n with Rycote windscreen are quite apparent under these windy conditions. This recording is only a shadow (or should I say echo?) of the rich variety of sounds coming at me from all directions in the actual experience.  

Symphony of Resting Cows (Symphonie Des Vaches Se Reposent)

Is angst een geschenk?

In deze podcast praat Mathijn Appelman (Expert level 2 krav Maga instructeur en mede-eigenaar van www.insidedefence.nl) aan de hand van het boek The Gift of Fear (https://insidedefence.nl/must-reads-self-defence/) van Gavin the Becker over het geschenk genaamd Angst (Intuïtie) en geeft hij jou waardevolle tips hoe je jouw Intuïtie kunt gebruiken om je persoonlijke veiligheid te vergroten.

We wensen je veel luister plezier!

Wil je meer weten over dit onderwerp? Kijk op https://insidedefence.nl/must-reads-self-defence/ voor een aantal lees tips.

Is angst een geschenk? gebruik je intuitie!

In deze aflevering geven Hielke van den Hoed en Mathijn Appelman beiden eigenaren van www.insidedefence.nl en Expert Level Krav Maga instructeurs waardevolle tips over hoe je kunt herkennen of iemand een mes bij zich heeft, hoe een mesaanval in de regel plaatsvind en hoe je kunt handelen als het dreigt fout te gaan.

Knife awareness hoe voorkom je een mesaanval?

In de nieuwste aflevering van de Inside Defence Podast vertelt Hielke van den Hoed (mede-eigenaar van Inside Defece en ex-commando) over het door hem ontwikkelde Special forces training programma.

In dit programma bereiden we mensen voor op de selectie en opleiding om werk te verrichten bij speciale eenheden zoals de commando's, mariniers, brandweer etc.

Heb je interesse in het programma stuur dan een email naar info@insidedefence.nl of kijk op www.insidedefence.nl

Ken je iemand die aan de opleiding wil meedoen? Deel deze podcast dan met deze persoon.

We wensen je onwijs veel luister plezier!

Mathijn Appelman en Hielke van den Hoed

Eigenaren Inside Defence

Special forces training programma

so the odd time (2007-2009) for string quartet

so the odd time

Song for Bilbao, Live at Speakers, Delft, by Footprints Jazz Quintet

This is the first movement form my piano suite no. 1.

First Movement from Piano Suite No.1

This piece includes recordings made at The Dutch Support for Taksim Occupy on the 9th of June, 2013. I interviewed individuals, asking them to answer, more with their heart then their ratio, the question of why they were demonstrating in Amsterdam, including how they experienced the distance between the two cities, Amsterdam and Istanbul. I also made recordings of the chanting and singing of myself and the demonstrators. 

Performative sounding, writing history with our voices. Excerpts of chanting, singing and personal statement are used in this piece.

This piece was made with love, hope and some tears.

Deep respect for all who stand together for freedom, for tolerance, for justice.

Please note that these were interviews conducted with a handful of people present and represent their individual viewpoints. This sound work does not and cannot represent the ideas or opinions of all present at the demonstration.

This is a stereo version of a quadraphonic piece.
http://www.mediamatic.net/354517/en/hearing-our-history-writing-the-future

Methods used:
The sound art piece contains audio from two different recording moments:
One occurred on the morning of the 9th of june, 2013, at the Dutch Support for Taksim Occupy demonstration in Amsterdam. I modified one short response, in Turkish, and excerpts of the singing and chanting with the Monolake Granulator in Ableton Live before incorporating them into the work. 

A couple of days later I recorded myself early one morning, writing my dreams in pencil in my journal, an intimate moment of reflection. I stroked the pillow I was using to support my writing and spoke insights and short particles of language into the microphone.

Bits and scraps of sounds were generated with four different MIDI instruments created with Sculpture, Logic's physical modelling synthesiser.

The final mix, with time stretching and effects, was made in Logic 9.

Sounding History: Voices of Dutch Support for Taksim Occupy, Amsterdam, 9 June 2013

Vincent Meelberg (1970) is Senior Lecturer at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Department of Cultural Studies, and researcher and lecturer at the Academy for Creative and Performing Arts. He studied double bass and music theory at the Conservatoire of Rotterdam, and received his MA both in musicology and in philosophy at Utrecht University. He wrote his dissertation on the relation between narrativity and contemporary music at Leiden University, Department of Literary Studies. Vincent Meelberg has published in several journals and has contributed chapters to several edited books, both in English and Dutch. In addition, he has written several books: New Sounds, New Stories: Narrativity in Contemporary Music, which was published in 2006 by Leiden University Press, Meer dan ontspanning alleen: Over het belang van muziek [More than Mere Entertainment: On the Importance of Music] (co-authors Roger Scruton and Martin Hoondert), published by Damon, and Kernthema’s in het muziekonderzoek [Key Themes in Music Studies], published by Boom in 2010. He is founding editor of the online Journal of Sonic Studies. His current research focuses on the relation between musical digitization and listening, playing, embodiment, and affect. Beside his academic activities he is active as a double bassist in several jazz groups, as well as a composer.

so the odd time

Vincent Meelberg

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