Square the circle, and circle the square –
Pi may transcend, but it’s out there somewhere.
Round and round, the fruitless proofs go,
Impossible things drive us more than we know.
This carousel-inspired music features square-wave heavy synthesizers, electric piano, a dubious 808, pandeiro, and effects.
Released January 27, 2024 as free (cc) digital download and special limited edition digipak CD.
Last July saw the release of “Spirit Guide” – a brilliant EP from Skyjelly out of Boston, Massachusetts, which was definitely one of 2023’s highlights in the music world! Now, in partnership with I Heart Noise (out of Boston too, who did the original release) and Wormhole World (UK) we’ve prepared an expanded rerelease foray, also bringing a sweet dejavu of collectible editions on CD!
Original can be found here
“Wandering vocals fall somewhere between David Byrne when he gets weird and David Bowie on a good day” – Dig Boston
“Makes me think of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” -Byrne/Eno Just as inventive. But its own entity. Somehow both catchy and experimental. Well done.” – Joe Imwalle (Aux Meadows)
All three expanded editions feature the 6 original EP tracks and additional 4 unreleased tracks from the “Spirit Guide” sessions.
The I Heart Noise (US) “Deluxe Edition” features 2 additional Skyjelly tracks – “Providence (Episode One)” and “Motorola Monkey”, previously available as video singles.
Wormhole World (UK)’s edition features 2 special hidden bonus tracks.
And our “Mahorka Edition” features stunning reworks of the original “Spirit Guide” EP tracks by Brainquake, Zonevreemd and Toxic Derwish, alongside 3 older but golden remixes of Skyjelly tracks by Lord of Overstock, the Third Kind Records founder Nicholas Langley and Grayscape. First two of these older remixes have previously been available as bonus tracks on Skyjelly’s “Blank Panthers / Priest, Expert, or Wizard” 2023 version and the Grayscape remix has been so far unreleased.
Skyjelly are:
Skyjelly Jones
Dave Melanson
Eric (Jones) Hudson
Scott Sheik Levesque
skyjelly.com
Ken and Igor are long-time friends who have collaborated numerous times
on various projects since 2007.
Imperial Needles EP3 performed by Lezet and DJ Odraz.
Mixing, programming, sampling, artwork by DJ Odraz.
Sound / Image = Imperial Needles/Ken”
Calumet
by Charles Rice Goff III
1 Concordant
2 Accommodating
3 Liberated
4 Uncontentious
5 Modest
6 Eleemosynary
7 Thoughtful
Calumet was produced between May, 2023, and January, 2024. All performances, recordings, editing, production, cover art, etc. by Charles Rice Goff III. No artificial intelligence was employed in molding this presentation.
Instrumentation:
Kikkerland “Make Your Own Music Box” Kit
Korg R3 Vocoder/Synthesizer
Yamaha VSS-30 Sampler/Synthesizer
Boss RC 20X Loop Station Loop Duplicator
Panasonic Portable Cassette Tape Recorder
Canon Digital Camera Recorder
Software:
Amazing MIDI Wave-To-MIDI Converter
Polysoft MIDI to Mp3 Converter
Midisoft MIDI Scorewriter
Musescore MIDI Scorewriter
Roxio 2011 Sound Recorder
Cool Edit Pro II Multitrack Recorder
Audacity Multitrack Recorder
Several Plug-In Audio Sound Effects
Process:
The Kikkerland “Make Your Own Music Box” kit is akin to a miniature player-piano. The device functions entirely without electronics or spring winding. Music is composed by punching holes into strips of paper. The strips are loaded into, and hand-cranked through, a small device in which the holes trigger chime sounds corresponding to musical notes. Alternative versions of these paper-strip compositions can be created by simply loading the strips into the device upside-down, backwards, or upside-down AND backwards. In addition, tempos and rhythms can be altered by simply altering the manner in which the hand-crank is turned.
Goff began this project by punching out patterns of holes on four paper strips. He “played” each strip in various ways, recording all the variants through the open-air microphones of a digital camera.
He converted some of the digital recordings into MIDI files, which he then modified with score-writing software. This process allowed the chime sounds to be transposed into sounds produced by a variety of virtual instruments. Goff also used score-writers to orchestrate and rearrange some of the converted sounds.
