New Music Community

Hello, everyone! My name is Chris DesMarais. I don't believe I've posted publicly to this
group since I joined early last August, though I receive and review the daily digest,
learning all sorts of interesting things (a recent reference sent me off around the Web
researching Coral Castle, for example), and I've been in touch with some of you privately
by e-mail. I was actually hoping to delay this introduction until I had more to present, but
some things are going more quickly than expected, and others are going more slowly.
Such is life.

Anyway, I have a point, and it is this: I'm involved in a nascent music community seeking
to establish various ongoing projects, one of which is a free-for-download quarterly
publication (which we will probably also offer as a print version through CafePress, for the
hell of it). This community is focused on the frontiers of music. Some of our recent
endeavors involve generative music, microtonality, circuit bending, found-object
instrument construction, and improvisational composition techniques. (A more detailed
description, as well as a name for the community, will be presented once we actually get
the website up and running.)

I've come to ask whether anyone in this group might be interested in participating. I'm
looking for any of the following:

- Article contributions for the quarterly publication. Sample subjects: interviews, featured
tunings, custom instruments, historical instruments, composition techniques, synthesizer
programming, music lessons, etc. For those planning to attend the next UK Microfest, or
NIME, or any similar sort of convention, reports from these are also definitely welcome.

- Recordings to be offered free for download. Excerpts may appear in a podcast as well.

- Website work. We're looking at including project pages, a forum, a wiki, possibly java
chat, whatever might be useful.

- Cross-platform, open-source software development.

- Donations of pretty much anything, including any of the above as well as hosting
service, actual instruments or gear, money, etc. (I'm not holding out much hope for this
one yet, but hey, I figured I'd ask.)

More information will be coming as soon as I'm able to give it. In the mean time, I'm
anxious to hear from any of you. We don't have much beyond passion at this point, and
we're hoping you can help us make it more than that. Plus, you'll be able to say you were
there when it all began! :-)

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "callahanwhite" <cortaigne@...> wrote:
> Hello, everyone! My name is Chris DesMarais.

It seems like 2007 is going to be a great year for microtonality.

-Carl

sounds great, good luck and please post the web site link when you're
up and running .

http://www.myspace.com/danstearns

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "callahanwhite" <cortaigne@...> wrote:
>
> Hello, everyone! My name is Chris DesMarais. I don't believe I've
posted publicly to this
> group since I joined early last August, though I receive and review
the daily digest,
> learning all sorts of interesting things (a recent reference sent me
off around the Web
> researching Coral Castle, for example), and I've been in touch with
some of you privately
> by e-mail. I was actually hoping to delay this introduction until I
had more to present, but
> some things are going more quickly than expected, and others are
going more slowly.
> Such is life.
>
> Anyway, I have a point, and it is this: I'm involved in a nascent
music community seeking
> to establish various ongoing projects, one of which is a
free-for-download quarterly
> publication (which we will probably also offer as a print version
through CafePress, for the
> hell of it). This community is focused on the frontiers of music.
Some of our recent
> endeavors involve generative music, microtonality, circuit bending,
found-object
> instrument construction, and improvisational composition techniques.
(A more detailed
> description, as well as a name for the community, will be presented
once we actually get
> the website up and running.)
>
> I've come to ask whether anyone in this group might be interested in
participating. I'm
> looking for any of the following:
>
> - Article contributions for the quarterly publication. Sample
subjects: interviews, featured
> tunings, custom instruments, historical instruments, composition
techniques, synthesizer
> programming, music lessons, etc. For those planning to attend the
next UK Microfest, or
> NIME, or any similar sort of convention, reports from these are also
definitely welcome.
>
> - Recordings to be offered free for download. Excerpts may appear
in a podcast as well.
>
> - Website work. We're looking at including project pages, a forum,
a wiki, possibly java
> chat, whatever might be useful.
>
> - Cross-platform, open-source software development.
>
> - Donations of pretty much anything, including any of the above as
well as hosting
> service, actual instruments or gear, money, etc. (I'm not holding
out much hope for this
> one yet, but hey, I figured I'd ask.)
>
> More information will be coming as soon as I'm able to give it. In
the mean time, I'm
> anxious to hear from any of you. We don't have much beyond passion
at this point, and
> we're hoping you can help us make it more than that. Plus, you'll
be able to say you were
> there when it all began! :-)
>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "callahanwhite" <cortaigne@...> wrote:
>
> Hello, everyone! My name is Chris DesMarais. ...

[snip]

> Anyway, I have a point, and it is this: I'm involved in a nascent
music community seeking to establish various ongoing projects, ...

[snip]

Hi Chris,

Best wishes for your success!

That may be all I can offer for the forseeable future,
apart from awaiting the results of your efforts with
interest. Perhaps I will have some compositions, or
some tuning considerations, to share later.

BTW - I like your choice of the adjective "nascent".
Can you imagine people saying in future decades: "Oh,
you know, she's one of those Nascent Music people" -
just like you were an "Art Nouveau" mob!

Regards,
Yahya