Disquiet Junto 0200 Kadrey Score

A milestone for the Disquiet Junto this week as it reaches 200 consecutive weeks of projects. Huzzah!

It's recognised with a special guest in the form of writer Richard Kadrey, whose Sandman Slim books I like a lot.

Using only his recording of a short story, I've created a soundtrack to accompany the first part of seven. A pop near the end was ideal for a kick, while I took the ess in 'piece' to make a high-hat.

Other parts came from 'o' and 'a' vowel sounds, as well as a 't' sound that is kinda percussive. All were manipulated with gates and Live's beatrepeat and Valhalla Shimmer reverb rises through the piece.

Infrasonics 723

Disquiet Junto 0199 Space Crickets

The Junto this week is really fun but I'm not sure I can explain it. It's ambiance for space, background noise for interstellar travel.

Anyway, I immediately turned to recordings of a favourite spot but now I wonder if I could've played on the idea of space cricket -- like, if an Australian astronaut listened to old cricket commentaries.

Or maybe just mixing The 12th Man with some industrial hum?

Brian Eno on the worst in some people

Q: How do you explain the proliferation of "unplugged" performances by rock stars lately? 

A: I think I can sympathize with what it is reacting against. Because a lot of music in the last 10 or 15 years has been made on computer-driven sequencers, it has a certain flavor to it. Sometimes that flavor's all right. But I'll tell you what the main effect of sequencers has been: Everybody thinks that when new technologies come along that they're transparent and you can just do your job well on it. But technologies always import a whole new set of values with them. And one of the values that sequencers imported was everything's got to be exactly right. 

It's so easy because a computer is basically a nerd-designed, screwdriver addict's machine. It's a machine that's perfect for making small adjustments and not very good for making bold strokes. I think people just got sick of sitting in studios for hours while some bloke in front of a screen kind of tightened everything up, so that every kick drum beat fell exactly on the one. 

If you've been around that way of composing and you pick up an acoustic instrument and hit it, you think, "Jesus, it's so full of life. There's so much going on in here." So I think people are really reacting to what has been rather an unimaginative use of computer technology so far. What I think is, of course, that there'll be a new generation of people who'll use computers with the same freedom that Pete Townshend uses an acoustic guitar. But those people are just starting to emerge, I think. The computer brings out the worst in some people.

Naviar haiku 092 Close my eyes silence

It's been a little while between Naviar tracks for me, for various reasons that mostly relate to a shortage of free time. Working full-time across two jobs is taking a toll, as well as recent projects like the installations at Trent's and Burning Seed.

Anyway, I'd recorded my lawnmower and a jam a couple of weeks ago for a Junto that didn't get finished and the haiku this week spoke to me. It said "Remember silence?" And I thought 'no' because I have three kids, so my best quiet time is early mornings, bath time and mowing the lawn.

The bassline I'd recorded was simple but still seemed too busy, so I gated it to follow the drums. The drums were also simple, so I multiplied them three times. The guitar was also simple, so I added reverb and delay. The lawnmower I spread wider across the stereo field but mostly left as it was for background noise.