Electronic Music

Vaghe Stelle: Synths, Stars, Memories

Hopefully, we all agree on something: from time to time the electronic music scene in Italy produces really original, internationally relevant, projects - while the pop and the rock ones have never achieved anything similar. From Alexander Robotnik to the We Love, from Lory D to Marco Passarani, wherever in the world some interest arises in quality music produced by Italians, it's via synthetic beats. One of the latest example is Vaghe Stelle... READ MORE...

The Rules Of Improvisation. Ruth Barberan And The Catalan Scenario

Maybe not everybody knows that Barcelona and Catalonia in general, more than everywhere else in Europe, is hosting a rich panorama of improvisers, forced to play a secondary role and work in very little amounts of time. Among them we chose to interview Ruth Barberˆn, for she is a clear example of musician with a academic education passed to research, and she is involved in the organization of little events and concerts contributing to enrich scenarios and ideas of local sound and music experimentation. We chose her because she is a woman, but it is better not to say it loud for she does not like discrimination, no matter if even good one, although she admits the need of filling a still existing gap.... READ MORE...

To Feel Like Voices. Vocal Expression: Sound Of The Subject

Voice is our means of communication. Voices inform us about what it happens in the flat next to ours, in the streets or in the car. A weeping baby explains a need, the low pitch of a conference invites to listen carefully, the cries of Diamanda Galas take convey us all the pain she want to express. Different worlds of expression sharing the same common idea: they are expression of the voice.... READ MORE...

Urban Space And Moltitude. Achim Wollscheid’s Work

German artist Achim Wollscheid's work investigates the possibilities of sound as a social interactive medium. Since the early 80s he and his collaborators Ralf Wehowsky, Stefan Schmidt and Charlie Steiger have been working on experiments linked to the use of tape cassettes and LP records, which have been exchanged and distributed among artists all over Europe, United States and Australia.... READ MORE...

Vns By David Rokeby. Seeking For An Harmonics Of Interaction

When aboarding the subject of interactive sound installation it is natural to turn to David Rokeby's work (1960, Tillsonburg, Ontario). If one thinks back to the line of research that was based upon the Sound Sculpture study in order to find a definition for Sound Art, knowledge of Rokeby's Very Nervous System (1986-1990) and his theory of harmonics of interaction' is fundamental for an understanding on the relationship between sound, movement, space and technology.... READ MORE...

Stefano Tedesco. Radical Improvisation

The little and typical town of Casté in La Spezia's countryside, within the municipality of Ricc˜ del Golfo, after the Foce pass, counts 23 inhabitants (someone more during the summer) and was completely rebuilt and restored thanks to the European Union's funds. This summer the town has become scenario of a series of very particular initiatives divided into theatre, videos and music. It is a wonderful landscape in the Vara Valley with old houses made of squared stones and cement, 'piazoet" (i.e. balconies used to make products dry), and a single family-owned restaurant, which is difficult to abandon once sitting on the balcony with a great view on the valley rich of chestnut groves.... READ MORE...

Organic Resonances. On Ginette Laurin

As one of the most relevant figures in the international scene, choreographer Ginette Laurin - founder of Canadian group O Vertigo, based in Montreal - is committed since the eighties to a radical research on movement, which she combines with an investigation on the stage mechanism both sound and chromatically-wise. Influenced by an extensive research on physicality, Laurin created a very specific language for 'writing' movement, which tends to deconstruct its features by working on dynamics of slowness and speed in the spacial organization of the scene.... READ MORE...

Brandon Labelle. Where Do Sounds Come From And Where Do They Go?

Where do sounds come from and where do they go? From this fundamental and central question different paths branch out that make up Acoustic Territories. Sound Culture and Everyday Life, the new book by Brandon LaBelle - artist, theorist and editor who, through a particularly coherent research, has constantly devoted himself to the exploration of sound and audio culture from multiple points of view and different levels, giving birth to a large body of work, tests and projects.... READ MORE...

The Silences Of Biosphere. Neo Baroque And Aware Intimacy

Geir Jenssen, also known as Biosphere, is one of the most important figures in the field of contemporary electronic composition. Norwegian origins, from Tromsø, a town immersed in icy silence, 500 miles away from the Arctic Circle. Atypical personality, friendly and quiet, he always prefers to communicate through sound, like the sound of his records, of the many installations he designed in the last years, even of the performances.... READ MORE...

Nueue Musik In Milan. The Rai’s Institute Of Phonology Memory

After more than fifty years from the birth of analog magnetic bands music recording, on the 17th of September 2008 at the Castello Sforzesco Museum of Music Instruments in Milan, a new space dedicated to Rai - Institute of Musical Phonology was inaugurated, musical instrument of the XXth Century, extension of human thought. Such event was made possible thank to International Music festival MITO, in collaboration with the Civic Museum of Musical Instruments, TV Production Centre and Direzione Radio RAI.... READ MORE...

Deep Ambiguity. A Conversation With Ben Houge

Ben Houge is a composer and sound designer who, though trained in composition, has largely been employed in sound design for video games, for at least five years at the corporate Ubisoft (in addition to collaborations with Gearbox Software, Troika Games, Massive Entertainment, Escape Factory, Relic Entertainment and ArenaNet). In Shanghai, however, he is known as one of the few outsiders to truly penetrate local art and music cultures.... READ MORE...

Sonarcinema 2010. Music For Eyes And Brains

For those like us (Italians, if you were wondering) who come from places where national TV programs are superficial and squalid, and completely detached from both our real and our imaginary worlds, one of the most interesting experiences at Sonar Festival is offered by the chance to discover quality music videos and documentaries. No way the proposal can be exhaustive, of course, but it is definitely the result of a careful selection.... READ MORE...

About Sonic Sculpture. Between Disciplines Categories

Watching a sound art installation requires a silent contemplation that allows to listen carefully. Sometimes it is not considered as something - as music is - going beyond the limits of a time-based expression. Many sound sculptures, as well as most visual art, have a linear sound structure (e.g. Clown Torture, one of the earliest videos by Bruce Nauman).... READ MORE...

The Meaning Of A Sound Place. G. Bohme, The Aesthetics Of The Atmosphere

The theme of space is a cornerstone in the philosophical investigation. It appeals to the world experienced by the subjects in terms of perceptual knowledge, the aim then is never the metrological and scientific analysis of change, but the attempt at clarification of the common sensitive comprehension of those data which the outside world offers to those who meet it.... READ MORE...

Acoustics And Serendipity. An Interview With Jose’ Manuel Berenguer

We had the pleasure and honour of going to meet José Manuel Berenguer in his home. José Manuel Berenguer is a key figure in the electro-acoustic experimental scene in Spain. A polyvalent artist, with a rich CV of experiences in various fields, and also co-director of the Orquestra del Caos, he is a likable man, open to dialogue and of enormous cultural knowledge. You could listen to him talk for hours without lowering your level of concentration. His professional and artistic journey is fascinating.... READ MORE...