He recorded some of the digital recordings onto cassette tapes, which he then played through a vocoder, run through a loop duplicator. This process employed a wide variety of sound and rhythm-altering effects to create new textures and atmospheres from the original music box compositions. Several improvised sessions were recorded during this process, each producing unique results.
He input short bits of the recorded cassettes into a sampler keyboard, equipped with its own small bank of sound effects. He plugged the keyboard through the vocoder and the loop duplicator. Playing the samples through this set-up resulted in producing entirely new melodies and textures from the original music box compositions. Several improvised sessions were recorded during this process, each producing unique results.
Finally, Goff edited together the finished recordings of the Calumet collection by strategically mixing together select portions of all of the above sound experiments.
Titling:
The naming of this collection and all of its parts was an ever-evolving process. The preliminary raw recordings were given names corresponding alphabetically to the names of fruits (Apple, Banana, Casaba, Durian). In October, 2023, Goff offered one of the mixes from the still-incomplete collection of recordings to Aural Films for its “Horror Films 2023” compilation, entitling it “The Sanguinary Hacking Of Torakusu Yamaha.” This title refers to how the creation of the piece involved original methods of playing (ie: “hacking”) a Yamaha VSS-30 Sampler/Synthesizer (Torakusu founded the Yamaha Corporation in the late 1800s).
During the fall and winter of 2023/2024, as the final phases of the Calumet project ran their courses, Goff bore witness to endless media reports of increasingly violent conflicts around the globe. Combatants of all stripes recklessly killed and wounded thousands of people and casually destroyed every other living thing in their vicinity. Reacting to this surge in global violence, Goff chose the album and song titles that appear in this collection.
Some Additional Notes:
1) A calumet is a smoking pipe used by native Americans during ceremonies that establish peaceful relations among groups of people.
2) Some of the improvised recordings created during the production of this album were edited into the soundtrack of Goff’s video: “Sequence Of Non Sequitur,” released in November, 2023, at the link below:
https://archive.org/details/SequenceOfNonSequitur
3) The Aural Films “Horror Films 2023” compilation is available at the link below:
https://auralfilms1.bandcamp.com/album/horror-films-2023
4) “Peace is a good idea. Why not give it a try?”
Fortín artesonoro 2024
| Fortín 18 |
PEDRO LINDE
“MOTU PROPRIO”
1. Frontera de cristal. 5:38
2. Nereidas. 4:54
3. Motu proprio. 4:50
4. Podorozh. 3:17
5. Ama tu ritmo, Chiara. 10:27
6. Despedida. 4:52
Motu proprio es una expresión latina que significa movimiento propio. En este caso, pienso en esta locución como movimiento en el sentido de ritmo, pero también impulso, propulsión hacia adelante; y propio como personal, fruto de una búsqueda interior que ha dado como fruto estas 6 piezas musicales con movimiento propio, que se encadenan con eslabones singulares, formando un conjunto de variedad sonora tornasolada y multiforme. El proyecto se completa con la incorporación de video en algunas de ellas.
Cada pieza expresa un carácter propio e independiente, pero todas ellas forman, sin embargo, un organismo con extremidades complementarias que articulan un conjunto unificado. Cada obra está hecha con un instrumento diferente, aunque el piano digital participa en tres de ellas. Sus títulos dan una idea de esa variedad multiforme de la que hablamos.
La obra se completa con 5 entremeses greguescos que se intercalan a modo de polizones intempestivos entre pieza y pieza o entre vagón y vagón de este tren sonoro, aportando el desvarío que el instrumento electroacústico expresa desde su delirante y experimental atalaya.
Pedro Linde. Noviembre 2023.
Duración: 33:57
“We are all deaf” is the third full length album by ЧЕРНИХОВ | CERNICHOV, a noise/ambient duo based between Brussels and Milan, of US (David Gutman) and Italian (Marco Mazzucchelli) nationality.
“The album’s concept gravitates around the deep and actual contraposition given by the human strive for exploration: on one hand there is the total deafness towards the heartbeat of planet Earth, from a vibrational perspective expressed by the Schuman frequency, a sub bass frequency that can be resumed as the intimate physical expression of how our ecosystem relates in its environment. On the other hand, the exploration’s focus is monopolised by the infinite horizon that the eyes define. The Sputnik satellite becomes the first extraterrestrial exploration means, kept in contact with signals emitted at 40Hz. On these two main frequency inputs, the first as carrier for cross-modulation treatment and the second as a BPM driver, we explored a possible scenario of sonic interactions, ending with what we see as the soundtrack of our personal existence in this 4 dimensional world.”
