“The religious imagination – with its long memory, appetite for layering metaphors on metaphors, and genial ‘suspension of disbelief’ – often strikes me as more dazzling and profligate than the secular, ‘artistic’ imagination. Whereas the market-pressed artist today chases difference, the religious imagination pursues resonance, drawing on deep cultural memories and freely (re)mixing words, images, symbols and references to that end. This EP – my first experiment writing rhymes and rapping them – was a project of this kind of imagination. As I wrote this ‘history of the world (to c.2000BCE)’ I worked hard to layer each image on a resonant one from a distant source: the Biblical Wheels of Gagallin are imagined as the spinning circles that draw sine waves, sine waves as the regular crest-and-trough of farmland and irrigation channel, irrigation channels as formants in a tone. The result: my own personal mythic syncretism of folk cosmogonies, Lucretian materialism, fake Deleuze, Mesopotamian history, acoustics and, well, a hundred other things.”

“One thing that I have always loved about The Notorious B.I.G. is the overall musicality and beauty of his voice. It is somehow simultaneously low and high in timbre, and also carries a passionate tone that I find indescribably gripping.

Because of his natural ownership of the meter, as well as the timeless quality of his voice, I believe that Biggie’s rapping invites different accompaniments. I decided play Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” in its entirety along with Biggie’s “Dreams (Just Playin).”

Perhaps the least organic aspect of this project was using ProTools. In other words, I close mic’ed a Boston acoustic grand piano, put on headphones, and played Joplin’s classic ragtime piece along with Biggie’s acapella vocal track.

John Coltrane once said that losing his place while playing with Thelonious Monk was like “falling down an empty elevator shaft.” Coltrane was commenting on the fact that Monk had a sense of time so unique and solid, that one must be completely engaged and immersed in the groove in order to follow along.

The challenge while creating this Joplin/Notorious B.I.G. piece was reminiscent of Coltrane’s quote. Biggie’s time is spot on and one wrong note or rhythmic error on my part meant “edit, undo, start over.” Therefore, I had to know Joplin’s piece well before I could play it with Biggie. BIG’s always in the pocket, and therefore I knew that as long as I stuck with him rhythmically and dynamically, then the music would hook up.”

http://www.dankreiger.de

http://www.dankreiger.com

soundcloud page

Arthur Jarvinen 1956-2010 (via David Ocker/Mixed Meters)
An Art Jarvinen Portrait (via Kyle Gann/Postclassic)
Art Jarvinen website/music compositions

Edgar Curtis

Cloud Horse

Download Cloud Horse

Cloud Horse fuses the dramatic music of Ennio Morricone style wild-western soundtracks with various electronic methods. All sounds were created using a beaten up acoustic guitar processed with Max/Msp. The result is a dramatic stuttering wash of jarring chords and granulated steampunk themes straight out of a space western.

curated via Jim Perkins from his twigetticast (itunes podcast)

upside down umbrella

All Out Valhalla

‘All Out Valhalla was created entirely from four 8 bar electric guitar recordings. The rhythmic and percussive elements were extracted from transient sonic moments within the recordings and processed into discrete sounds. The piece contrasts the original recordings with transformed versions, creating an interplay between the abstract and the concrete.’

curated via Jim Perkins from his twigetticast (itunes podcast)

Killsonic is a collective of musicians operating in the Greater Los Angeles Area specializing in the creation, development and performance of new hybridized music. Comprised of a core quartet of guitar, bass, drums and woodwinds, the group names its primary musical source as the free jazz of Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. Similar to these artists, Killsonic also takes inspiration from contemporary art and sound. Listen closely for hints of Roni Size, Radiohead, Sonic Youth and Arab on Radar to Gyorgy Ligeti and Olivier Messiaen. Killsonic often performs with an expanded ten-member group that includes horns and vocalists. Members of the band have also performed alongside Arkestra Clandestina, Money Mark, Bobby Bradford, and Vinny Golia.
Killsonic’s debut album features a guest appearance by cornet and trumpet hero Bobby Bradford, of Ornette Coleman fame. Each track experiments with different instrumentation, from a clarinet/guitar duo, to an expanded group that includes a female choir.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/killsonic