Frequency Domain making a welcome return to the fold in 2023 with a string of releases announced, starting with part 3 in their partials various artists series. Featuring familiar names to the labels as well as some new faces, the comp covers a range of styles, but keeping the F.D deepness we’ve come to love and expect.
“We said we’d never do another label comp (as it’s a lot of work), but we’re over the moon with how this one’s turned out. The third edition of our Partials series curates 18 new tracks over two sides of a C90 tape. There’s music from Frequency Domain artists Luke Sanger, Mücha, Jo Johnson, Apologist, Polypores, Datassette, Linnley, Plant43, Quiet Clapping and Matt Whitehead, plus label friends Loula Yorke, Fields We Found, Virusmoto, D1G and Golden Shields. The release also features a handful of collaborative projects between FD artists, appearing here as Trappist, Blue Lamps and Spiral Wrack. All proceeds from the compilation will support the work of UK NGO, the Refugee Council.”
Chasing after the herbs like Druids, a peppery Anansi with a pink balayage hurried by carrying a bunch of loose cables and heavy bulky bags. Mumbling something to herself, we believe she said: “Music is my name. I’m a dreamer.”, we followed her about but soon after lost her path. Walking our way back, a few of these cables were scattered amongst bushes and the mossy forest ground, we found a small cardboard box containing 5 cassettes. Most of them seemed to be unused, but one read “Death Roads” on one side, and “Spirit Ways” on the other.
A somewhat divine and powerful revision of the dub sound, stripped down, full of space, hiss and dynamic depth. A beautiful shimmering with analog wash and broken textures. Dirty and deep, breathing smoke like breathing life. Dubient.
Play it loud. On big speakers. Inhale. Enjoy.
Out now on LP (limited screen print options) and digi via Ish Records
Two releases using the Make Noise Shared System, from the company’s founder and head designer Tony Rolando, alongside long-time employee of said company, Walker Farrell.
Both unique takes on the instrument and goes without saying, it’s a treat to hear music created on the machine from people instrumental in its development!
Ahead of her new album ‘Florescence’ coming this Friday 23rd Sept, Loula Yorke has kindly shared the opening track from the release.
‘Silverweed’ is one of a number of synth improvs recorded between January and May this year and takes influence from the growing season of the wildflower meadow outside her window in Suffolk.
We’re loving this focused, yet free-form approach across her fourth solo album and strongly suggest setting a reminder to pick up a copy from her bandcamp on Friday.
Luke Sanger exclusive live session for Electronic Sound Magazine has been released on their website. In this set he used a Make Noise Shared System and Ciat-Lonbarde Sidrax for a 20 minute improvisation. Subscribers have access to the full set.
Live performance for EMS Synthi 100, magnetic tape and computer setup (2021)
Radio Concert No.2 is a result of a continuous experimentation with combining the synthesizer EMS Synthi 100 and computer setup in a context of live performance that has been initially dedicated to a live radio broadcast. I have started developing this idea in a Radio Concert No.1 from 2018 and with this new piece, I have taken the idea much further. A complex synthesizer such as Synthi 100 is adapted to a virtuosic real-time sound manipulations that involve the use of computer as a complementary tool. Computer controllers that allow great deal of physical expressiveness in shaping the sound in real-time (such as Sensel Morph, foot pedal, TouchOSC app), interact with the synthesizer and allow rapid changes and complex organization of the material on the spot, that makes improvisation possible and fruitful. I like characterizing my approach lately as doing the inversion of the music-concrete – I don’t use any concrete sounds in my work, but with granular and micro-sampling techniques, I am recreating certain quality that we relate to concrete sounds. Radio Concert No.2 has couple of different recorded iterations as well as live video-version. This is an excerpt from 30min. video. This work the last piece that I made before leaving my job as head of Radio Belgade’s Electronic Studio.
We caught up with Vermont-based producer and record shop owner Greg Davis, for a chat on his sublime new record, upcoming on the greyfade label. ‘New Primes’ is based on a bespoke max/msp patch, to translate prime number sequences into a web of pure microtonal sine waves and Greg gives us some insights on his compositional and technical process.