Released January 14, 2024 as free (cc) digital download and limited digipak CD edition.
Recorded by Marco Mazzucchelli and David Gutman
Produced and Mixed by David Gutman
Mastered by Anacleto Vitolo
Artwork by Marco Mazzucchelli
released January 12, 2024
Beats, sounds and noises created and manipulated via NC stroj by RytmiKster
All photos by Osu Mam Svou.
RDKPL.bandcamp.com
Social polarization, environmental destruction, state subjugation to large corporations, and the use of new technologies for people control are issues that were already addressed by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley and are very present in our society.
Anarco observes with interest how the influence of social media, large media outlets, and political and economic systems affect the behavior of the population.
Anarco supports art in any of its forms as a way of fighting against the simplicity of political discourse. As a way of fighting against the absence of reaction and response to the drift of our society.
—
Manifiesto:
La polarización social, la destrucción del medio ambiente, el sometimiento de los estados frente a las grandes corporaciones y el uso de las nuevas tecnologías para el control de las personas, son cuestiones que ya trataron en su día George Orwell o Aldous Huxley y que están muy presentes en nuestra sociedad.
Anarco observa con interés como la influencia de las redes sociales, los grandes medios de comunicación
y los sistemas politicos y económicos afectan el comportamiento de la población.
Anarco apoya el arte en cualquiera de sus vertientes como forma de lucha contra la simplicidad de los discursos politicos.
Como forma de lucha frente a la ausencia de reacción y respuesta a la deriva de nuestra sociedad.
released January 10, 2024
www.facebook.com/events/1139362020111750/
00:00 01 Intro
01:28 02 Blu Marin Messa
05:32 03 One Strung Counterpoint
11:55 04 Director’s Barbers Moment
15:38 05 The Pink Trombone Thief
19:58 06 Our Lady of the Soup Kitchen
26:12 07 Cantata for Cats and Spoons
31:56 08 Tatar Throataches
38:13 09 Daydream in the Factory Dispensary
43:59 10 A Serpentine Queue to Folly
-̖͑-̑̋͂–̝̤͉̘̜͚-͕̩̤͓̹̼̝ͯ̑͐̉͛̔ͭ-̲͖̗̣͙͎ͦ͑͗̉̔̒-͚͔̩͐̊ͤ̚ͅ-͖̫͔-̥͉͎͎̫̝ͮ̇̓̆̂ͧ-̱̲̙͓͊̐ͣͫ—-͚̦̤̙͎̑̀̒ͬ̋͆ͅ–̙͔̲̗̮̰ͤͤ́̅̆ͥ–͈̥̻̬̹̀̎̽̎ͨ-̬̗͍̼ͯ͛̽̒-̠̤̒ͬ–̳̫̒̒-͐-̪̹̪͆̒͂-̗̉-͈̄–͔̮̦͚̀̅̂͑ͦͮͅͅ-̥̺̫ͯ̓̚-ͣ͒͂̽̔-̺̘͙̌͒̊̾ͅ-̹͔̝̗̙̱–̳̯̻̬̦͕̯̆̐ͦͣ̌̈̊-̖͔̦͎̭̰̓̂̅͆̂̿-͇̫̏͒-̞͉̻̳̗̺-̃̏̈́́͒ͯ͋–̩̲͓̮̳͌ͬ̇ͤ̚–́-̰̱-̥̜̲̦̥̺—-̭̙͇͓ͦ͊ͤ͐ͧͅ-͍͎̙͚͖̜̺͂͛̋ͪ͋͒ͮ-̰͍̩͕̣̤̝ͧ̍̎̄̊͌̒-ͭͭ̄-̤-̈́̇̚–̭͖ͯ̓-̘̭̠͉̫-̿ͤ̽̊̂-͚̬̫͚͑͋ͩ̽-͉-̻͍͚ͅ–̠̝̞̟̾ͣ͛̚–̭̯ͮ͛-͔͌-̻-̰̏-͈̼̙̯̞̀̃̇ͥ̑-̩͎̫̖̖ͩͥ̑͑ͫ-͇̬̺͕̤͑̈́͌͋̓-̩̱̻͖͑̀̓ͭ-͖̠̠̉̃̿-͇̰̲͔̫͎ͅ-͈̼͖̳̠̼̔͛̅͛̎̂-̲͖̗̪̬̬̤ͨ̂̔̎͑ͣ̚-̄̇-̦̹͎̝̲̺͎-͋̄ͧ-͇̣̲̼̞ͯ̉̈̓ͫ-ͪ-̦̠͚̤̘̲͔ͨ̔̀ͤ͌̓̚-̱-͈̬̹̎͒̚–͕̰-͌̊̈͗ͨͭͨ-͇͖̦̈̓͆-̙̝̹̪̯͉̟̓̾͋̔̀͊̚-͓̜̓͆-͛̀ͪͨ-̹̟
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the sonic journey of “The Virtual Bluescreen-Collar Choir”. This experimental music project delves into the realm of the surreal, where technology meets the nostalgia of a bygone era.
