Kwik Picks 06
Some Recent Additions to Sonus.ca
Christian Banasik • Joel-Aimé Beauchamp • Sarah Boothroyd • Paul Burnell • Martine H. Crispo • Marc Cunningham • Nicolas Dion • Michael Dobinson • Linda Rae Dornan • Thomas Gerwin • Robert Hoare and Steven Sauvé • Inge Hoonte • Anne-Françoise Jacques • Inferno Speed Gown • Robert Mackay • Katie McMurran • Chris Meloche, with Penn Kemp • Ernest V. Miliauskas • Sarah Peebles • Smash and Teeny, (Peebles, Perera) • Ailís Ní Riaín • Stephanie Rowden and Anne Carson • Peter Sant • Charlotte Scott • Robert Voisey
A range of pieces, many text-based, some soundscape-based. A mélange. Just the thing to start off a relaxing summer.
Christian Banasik
Glass Cutter (2006) — 11:14
Keywords: exploration of the object
A well-formed, if not overly wide-ranging, acousmatic / exploration of the object piece.
Joel-Aimé Beauchamp
Pour Élise (2007) — 8:13
Keywords: semi-narrative, collage, acousmatic
There would appear to be a story of some kind with sounds building up to small crashes, dying to silence. Slowed voice with reverb, possibly indicating that the “character” (Élise possibly?) of the first section is dead. Small layered vocal elements. Calm? At peace? Slow building of (over-reverbed?) acousmatically transformed sounds. (Inner) Struggle? Resolution?
Exit (2006) — 5:24
Keywords: collage, plunderphonic, layered
A layered collage of (non-copyright released?) recordings. Varying degrees of processing; highly compressed.
Transtyle (2006) — 5:21
Keywords: collage, plunderphonic
Postmodern plunder, transformed, layered, compressed. Strong! Well-formed.
Sarah Boothroyd
Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain (2006) — 5:55
Keywords: textsound composition, collage
A collage of the sound bits left on the editing room floor while preparing radio documentary. Playing around can be fun. Basic plugins and transforms.
Paul Burnell
Orange Juice (2006) — 1:02
Keywords: text with processing
Text-based message about “orange juice”.
Martine H. Crispo
Transitive Property of Equality (excerpt) (2006) — 3:45
Keywords: circuit bending
Some fun with loops and circuit bended noises.
Marc Cunningham
No Fun without Ham (2005) — 7:05
Confused 4/4 (2005) — 8:11
Black Lady in a White Dress (2005) — 6:32
Keywords: club / beat, loops, synths’n’samples
MIDI-sequencer stuff. Loops and beats. Few surprises here.
Nicolas Dion
Transparent (2006) — 1:01
Keywords: exploration of the object
A (very) short study with a glass bowl.
Michael Dobinson
Experimental Train Traffic Controls are in Effect (MacMillian Yard Remix) (2006) — 9:00
Keywords: soundscape composition with elaborations
Starting from an acousmatic base, the sounds progress to the synthetic and to the metric. Continued light processes and cute sounds with crossing into and out of the “train” theme.
Linda Rae Dornan
Transform (2006) — 0:49
Keywords: text
Lightly processed text.
Thomas Gerwin
transFORM or Zuang for 4 (excerpt) (2006) — 3:00
Keywords: processed voice; exploration of the object
Microprocessed into a continuous stream. High quality signal processing.
Robert Hoare and Steven Sauvé
TransAtlantischeZeitzonen (2006) — 9:53
Keywords: soundscape composition; collage
A soundscape composition / collage of variable sonic quality. Many technical issues left to be sorted out.
Inge Hoonte
Mr. Right (2004) — 2:47
Keywords: text-based
Breathy reading of personal ads. Some technical issues outstanding.
Anne-Françoise Jacques
Transit (2006) — 1:14
Keywords: text
Evocative of an experience shared by many.
Inferno Speed Gown
Translunar Standstill (excerpt) (2006) — 2:40
Keywords: microcollage
Various sounds put together. It is hard to get a sense of the work from such a short excerpt. The piece could be a very loose collage of 2 hours duration or a structured 9 minute piece.
Robert Mackay
Postcards from the Summer (1999) — 12:51
Keywords: acousmatic, soundscape composition
Acousmatic techniques of the highest order applied to possible soundscapes. Excellence of preparation of sounds and execution of ideas. Sonic webs and connections in subtle and continuous transforms.
Katie McMurran
Your List of Transcendant Experiences (2006) — 1:00
Keywords: radiophonic clip, text-based
A short study in sounds to accompany a text. Some technical problems.
Chris Meloche, with Penn Kemp
mattermater: prelude (2006) — 1:04
Keywords: textsound
Basic manipulation, collage of “mattermater”.
Ernest V. Miliauskas
Double Canon (2005) — 1:28
Keywords: sonification of data
Sine tones playing a complex 12-part canon
Sarah Peebles
Hive Study no. 1 (2005) — 5:36
Keywords: continuous, layered, installation, processed
A rather beautiful well-formed study. Delicate and careful work throughout.
In the Canopy: Meditations from Paparoa and Kapiti Island (2005)
part 1 — 13:40 • part 2 — 7:52 • part 3 — 19:36
Keywords: soundscape montage
Subtle gentle evocations of nature, nicely recorded, nicely assembled and mixed. Sit on the veranda, look into the tropical forest and enjoy the increasing steamy heat of the morning. Losing yourself inside at various times. Some minor pre-mastering problems common to all soundscape recording… what to do with the very low level ambient noise, and how much to fix it.
Lift (2006) — 3:03
Keywords; soundscape montage, study
Similar to the others in the series. A nice introduction to the longer set.
Smash and Teeny, (Sarah Peebles, Nilan Perera)
Bee Space (2007) — 26:52
Keywords; live ea improvisation
Organic evolutions characteristic of many live ea pieces. A very nicely formed and executed piece. Clearly a group that has a high degree of sensitivity to each other and is well-prepared to perform with a high level of focus and sustained energy. This is well worthy of second and third listenings, a situation that is rather unusual in live ea improv.
Ailís Ní Riaín
TranSextreme (2006) — 5:08
Keywords: text, collage
Processed scraped strings. Text dominated.
Stephanie Rowden and Anne Carson
Sonnet of the Pronoun Event (excerpt) (2006) — 1:22
Keywords: textsound composition; text-based
Text accompanied by sound effects.
Peter Sant
Art Gallery Transposed (2006) — 2:06
Keywords: text-based
A short descriptive text-sound piece. Somewhat naïve in conception and execution.
Charlotte Scott
Well, listen… (2006) — 29:00
Keywords: radiophonic, soundscape montage
Very much lightly reminiscent of Gould’s Trilogy in the use of voice, but clearly in a more direct (naïve) fashion. The text is more important than the sound, and the original recordings are of ‘basic documentary’ quality. Radiophonic documentary.
Robert Voisey
Hourglass: Traverse (2003) — 3:13
Keywords: (short) drone; processed vocal, gestural
Time stretched single vocal tone, then varied pitches.
Deep Dark Light (2005) — 4:08
Keywords: processed vocal, gestural
(Possibly AmerIndian) Song with 100 second reverb, that slowly disappears. Some layering.
Constellations — TRANSreveLATION Mix (2007) — 4:30
Keywords: processed vocal, layered, gestural
Layered vocal processing, including time stretching and resonances.
Kevin Austin
Montréal, 2006–v–30
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