matt:littlemore

The Colour Out of Space Event was a 3 day extravaganza of experimental Sound and Art where I had to check my usual listening habits at the door and open my mind to a whole new set of aural experiences. From the serene and sublime to the unnerving assault to the ears, Colour Out of Space supplied a non-stop line-up of some of the most cutting edge sound artists along with big names who have established themselves over decades of sound experimentation. Whilst I am still trying to compute the information (there is a backlog) I will give a brief summary of my highlights…
Morphogenesis was the first act I saw – a gentle and soothing introduction to what was to come. The group manipulated a hypnotic soundscape using found objects along with traditional instruments. One of the most interesting aspects was discovering the sound of material against material – violin bow on glass vase – wire in can of coke! With a table full of bits and pieces, real and impromptu instruments the sound would build into a harmony of electronic yet at the same time familiar and tactile arrangement.
Groundbreaking Composer Trevor Wishart performed an uplifting improvised voice piece without the use of technology (except the microphone) which explored the limits of human language and vocal expression. His second arrangement (entirely electronic) ‘Globalalia’ explored the ‘dance’ of human speech using 26 different languages, constructed and decontsructed in waves of distorted speech. Wishart has been experimenting with sound since the 1970′s and is a well documented name in the British sound art world.
Tomutonttu (which loosely translates as ‘dust gnome’) is Jan Anderzen – a key figure on Finland’s creative underground scene. His work uses the talents of a musical collective and reworks traditional Finnish folk idioms in a contemporary technology driven arrangement. Instantly more accessible to my senses due to the rhythmic elements, I enjoyed Anderzen’s performance – the use of effects, cassette and home wired electronic gizmos – to produce Scandinavian folk for the modern world.
Audrey Chen tours worldwide with her moving experimental cello and vocal performance. Using a combination of electronic layering, traditional musicianship and an incredibly versatile vocal range Chen moved the crowd with a deeply emotional piece. Starting with the rattle from a chopstick jammed between the cello strings, her sometimes crackling, sometimes beautifully haunting voice built to a emotional climax which left her (along with the listeners) visibly drained. In such close proximity, this was a powerful sound experience.
Most relevant to my own musical sensibility was Joseph Hammer, an influential artist in the LA sound-art scene for more than twenty-five years. Drawing on the complexities of playing, listening, memory and time, his sample based piece used a vintage reel tape player to manipulate handmade loops controlled manually into a complex ‘phonomontage’. The resulting audio clearly highlighted and explored his influences from AM radio stations, American popular culture and a love of vintage equipment and samples. Accessible in it’s output, there is a clear correlation to the urban US contemporary music scene.
Listen to my experimental sound piece inspired by the event…
The piece contains 2 samples from Tsui Hark’s Film ‘Once Upon A Time In China’, along with elements of feedback and distorted clicks created by the interference between Mac and internet dongle (Now I have a use for the damn thing)! Click Below
Sound Experiment

This entry was posted by Maff on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 5:10 pm. It is filed under sound and has these tags: art, sound. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.