I’m pleased to announce that I will be giving two workshops at Moogfest 2016. Audiovisual Scores for Electronic Music is on May 19 from 5 to 7pm and Sound Art and Sonification is on Friday from 2 to 4pm. The location for both workshops is 21c Museum Hotel, Gallery 6 111 N. Corcoran St, Durham, NC 27701. Details are on the Moogfest schedule site.
2016 is still more than five months away, but it’s not too early to start preparing for Moogfest! If this next biennial of music, art, and technology has even a fraction of the fantastic artists and speakers that they had in 2014 then it will still be an amazing event. The dates are May 19–22, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina instead of the usual Asheville.
Past Moogfest performers include the likes of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Chic, Massive Attack, Holly Herndon, Flying Lotus, Terry Riley, M83, The Flaming Lips, Suicide, Pet Shop Boys, Grimes, TV On The Radio, MIA, St. Vincent,Tangerine Dream, Keith Emerson, Moderat, Squarepusher, Shigeto (one of my favorites from 2014), and loads more. Moogfest are releasing several EPs featuring “Moogfest artists – past, present and future”:
In celebration of today’s announcement, Moogfest releases “Translational Drifts: Moogfest Vol. 1,” the first EP in a series of free digital recordings that feature Moogfest artists – past, present and future. Volume 1 showcases five contemporary acts reinterpreting seminal electronic music influencers that have shaped past Moogfest lineups. This premiere installment includes YACHT, ADULT., Julianna Barwick, Moses Sumney and Dan Deacon translating tracks by Devo, Pet Shop Boys, Suicide, Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno. Their renditions pay tribute to a rich history of electronic music, with new sounds that continue to push further into the future. YACHT, a contributor and previous Moogfest curator, praises the company behind the collaboration, “We love how Moog brings artists together. The sound of the machines and the culture of the company are like a bridge across genres and generations.”
As a Moogfest presenter in 2014 I have nothing but praise for the event. It topped most of my career highlights for the sheer, unlimited inspiration it provided. For more information visit MoogFest.com. Earlybird tickets are all also available at a steal for $99.00.
This morning I was greeted by a Toblerone shaped box on my doorstep adorned with a Moogfest logo. Since I was on my way to class I had to leave it until this evening. On opening I discovered a beautiful golden knob and a lovely note from Moog thanking me for my participation at Moogfest:
It has taken us two months to process the impact of Moogfest 2014. The phenomenal minds that came together to share, teach, make, play, and perform made our town in North Carolina shine brightly for 5 days. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this celebration of art, science, music, and technology. Without you Moogfest would not have been as magical or inspiring for those that participated.
The enclosed knob is symbolic of Moog’s 50 year legacy in analog synthesis. Originally we gave them to the owners of our flagship synthesizer, the Minimoog Voyager, because they are the people who helped Moog become what it is today. We felt it appropriate to send one to you too for helping define what Moogfest will be in the future. You will always be a part of Moogfest’s genesis and we hope you continue to be a part of its evolution.
Following the note were a couple of personal sentences from Emmy Parker and handwritten signatures from Emmy and Mike Adams. Needless to say, I am humbled by this honor and hope that I can continue to participate in the future. Thanks Emmy, Mike, and everyone else who made Moogfest an incredible experience!
Here’s a quick demo of the software I am designing to do audiovisual granular synthesis that I’ll be presenting at Moogfest and performing with at Echofluxx. It allows a performer to apply granular synthesis to sound and corresponding video using a touch interface such as MIRA (shown). The audio and video are synchronized in parallel. The software also has the capability to capture and repeat gestures so that the performer can accompany the projections with multiple layers and arrange compositions in a performance setting. This demo granulates the voice and image of Lister Rossel. In addition I use analogue synthesizers to contrast the digital manipulations.
This work alludes to the speech-to-song illusion discovered by Diana Deutsch. It also evokes an “event fusion” as vocalizations are repeated much faster than humanly possible until they enter the audio range. Adding the corresponding visuals makes it appear uncanny as video and sound are looped in millisecond intervals.
I’m am very excited to be performing at Echofluxx14 this May 7 in Prague. My performance is a couple of weeks after my presentation at Moogfest in Asheville. At Moogfest I’ll be presenting the software that I have been developing for my Echofluxx performance. It’s a Max/MSP application that does audiovisual granular synthesis. The application allows a performer to apply granular synthesis to sound and corresponding video using a touch interface. The audio and video are accurately synchronized creating uncanny effects. The software also has the capability to capture and repeat gestures so that the performer can accompany the projections with multiple layers and arrange compositions in a performance setting. My performance will include several movements that granulate everyday sounds and images and then contrast them with tones produced using analogue synthesizers. Video documentation is upcoming.
My Echofluxx performance was made possible by a grant from the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.