Inspired by the working men’s clubs of yesteryear, where camaraderie and community were forged through song, we have created a virtual choir that pays homage to these forgotten spaces. But here’s the twist – our choir consists solely of synthesized and re-synthesized voices, blending the past with the present in a futuristic soundscape.
As French philosopher Jean Baudrillard once said, “Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being, but rather that of a code, a differential equation.” In this vein, The Virtual Workmen’s Choir challenges the notion of authenticity and questions whether technology can truly replicate the human experience.
Our soundscapes transport listeners to a world where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur. Imagine strolling through a smoky, dimly-lit room filled with the echoes of laughter and chatter, only to find yourself enveloped by a cappella harmonies that seem almost otherworldly. That’s what you’ll encounter in our virtual choir, where the synthesized voices take on a life of their own.
But there’s also a hint of melancholy woven throughout our compositions. As German philosopher Martin Heidegger mused, “The essence of technology is by no means anything technological.” In simulating the voices of a lost community, we’re reminded that progress often comes at a cost. We ponder the price of innovation and ask: What do we sacrifice when we exchange the warmth of human connection for the convenience of digital reproduction?
And yet, within this dreamlike atmosphere, we discover a strange sort of beauty. Our virtual choir becomes a metaphor for the fragmented nature of modern society, where individuals come together virtually but remain disconnected physically. It’s a reflection of our times, where social media reigns supreme and online personas supplant face-to-face interactions.
So let us embrace the surrealism of The Virtual Bluescreen-Collar Choir, allowing ourselves to be enchanted by its haunting allure. Let us ponder the philosophical underpinnings that govern our relationship with technology and confront the existential queries it raises. For in doing so, we may just uncover hidden truths about ourselves and the world we inhabit. Thank you for joining us on this thought-provoking sonic adventure.
–ͫ̔͂̐̅-̗͙̦̯̙͈̻̐ͫ͋͂͌͌̌–̻̱̦̯̈̃ͭͫ-̪ͥ-̱̗̼͔–ͫͧ̇ͨͯ-͇́-̥-̰̻̰͚̃͗͛̂̌̃ͅͅ-̞-̣͛-͓͕̦͙͒̀̓̂-̼͇ͤ́-̦̪̘̮̝͚̄͌͌̆̑ͪ-̻̟͚͎͙̈ͣ̔́̚-̆̊-͌̿ͤͤͥ̊̚-͓̮̤̥͖–̲̟͙̞͕͙-͓̤͙̫͒͑̈́ͪ-̈́̽ͮ̾̐ͦ-̗̥̼̣͖̳-ͬͨ̎̉–̪̗̙̙̜̮̓͐ͥ͒̐ͦ̋ͅ-̭̘̈́̍-̘ͦ-͑-̳̱̓̿-͚̈́̚ͅ-̤͓̯ͅ–̩͉̠̟̯̘-̟̹͓̥̠͎̘̾͑͐͛̃͐ͮ–͖̙̀͆̚ͅ-̪͕̒ͭ-ͅ—-̯͇̟̙ͯ͛̈́͆-͕͔͕̬͔̙ͅ-̥̦͉̓́̇-̾ͦ-̦̼̱̞̘̬̆̆͂ͨͦͬ-̖̻̟̯̮̫̘̎͌ͪ̆ͮ̒̊-͑ͥͭ̓ͦ-̩̯͙ͣͪ̓-͖̯̣̹-̻̠̼͕̻̬̥ͬ̈́͐ͣͬͦ̅–̦̳-̜͉͚̺͇̠̥-̥̗͈̮͚̝-̫̞-͈̭̤͓ͨ͆ͫ͒̋ͅ-͙͖͚̥̻̘̩͛͒ͮͧ͛͒̎-̪̖͕̣̻ͥ̊͊́̀—̩͍̹͌̋̈́–̈́ͨ̏ͭ̽̚̚-͇̳̜̒̔̈́-̬̰̙̠–̰̭͈͖̹͈ͩ̿̽̀͂̐-ͧ-̩͊–̱̙̹͔͑̑ͦ̋-̬̫̳-̬͌–̫̥̦̗͎̦̄͐̀̍̓̇–͖-͍̭̫͕̬̽ͬ̋̒͌-̱̠̼-͖͓̅̅-͎̜̺̊ͦ͐-͙̻͕̼̬̜ͧ͂ͧ͛̓ͤ-̻̮̅ͯ-̑ͪ͆-ͧ͋͒-
Doamnelor și domnilor, bine ați venit în călătoria sonoră a „The Virtual Bluescreen-Collar Choir”. Acest proiect muzical experimental sondează profund tărâmul suprarealismului, unde tehnologia întâlnește nostalgia unei epoci trecute.
