Carvalhais, Wells, Burt and MacDonald at GIO Festival IV


Next November 25, 26 and 27, at the CCA Glasgow, the GIO Festival IV will present various performances (including four new compositions written for the orchestra by George Burt, Emma Roche, Liene Rozite and Armin Sturm), workshops and discussions that open up or re-frame improvisation in different contexts.

The program includes performances by Jan Bang, Satoko Fujii, Renée Baker, Andreas Gogol, Gliondar Ensemble, Rope and Duck Company, Muris With Lumps & and Peter Nicholson, Miguel Carvalhais/Bill Wells/George Burt/Raymond MacDonald, Stuart Brown/Tom Bancroft/Chris Wallace/Fritz Welch Drum Quartet.

GIO Festival IV, 25th, 26th and 27th of November
CCA Glasgow, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
Festival tickets: £6 per day or £10 for 2 days. Workshop tickets: from free – £10

More info at glasgowimprovisersorchestra.com or GIO Festival IV

New DVD release: “Mic.Madeira”


Simon Whetham and Hugo Olim were teamed up by Rafael Biscoito, the artistic director of the 2010 MADEIRADIG festival, for the creation of an audiovisual performance.

Madeira’s native Hugo Olim has been performing live visuals in collaborations with various musicians (Vitor Joaquim, Nuno Rebelo, Jerome Faria, João Ricardo, etc.). Bristol’s Simon Whetham creates sound compositions from field recordings, having thus far produced a series of releases through several international labels.

For this performance, Whetham created a multi-channel audio composition from field recordings captured across the island of Madeira, traveling various routes with Olim, exploring many locations that seemed promising or that were simply found along the way. Using various microphones and hydrophones, many sonic aspects of the island were captured. These were then edited and examined during the preparation of the piece.

Olim’s performance was created from the usage of a microscope fitted with a digital camera, with which he magnified various substances and objects, all from Madeira. This signal was then fed through various subtle visual effects that reacted to certain frequencies in the audio composition. This piece’s title thus refers to the main tools used in the exploration of Madeira’s landscape, microphones by Whetham and microscope by Olim

This DVD presents a specially-revised version of the performance, in 16:9 video with 5.1 Surround and Stereo soundtracks. A video documentary of the field work in the island is included as an extra.

This DVD is a joint release with the MADEIRADIG festival:
MADEIRADIG

Futurónica 49


Episode 49 of Futurónica, a broadcast in Rádio Zero (every two weeks, on Friday nights, repeating on Tuesdays at 01h) airs tomorrow, November 18th at 21h (GMT).

The playlist for Futurónica #49 is:

  • Satoshi Morita, .: :: – / – / – :. (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Xesús Valle, Tactile Processes (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Manuela Barile, Moroloja (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Maksims Shentelevs, Ghosts of Nodar (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Wolfgang Dorninger, In the Water (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Jason Kahn, Windline (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • John Grzinich, Flowlines (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)
  • Melanie Velarde, Untitled (2011, Nodar: Location-Specific Sound 2007-2009)

You can hear Rádio Zero’s broadcasts at radiozero.pt/ouvir.

“Homem Fantasma” reviewed by Liability

Homem Fantasma
Après une petite escapade chez Baskaru (Music For Empty Spaces), le duo @C retourne sur ses terres pour trois nouvelles pièces librement téléchargeables sur le site de Cronica. Trois longues pièces électroniques de plus d’une demi heure chacune. Quant à les expliquer, il faudrait sans doute avoir beaucoup de temps devant soi. Pour autant et pour essayer de rester synthétique, @C est toujours dans une veine expérimentale où le field recordings, l’ambiant, des ambiances post-industrielles, des mélodies digitales et glaciales sont les centres d’intérêts de ce disque. Bien entendu, rien n’est jamais simple et il n’est aucunement question de linéarité dans le cas de Homem Fantasma. On parlera plutôt d’exploration sonore, de recherche auditive, d’évocation abstraite. Tout ce dont Pedro Tudela et Miguel Carvalhais ont toujours fait depuis leur première expérience commune en 2001. Evidemment, il y peut y avoir plusieurs lectures à Homem Fantasma. Les trois compositions que sont 78 (a+b), 79 et 80 peuvent s’appréhender sur plusieurs niveaux de compréhension. Il est alors tout à fait inutile de les prendre frontalement. Le risque serait alors de passer à côté de l’essentiel de chacune d’entre elles.
Autant Homem Fantasma peut se montrer monumental autant il peut fourmilier de détails aussi pointilleux que discrets. Les directions prises par le duo, on l’a vu, sont très diverses ce qui évite de tomber dans des lignes trop droites. Non, Homem Fantasma c’est comme un voyage souterrain, une exploration spéléologique ou une fouille archéologique dans des milieux reculés et oubliés de tous. On avance alors, de manière incertaine mais en faisant sans cesse des découvertes à chaque fois que l’on change de strate. @C nous prouve une fois de plus que son imagination est sans limite et que sa capacité à créer de nouveaux paysages sonores l’est tout autant. Disque autant inquiétant que fascinant, Homem Fantasma dégage une force presque surnaturelle dont on se demande si elle a encore une part quelconque d’humanité. On pourra se poser longtemps cette question sans avoir vraiment de réponse sinon celle issue de notre propre interprétation. Homem Fantasma est un disque ouvert, même s’il présente une face plutôt sombre, et comme une bête curieuse, il nous attire immanquablement dans son propre imaginaire. Fabien

via Liability

New podcast: Xesús Valle

Xesús Valle
This live set was performed in the past edition of Sónar Barcelona 2011. An ensemble of processes of granular synthesis, analog synthesis and raw field recordings that serves as a guideline to create a balanced narrative line of experimental electronica, sound design and sound art.

Xesús Valle captures all kinds of field recordings, sound-walks and sound actions which he manipulates in the computer to generate real-time narrative compositions. In addition to creating original soundtracks, he works on sound design for documentaries, short films and the Internet.

Flash is not installed

Download here or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Crónica winter promotion


It’s that time of the year once again. Winter is arriving to the northern hemisphere, the holidays are almost around the corner and we at Crónica set up a sales promotion.

Until the end of December, for every CD or DVD ordered from Crónica, we will send you a second disc of your choice. All you have to do is to make a regular order and list which discs you’d like to receive gratis by using the order form’s “Instructions to merchant” field.

Besides these, and if you haven’t received them so far, copies of “Poststop” and “Crónica L” will also be included in your order while our stocks last.

As usual, postage is free for all destinations (within planet earth) and payments can be made with a variety of credit cards or your PayPal account.

Please place all orders through Crónica’s website.

Futurónica 48


Episode 48 of Futurónica, a broadcast in Rádio Zero (every two weeks, on Friday nights, repeating on Tuesdays at 01h) airs tomorrow, November 4th at 21h (GMT).

The playlist for Futurónica #48 is:

  • Zimoun, Room Nr. 3 34 (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Steinbrüchel, Invert (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Simon Whetham, Leftovers (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Terje Paulsen, Left Up North (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Nicolas Wiese, Left Fields Hyphenated (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Keizou Nedu, osr_20100503_01 (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • ed.s, Leftover2_(ed.s remix) (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)
  • Andy Graydon, Internegative (2011, Leftovers (Reworked), Crónica)

You can hear Rádio Zero’s broadcasts at radiozero.pt/ouvir.