The the concept behind this performance was to create a sonic environment using the characteristics of the medium and the that the sounds were being recorded on. In the this case, a cassette tape, utilising its imperfections and natural noisiness.

cassette soundscape 1

Recording of an improvised performance using a chain of 4 effects units that is being send back into itself. I am exploring the method of no input mixing and feedback looping. 

In this recording, I allowed myself to explore a playful approach to pushing forward and pulling back, anticipation and unpredictability with the sounds.

Will Holden (2017)

Improvising With Four Effects

In this recording, I have used a piano accordion to generate airflow to replicate the sound of human breathing. During the performance, I replicated the movement of the accordion to my own breathing patten. 

Throughout the duration of the performance, my breathing gradually became synchronised through my movements. The other hand I was not using with the piano accordion was used to perform the sound of the accordion being altered by effects pedals as an improvisational and musical element to being in the moment.

The accordion is an object that is related to personal experiences that have caused anxious thoughts in recent times. I found that having a sense of control and engaging with this object translated into how it effected my feelings about it. 

Through focusing on syncing my breathing with the sound and movement of the accordion, I felt it became a form of mediative practice. I was conscious of my present environment and my thoughts were focused on the current moment. 

With the hand I was not using with the piano accordion, I performed the sound of the accordion being altered by effects pedals as an improvisational and musical element to being in the moment.

Will Holden (2017)

Controlling Breath

In this composition, I chose to primarily explore themes of sound & place and the narrative, I also
incorporated some aspects of spatial sound and used an improvisational approach to generating sounds.
The idea for the work began with a trip to Wilsons Promontory in early December 2016.

Some friends and myself camped for two nights and I utilized this opportunity to capture some of the
sounds form its natural environment, focussing on sounds from the landscape and animals that inhabit it.
Over the two days, captured sounds from four different locations and times, each time I was aiming for a
separate sonic outcome, regarding its place and/or time of day.

This composition follows the chronological order in which the recordings took place. In this way, the four
locations breakup the composition into four movements, each representing its place through their
unique sonic characteristics.

Wilsons Promontory (2017)

Walking In The Rain (2017)

Danny Wild (Visuals) & Will Holden (Sound Design)

Full video: https://vimeo.com/282159197

This is the audio from an explorative audiovisual work between Sydney based artist Danny Wild and Will Holden, a Melbourne musician and sound designer.

Darkvisuals (Audio Only)

Score and sound design for VCA Masters of Dance 2018 

Upon request from the dancer, the score includes non-original music: Cool for the Summer by Demi Lovato 

Image Credit: Jeff Busby
Choreographer: Paul Simon Jackson
Performed @ Studio 221, Victorian College of the Arts, Southbank

Paul Simon Jackson - "Walking With Purpose" (Original Score feat. Demi Lovato)

Will is a multi-instrumentalist, experimental musician, sound artist and designer. His compositional practice incorporates live improvisation, synthesisers, and generating ambient and noise sounds electronically and acoustically. He takes influence from various degrees of dance music, polyrhythms, and percussive sounds from a background in drumming. In Will's compositions, he likes to explore ideas around narrative, generating emotion, space and place through the use of sound and music.

Perviously he studied sound in the School of Art, and is now completing a Batchelor of Digital Media Design (Sound Design), both at RMIT University.     

contact - willdholden@gmail.com

Musical outputs through Hybrid Man, Underground City Loop and previously Octo

Will Holden

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