Reviews for BOL/SNAH/WESTERHUS: Numb, number

Latest reviews!

For those who read german:

Nordische Musik , July 2012

 

“….a melting pot of untimely sound worlds, poetic texts and fearless, improvising character.”

May 11/2012 All about jazz (US)

 

“That it all actually works extremely well and makes absolute sense from start to finish is perhaps not quite such a surprise considering the respective pedigree of each of the musicians involved, but if this record is by all means the direct result of these forces working together, that result is ultimately much greater than the sum of its parts.”

June 22/2102, The Milk Factory (UK)

 

“Separately and together we´re dealing with some of Norway´s furthermost creative and searching musicians – musicians that couldn´t care less about genres and labels. That´s probably why most of the music they make turns out unique, exiting and cool.”

March 03/2012 by Side 2 (NO).

 

 

Åse/Strønen: Raised,rave

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example:
Raised, rave:  improvisation with Thomas Strønen,  VOXPHERIA (GIGAFON 2012).

 

 

 

I am playing with zones, using processed pre-samples and natural voice sound. I am also working with loops and multiple layers. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above.  Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)

Links:

Central and peripheral zones,3.1.2

Hadron and MaxMSP, G/F patch: 2.2.6

Roland SPX555: 2.2.4

Electrix Repeater Loop based recorder: 2.2.3

Looping and sampling3.5discussing some challenges in: 3.6

Åse/Strønen : Excerpt from Heilaloo

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example: Excerpt from Heilaloo, improvisation with Thomas Strønen, VOXPHERIA (GIGAFON 2012)

 

 

I work with loops and delays, the loops having sometimes an accompanying function, but towards the end becoming a sort of “main material”. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above.  Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)

Links:

Electrix Repeater Loop based recorder: 2.2.3

Looping and sampling3.5discussing some challenges in: 3.6

 

Åse/Strønen Numb Street Cabaret

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example:Numb street cabaret, improvisation with Thomas Strønen,VOXPHERIA (GIGAFON 2012)

 


 

I am using a cluster effect to ‘broaden’ the voice, later I am ‘placing’ the voice with compressor and filtering. Both effects are making the voice less natural, but still relatively close to central zone -the spoken text being the closest. I am “looping an accompaniment”, and also “answering the loop”. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above.  Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)

Links:

‘Broadening ’ and ‘Placing’: 3.4.1

Lexicon MX 400 Dual stereo/Surround Reverb Effects Processor: 2.2.2

Electrix Repeater Loop based recorder: 2.2.3

Looping and sampling3.5discussing some challenges in: 3.6

Åse/Strønen: Grains

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example: Grains – improvisation with Thomas Strønen, drums and electronics,  VOXPHERIA (GIGAFON 2012)

 

 

 

I use the G/F patch (MaxMSP, Granular synthesis and graphic filtering) to create a tonal and timbral fundament, “modulating “ it. I use a convolution patch to “trigger one vocal phrase with another. ‘Singer’ and ‘soundmaker’-roles are mostly combined through the whole piece. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above.  Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)

Links:

G/F patch and convolution patch: 2.2.6

More detailed description:  4.2.3 and 3.4, Example III, 13 

Åse/Duch: Thhh

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example: Thhh  – an improvisation in studio with Michael Duch, double bass, 2011

 

 

In the first part I am playing with zones and different roles with fast shifts, by mixing pre-sampled sounds, Hadron and natural voice. In the second part I am looping “text” and performing ”text” together with the loop- the loop after some time turning from “soundsinger” to “soundmaker” by the repetition of it. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above. Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)
Links:
Hadron: 2.2.6
Roland: 2.2.4
Looping and sampling: 3.5 – discussing some challenges: 3.6
More detailed description in 4.3.4

Åse/Duch: Moah

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example: Moah,improvisation in studio with Michael Duch, double bass, 2009

 

I am using the G/F patch (MaxMSP, Granular synthesis and graphic filtering) as an accompaniment, and a reversed “text”-sample on the Roland as a contrasting sound, varying both by filtering, Singer and soundmaker. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above.  Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)

Links:

G/F patch: 2.2.6

Roland: 2.2.4

A library of sounds in 3.5

BOL/WESTERHUS/SNAH: Spring is like a perhaps hand

Artistic comments

These comments are meant to inform briefly about my techniques, the musical parameters I use, and roles in the musical interplay. These reflections are a part of my work as artistic researcher in the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme, situated at Department of Music, NTNU. The full reflection on my research can be found here , and includes the same music and similar comments, but with a more detailed reflection. There are links to special issues in the full research text from my artistic comments. (Please use your web-browser to get back to this post.)

General info/explanation of terms:

In my artistic research, I have suggested some terms to describe what musical parameters and roles I work with, using live electronics:

Play with zones: playing with grades of naturalness and meaning in voice sound and processed voice sound. (Central zone and peripheral zone representing the two poles of extremes) See Chapter 3, especially 3.1.2

“Text”: Sounds like words, but with no semantic meaning (see 3.3)

I am categorising roughly four different types of processing (see 3.4.1):

Broadening: adding something to the voice

Narrowing: filtering the frequencies of the voice

Placing: putting the voice in different rooms/spaces and distances

Reconstructing: changing the voice sound more substantially

– Singer, speaker, soundsinger and soundmaker: a rough categorising of four different roles for the vocalist in the interplay. The two latter roles are- compared to the acoustic voice- made easier available within a much broader range, through the use of electronics:

– Soundmaker: Main focus on sound and/or its function, going away from the voice as a bearer of meaning through melody or speech, often in peripheral zone.

– Soundsinger: Between singer/speaker and soundmaker. This role includes the function of melody as commenting or accompanying the musical scenery, not being a traditional lead voice; lyrics as sound more than meaning – “language” without bearing semantics, processed sound creating a distance to the natural voice. It is somewhere in between the central and peripheral zone.

(See Chapter 4, especially 4. 2.)

Example:  Spring is like a perhaps hand  from the CD Numb, number with BOL/WESTERHUS/SNAH (GIGAFON2012)

 

 

I am using text and ”text”, moving in different zones, and changing between singer, soundsinger and speaker in different sequences, using a ‘broadening’ effect and compressor /reverb to ”place” the sound. (The comments in the Soundcloud-player refer to terms explained above. Different instruments and techniques are described and discussed in Chapter 2 and 3.)
Links:
Playing with zones: 3.2.3
Words as meaning and words as sound: 3.3

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