Reviews, news, and new track

Hi!

Omph... Well I got around to some reading last week and was able to finish up Curtis Roads' Microsound (just published) and Bob Gilmore's biography on Harry Partch. I read them concurrently alternating back and forth. I must say that the Partch biography effected me in a much deeper way aesthetically than Roads' book. Granted they don't overlap much in purpose, but because each one makes historical references throughout the 20th century that do overlap, it turned into an interesting trip.

Roads' book is written in a very similar style to the Computer Music Tutorial. It provides a good outline on the historical relevance of microsound, Roads' work with Pulsar synthesis, convolution, windowed analysis (FFT, Wavelet transformations), and a short attempt at aesthetic discussion on using microsound in composition. I felt that the two chapters on aesthetics and composition were the weakest. Both chapters were 25 pages each and seemed tagged on to the end of the book (350 pages). They aren't bad, but just too brief and seemed forced. Granted Roads' mentioned that a copy editor tore through his manuscript and a lot of things were altered. It feels mediated. I would like to take a look at Roads' original manuscript to see if anything was abbreviated. His next book is going to be on electronic composition. I believe he is going to go much deeper on aesthetics; sure hope so, but I am afraid he might pay to much lip service to modernist/avant garde "mythology". I was able to read the introduction to his next book at CCMIX and it seemed a little too melodramatic to me. It should be good though. He includes a note on combining microsound with microtonal scales which is a real big interest of mine.

The technical topics are well handled and provide a great overview of microsound and certainly has the possibility of "planting new seeds" for musicians/composers/engineers unfamiliar with this area. I was lucky to catch a presentation from him at CCMIX, so his book was an easy read as I have had a lot of time to mull around with the ideas such as the infrasonic concept of sound (rhythm vs pitch) and convolution. I also was able to do a project with the Kyma system last fall
that led me to understand the pitfalls of FFT analysis first hand. Wished I had this book back then as it covers FFT these pitfalls.

Like Computer Music Tutorial Roads' does not go too deep into any particular, but provides a nice introduction to many important topics. I highly recommend it to everyone on this list.

Now to the Partch biography.. This book came across to me as authentic and well researched. There were only a few instances where it seemed like the author made comments that stemmed from hindsight or a biased perspective. This book really got me excited about Partch; I have yet to hear much of his work. I certainly feel that this book bridges the gap for me and will allow me to approach Genesis of a Music eventually.

Here is a reply to a letter Partch wrote that touched me greatly:
"One becomes intimidating into believing something is 'experimental' and 'advanced' when allegedly respectable little people (such as musicologists) say it is. In this sad circumstance he often loses the ability to see, when demonstrable 'advances' in another direction stare him in the face... Composers with 'advanced' techniques... enshrine the bodiless brain. The bodiless brain really needs no sounds at all, only theories. Based upon what I have seen, I would say that a deliberate beguiling of youth into academic 'modern idiom' is worse than an assault on the street. Both are malevolent, but the second is honest."
Partch to William Wilder 9/3/57

Wow.. I like this quote immensely. I only have run into one musicologist so far in my life. One of the CCMIX "house" musicologists; James McHard, author of The Future of Modern Music. erm.. Partch's comment really connects on this encounter for me. Trust no one... ;)

I finished the books on Friday and immediately started on a piece that synthesized both reading experiences. I created a "free intonation" piece utilizing feedback, microsound, convolution, and more feedback. The track is also "no-input" generated; meaning that the source audio comes from feedback inside my computer with no audio sources. The patch I created can run indefinitely in the "stop" state with any VST host. I guess "free intonation" would be an appropriate description. Right now I can only work with a/synchronous granulation which is rather implicitly controlled. I have little control over the choice of notes/pitches, but can control density more or less. I look forward to working with SuperCollider where I will be able to integrate microsound and microtonal scales in a controlled fashion. I think people on this list will like it though:

http://catharsis.egregious.net/tracks/
Drone I

Well, I might as well mention that I am holding my last electronic music event (www.egregious.net/taz2002) on Friday May 3rd in SLO. I am doing it at cost in reference to the two main influences for all of the events I have hosted over the last three years. A while back ('96 or so) I came across the now classic underground texts, Temporary Autonomous Zone and Immediatism by Hakim Bey (Peter Lamborn Wilson). Ironically, Hakim Bey means "the lawyer" in Turkish by the way.. ;) These two writings inspired me to create sustained musical environments/situations based on the TAZ concept. I am very lucky with the event on May 3rd. An excellent London techno producer, DDR, is coming to perform live and two wonderful underground techno DJs from SF are coming down. I am also going to be performing live for the first time; yeah sure... dance music, but it will be my own. I am excited to be able to pull off this event for $3 cover ($2 going to the venue and $1 left over to cover costs; gas/hotel for out of town guests). I am very lucky that the guests I have coming are down to participate at cost (gas/hotel; normally all of them get paid a fair amount to perform especially DDR) This is my last event for a long time; I have no desire to compete in a commercially driven atmosphere found in metropolitan areas. I am heading towards to studio. I will have multiple video cameras there filming the night though and hope to post some footage to my web site.. should be interesting..

Oooh.. By the way.. I was able to sell some old gear and scrap together just enough to buy an Empirical Labs Distressor! It is coming in this week! I am very excited about this.. Those interested in getting some better recordings together please do get in contact. I am going to be very busy finishing my last 3 classes for my undergrad and my event in May, but after that I would be happy to work on anyones pieces from this list; Jacky... lets get things kicking!

One thing to keep in mind though is that it is a one channel compressor (no way I could afford two; besides I don't want two channels of this type of compression anyway). So, I can process mono files (drum tracks, etc.) and either finish a mix/master based on a reference that is also sent, or I can process individual tracks and send them back to be mixed by the individual.

Hope all is well; I certainly would like to hear back about the piece I posted.

Best,
--Mike

Egregious
"Spiritual renewal through music for those outside the heard."
http://www.egregious.net/