Tell us a bit on how this record came to light.
Joe Branciforte, owner of greyfade, emailed me back in 2016 because he had discovered my Primes CD (released on my own Autumn Records label in 2009) and was really into it. The conversation started with a back and forth about how i made that music & geeking out about the max/MSP patch i built for it but after awhile Joe encouraged me to make a newer, updated version of my software system & try to develop some new music from it. in 2018, he was starting to launch greyfade and asked me to make a record for his new label. i kept working on my patch and rebuilding it for an 8 channel performance at the Fridman Gallery in 2019. then from 2019-2021 i worked on finalizing the current patch and recording many different prime number set outputs from it. in 2020, i spent a couple of days with Joe at his studio mixing a bunch of pieces intended for the record. then we worked on selecting, editing, and sequencing the 6 pieces you hear on the record. New Primes is a distinct evolution from Primes but still retains a similar soundworld and tuning relationships.
Which came first, composition or software (for you)?
For this specific New Primes music, the idea of using prime number sets as a way to determine frequency and tuning relationships came about in 2008 when i was invited by Duane Pitre to compose something for a compilation of music in Just Intonation for Important Records. i wanted to find a unique and personal way to approach JI and this is what i came up with. once i landed on the idea of using prime number sets to set the parameters for all aspects of this generative music then i set about building a max/MSP patch to realize the ideas. I think that when i was first starting with max/MSP i did alot more experimentation, breaking apart existing patches, messing with stuff, building things up from basic tutorial patches, just seeing what specific objects could and discovering cool sounds and things that way, but now, since ive been programming with max/MSP for over 20 years now, i usually start with an idea and build a patch to realize it. as you know though, there is always exapnsion and exploration whenever you build something, it starts as one thing but keeps growing and evolving over time, especially the more you use it.
Any tips you can share on your patching process? How does a session begin for you on max/msp?
my patching process is always a bit different, but usually it is in service of a musical idea that i want to create. once i build up some basic parts of what im trying to do then it grows and develops from there as i try to refine it and use it make whatever music im trying to make. a patching session can begin in a bunch of different ways for me, sometimes i like to experiment and play around with different sets of objects and their tutorial patches, ripping and pulling bits of patches from different places as i start to put things together. but usually i just start with the blank page! which is one of the most beautiful things about max/MSP. in the end, my patching is always guided by my ear and trying to achieve something that im trying to do sonically / musically. experiments & messing around with patches are good starting points but i always try to refine them to create some sort of sounds that im really resonating with or discover some new sounds that really turns me on or something that im imagining ahead of time for a certain piece of music.
What’s next? Any plans to perform this material live?
as for this Primes material, i think this is my final statement with this software system and music. it feels like a good resting place for it after the initial ideas sprouted almost 15 years ago now. its cool to take a longer arc of time on something and watch it develop over many years and im really happy with the results of New Primes. i would like to perform this music live a bit after the record comes out. my time and energy for touring and playing shows is super limited these days (i have a family and i own a record shop here in Vermont) but id like to get out there a bit and present this music in different spaces and contexts.
‘New Primes’ is available to pre-order on vinyl/digital at greyfade and their Bandcamp
A bit late to the party with this one, but still worthy of a mention. The debut release from Swedish musician/composer Egil Kalman, who plays modular synth and double bass.
A strong record, which balances rich and interesting beeps and FX, with engaging melodic motifs over thick drones and arpeggiated backing. The sound quality of the Synthi 100 really shines through with some great playing throughout.
‘Kingdom of Bells Egil Kalman plays the Synthi 100’ is his debut album as a solo artist.
Previously released on cassette via the excellent Miracle Pond label and long since sold out, World of Inherent Noise is now available to stream everywhere digitally.
Previously released on cassette via the excellent Frequency Domain label and long since sold out, Traversing Timelines is now available to stream everywhere digitally.