Inspirați de cluburile de altădată ale bărbaților muncitori, unde camaraderia și comunitatea s-au făurit prin cântec, am creat un cor virtual care aduce un omagiu acestor spații uitate. Dar iată întorsătura – corul nostru este format numai din voci sintetizate și resintetizate, îmbinând trecutul cu prezentul într-un peisaj sonor futurist.
După cum spunea odată filosoful francez Jean Baudrillard, „Simularea nu mai este aceea a unui teritoriu, a unei ființe referențiale, ci mai degrabă cea a unui cod, a unei ecuații diferențiale”. În acest sens, Corul Muncitorilor Virtuali contestă noțiunea de autenticitate și chestionează dacă tehnologia poate reproduce cu adevărat experiența umană.
Peisajele noastre sonore transportă ascultătorii într-o lume în care granițele dintre realitate și fantezie se estompează. Imaginați-vă că vă plimbați printr-o cameră fumurie, slab luminată, plină de ecouri de râsete și vorbărie, doar pentru a vă regăsi învăluiți de armonii a capella care par aproape din altă lume. Asta veți întâlni în corul nostru virtual, unde vocile sintetizate capătă viață proprie.
Dar există și un indiciu de melancolie țesut în compozițiile noastre. Așa cum medita filozoful german Martin Heidegger, „Esența tehnologiei nu este în niciun caz ceva tehnologic”. În simularea vocilor unei comunități pierdute, ni se reamintește că progresul are adesea un cost. Reflectând la prețul inovației ne întrebăm: Ce sacrificăm atunci când schimbăm căldura conexiunii umane pentru comoditatea reproducerii digitale?
Și totuși, în această atmosferă de vis, descoperim un fel ciudat de frumusețe. Corul nostru virtual devine o metaforă a naturii fragmentate a societății moderne, în care indivizii se unesc virtual, dar rămân deconectați fizic. Este o reflectare a vremurilor noastre, în care rețelele sociale dețin supremația, iar personajele online înlocuiesc interacțiunile față în față.
Așa că haideți să îmbrățișăm suprarealismul Corului Virtual Bluescreen-Collar, lăsându-ne vrăjiți de farmecul său obsedant. Să reflectăm la fundamentele filozofice care guvernează relația noastră cu tehnologia și să ne confruntăm cu întrebările existențiale pe care le ridică. Căci, făcând acest lucru, este posibil să descoperim adevăruri ascunse despre noi înșine și despre lumea în care locuim.
Vă mulțumim că v-ați alăturat în această aventură sonoră care provoacă gândirea.
released January 4, 2024
Rogo: vocal, lyrics, percussion
Jan Faix: beats, organ, synths, sampling, other electronics, guitar, percussion
Jan Ureš: additional guitar (7)
Recorded by Jan Faix, Signals from Arkaim Studios, Prague, 28 – 29. 12. 2022
Mix and master: Jan Ureš, 2023
Cover: Pavla Šimková
Full album available for free download at: www.panyrosasdiscos.org/pyr327-alexei-borisov-and-jelena-glazova-entrance-to-hades/
