Richard Lainhart, Wavelength (2005)
Richard Lainhart, Wavelength (2005)
“I found this track on a drive while looking for something else. It’s from 2005, and that’s all I know about it – I can’t remember when or how I did it. But I like it, so I thought I’d share it here.”
(from Richard via Soundcloud)
Richard Lainhart (February 14, 1953 – December 30, 2011)
Dear friends of Richard,
It is with a heavy heart that I that I must tell you Richard Lainhart, composer, musician, technologist, filmmaker, and digital artisan died Friday, December 30, 2011. On December 17, Richard complained of pains in his side and was admitted to the hospital for tests which showed an intestinal cancer. He was operated on on December 21. After the surgery (which showed the cancer had not spread), there were infectious complications which took his life on December 30.
He struggled valiantly to overcome his infection, but it was not to be. We are all in shock and cannot grasp the idea of his not making music, talking music, teaching, posting and playing.
Caroline Meyers
Richard Lainhart’s wife
I never met Richard personally but did exchange some emails with him and I was impressed with his lack of dogma when it came to electronic music. On one hand he a big part in the early days of electronic music but he was also embracing making music with whatever software or hardware that best helped him express himself. You can hear more of his music on his soundcloud page and also ImprovFriday members hosted a tribute posted dedications for him last weekend (Jan 5-7 2012).
Richard Lainhart Improv Friday Dedication, Jan 5-7 2011
Richard Lainhart SoundCloud Page
Richard Lainhart, archive.org
Vimeo
Youtube
Synthtopia obituary
Create Digital Music obituary
Quotes
“Lainhart crafts sounds in a tonal, musical fashion – sustained tones, drones, melodic fragments – and electronically manipulates them into beautiful tapestries of sound.” (Waterfront Week)
[His] “music reflects the spirit of possibility that once defined electronic music, bringing with it a sense of past, present and future that transcends time, technology and cultural assumptions. The spell- binding music seemed to evoke feelings that can’t quite be named, and suggest music I might rather imagine for myself in silence than trust most composers to compose.” (The Village Voice).
“He’s evolved a singular vision as a composer, performer and engineer of darkly seductive minimalism.” (Peter Marsh, BBC)
ve been weary of the day a member of ImprovFriday would pass away. In terms of his involvement with ImprovFriday: I could ask Richard to play live for IF and he would literally get back to me within hours and set it up. As most of you know, he also was generous enough to lend a tune for ImprovFriday Vol. 2 and participated in numerous events. We are really going to miss Richard. Next week’s theme will be “Richard Lainhart Dedications”
Richard was by far one of the true contemporary electronic music genius’s and his knowledge of its roots put him way ahead of most of us. Richard’s contribution to contemporary electronic music was immense and his knowledge of its historical applications was legendary. – Steve Moshier
Richard changed the way I listen to music – and there is no greater compliment that one musician can pay to another. He will be missed very, very much. – Paul Muller
Biography (via O-Townmedia)
Richard Lainhart is an award-winning composer, author, and filmmaker – a digital artisan who works with sonic and visual data. Since childhood, he’s been interested in natural processes such as waves, flames and clouds, in harmonics and harmony, and in creative interactions with machines, using them as compositional methods to present sounds and images that are as beautiful as he can make them.
Lainhart studied composition and electronic music with Joel Chadabe at the State University of New York at Albany. He has composed music for film, television, CD-ROMs, interactive applications, and the Web. His compositions have been performed in the US, England, Sweden, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Recordings of his music have appeared on the Periodic Music, Vacant Lot, XI Records, Airglow Music, Tobira Records, and ExOvo labels. As an active performer, Lainhart has appeared in public approximately 2000 times. Besides performing his own work, he has worked and performed with John Cage, David Tudor, Steve Reich, Phill Niblock, David Berhman, and Jordan Rudess, among many others. He has composed over 100 electronic and acoustic works. In 2008, he was commissioned by the Electronic Music Foundation to contribute a work to New York Soundscape.
Lainhart’s animations and short films have been shown at festivals in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Korea, and online at ResFest, The New Venue, The Bitscreen, and Streaming Cinema 2.0. His film “A Haiku Setting” won awards in several categories at the 2002 International Festival of Cinema and Technology in Toronto. In 2009, he was awarded a Film & Media grant by the New York State Council on the Arts for “No Other Time”, full-length intermedia performance designed for a large reverberant space, combining live analog electronics with four-channel playback, and high-definition computer-animated film projection.
