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Ten Minutes from 60×365 by David Morneau

The ten short pieces that constitute this [...]]]> At EMM, David Morneau presented a mix of 10 pieces called 60×365. Inspired by 60×60, Morneau wrote a 60 second piece every day for a year. The mix at EMM presented 10 selections from the year.

Program notes:

Ten Minutes from 60×365
by David Morneau

The ten short pieces that constitute this collection are all drawn from my year-long podcast project, 60×365. For this project I am composing a new one-minute piece every day for a year. This began in July of 2007 and will conclude at the end of June, 2008. I am using 60×365 to explore a wide variety of musical styles and techniques, including musique concrete, sine wave synthesis, digital sampling, 8-bit constructions, process music, acousmatic composition, and post-techno beat manipulations. Each daily post brings something new and different, a constant variety. The daily deadline means the works sometimes lose their preciousness as they become explorations in process and method – with form or audience – as much as they are works of art. These ten pieces provide an overview of the entire project while maintaining coherence as a set. Individually they are: 60×365, Techno~Redux, Banwasjum, Organic, Loose Change, Scrub, Guitar Dream, Say What?, Rush, and String Cheese.

More music from David Morneau at 60×365.com/.

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Stairs We Never Knew

by Sam Tymorek

Stairs We Never Knew is an attempt to make a music that sounds as if it is fighting against itself. The piece is relentlessly noisy; the distorted sounds, from a [...]]]> At EMM, Sam Tymorek presented a generative MAX/MSP piece called Stairs We Never Knew.

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Stairs We Never Knew

by Sam Tymorek

Stairs We Never Knew is an attempt to make a music that sounds as if it is fighting against itself. The piece is relentlessly noisy; the distorted sounds, from a typical dance music drum machine, are resonated at dissonant intervals and thrown chaotically about in space. Gestures interrupt one another in an unpredictable manner that is controlled by live computer processing. On a large-scale level, the work is fairly static. It is the texture and behavior of the sounds, rather than their timbre, that are gradually transformed.

More music from Sam Tymorek at http://samtymorekmusic.com/works.html.

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Obedience School by Adam Scott Neal

The structure and most of the sounds in Obedience School are derived from a 14.5-second recording of a [...]]]> On Saturday, I caught up with composer Adam Scott Neal. Neal was at EMM presenting a piece called Obedience School, which is based on samples of his dog.

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Obedience School
by Adam Scott Neal

The structure and most of the sounds in Obedience School are derived from a 14.5-second recording of a dog. The onsets of different sounds, such as a bark, a breath, or a footstep, determined the beginnings of formal divisions. The length of each section was multiplied by 40 to create the finished form, with a length of 9:40. Each section of the work focuses on a particular process with the original sound, although the other processes often interrupt or emerge from beneath the main sound. The processes were ordered in such a way to reflect the sounds from the original sample, but the correlation is not exact. For example, the metric attacks of the first section reflect the dog’s pseudo-metric footsteps, and the brassage-seagulls reflect his soft whimpering.

Adam is very 21st Century in his approach to distributing his music (perhaps this has something to do with his age?), so you can hear a lot of his music at http://www.adamscottneal.com/music.htm.

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Arrival (mp3 is an excerpt)

by Madelyn Byrne

In this piece, travel serves as a metaphor for self-deiscovery, or its opposite – distraction. The sounds of travel and introspection, including traffic, trains, planes, breath, rain, and [...]]]> At the 10am concert on October 18th, Madelyn Byrne was at EMM presenting a piece titled Arrival.

Program notes:

Arrival (mp3 is an excerpt)

by Madelyn Byrne

In this piece, travel serves as a metaphor for self-deiscovery, or its opposite – distraction. The sounds of travel and introspection, including traffic, trains, planes, breath, rain, and voice, are juxtaposed and eventually integrated. This piece explores the ongoing and multifaceted process of self-discovery and living with integrity. The song-like theme of Arrival is explored in four sections. Section A is introspective, section B makes use of homeland security announcements as a metaphor for manufactured fear; C is a peaceful resolution to the previous sections, and D is an optimistic projection forward. Arrival is scheduled to be released by Everglade Records on their forthcoming SoundingOut DVD.

More of Madelyn’s work can be found at http://www.madelynbyrne.com/.

Here is the version [...]]]> Richard Zarou was at EMM presenting a piece titled Ad Vitam Aeternam. According to Zarou, the piece “explores the harmonic and textural possibilities of the same musical material simultaneously being performed at multiple tempos.” Stylistically, the composition draws heavily on his background in a church that still performs hymns in chant.

Here is the version of Ad Vitam Aeternam recorded by Sarah Horick.

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Ad Vitam Aeternam
by Richard Zarou

Ad Vitam Aeternam, recorded by Sarah Horick, explores the harmonic and textural possibilities of the same musical material simultaneously being performed at multiple tempos. “To eternal life: Lord, have mercy.”

More of Richard’s work can be found at http://www.richardzarou.com/.