Wash 2 – James Ross (2010)
James Ross is a Brooklyn, NY-based composer and performer who writes music for orchestral and chamber ensembles, as well as solo music for the guitar and the zhongruan (a type of Chinese lute). He has also performed and recorded electronic and improvised music. I find his most compelling work to be reflective looped ambient pieces, of which ‘Wash 2′ is an excellent example.
Ross’ music unfolds slowly into an introspective space that carries the listener along on a gentle current of soft sounds and textures. Even at its full 25 minutes ‘Wash 2′ seems short – the music is fully engaging the entire time.
C. J. Boyd: Dynamos/Scrumpin’ (2006)
C. J. Boyd: Dynamos/Scrumpin’ (2006) (right click to download)
“This is a song from my “minor label debut”, The Greatest Weight, released by Sounds Are Active in 2006. Having been performing live with a loop pedal for a few years, I started writing more songs with that in mind. But I didn’t like the idea of using the loop pedal to record. So I actually played everything all the way through, even the really repetitive parts. This song became a kind of zen practice. It’s so much harder to play the same 6 notes over and over for 10-15 minutes than it is to rip a gnarly solo for the same amount of time. The recording process took ages, but it was so methodical and centering. “
Joanne Gabriel: Looking for Something… (2008)
Joanne Gabriel: Looking for Something… (2008) (right click to download)
“This track was part of a session I played for the 50/90 challenge (= write 50 songs in 90 days) in 2008, before I came to t61.
I completed the challenge by recording 10 chapters (consisting in 6 songs each and with a specific theme). “Looking for something” belonged to the “Dreams” chapter, following “Flying” and built on the same chord progression, as it was supposed to describe what happened after the flight. In my head it was an errand just like when you have this dream where you’re on a quest but don’t really know what you’re looking for. It was originally named “Looking for something, looking for someone, looking for somewhere…” but the title was unnecessarily long so I cut it. For the “Dreams” chapter I experimented with sounds in order to get something thick and light at the same time, solid and ethereal (for instance I applied pitch and distorsion on the keyboards). In “Looking for something” the voices were supposed to mingle with the guitars, the guitars with the synth, etc. The textures aimed at rendering the impression I often have in my dreams, when I can’t distinguish lights from sounds, and when emotions look like they take shape. The whole chapter has a dirty touch that make it all the more valuable for me, because it’s closer to the blurry print of my dreams.”
Douglas Leedy: Entropical Paradise (1968)
Douglas Leedy: Entropical Paradise (1968)
six sonic environments created on the moog synthesizer and buchla modular electronic music system
Tracklist (right click to download)
A Entropical Paradise I 20:14
B Entropical Paradise II 20:28
C White Landscape 20:00
D The Harmonarium 19:40
E Star Engine 21:00
F Doria 20:50
notes by douglas leedy
“entropical paradise is different in concept, execution and purpose from most recordings of music. in fact, it isn’t intended as music at all, but as sound, as acoustical environmental “programming” which should be heard but not necessarily listened to. (you may listen to it, however, as music, if you like.)
each record side is the result of a different “program” governing in a random way decisions of pitch, amplitude, duration and to a certain extent timbre, and each creates a different atmosphere when it is played. you may find some sides pleasant, others not, and your reaction may depend on external circumstances – the time of day, where you are, whose company you are in, and so on. you may play the records to your taste – in any order, loudly or softly, a whole side or just a part. if you want more than the twenty-or-so minutes per side and you have an automatic turntable, you may be able to set the mechanism to play one record again and again.
these audio environments, once programmed and set in motion on the moog and buchla electronic music systems, could theoretically run continuously but without repetition indefinitely. that is, the programs are non-repetitive since certain random characteristics have been introduced (owing to limitations of the equipment used, a small portion of several programs had to be realized manually.) there are many analogies in nature to this type of programming, and in fact it is the operation of nature after which these sound environments are patterned. one analogy is the breaking of waves upon an ocean shore: there is an endless succession of waves, and yet each wave is different, even unique. so constant repetition and constant change are one organic process.
entropy is what life and art are said to be continually battling – the inexorable tendency of forces everywhere in the universe, including those within our own bodies, to grow uniform, to come to rest, to achieve a state of equilibrium, to reach the final perfect calm of all things. a paradise, but for whom?
i won’t attempt to describe in words, other than the titles, any of the six environments, since experiencing them makes description unnecessary. two programs, however, were influenced by personal readings in science fiction: “the harmonarium” was suggested by the creatures of which kurt vonnegut, jr., wrote in “the sirens of titan,” creatures who lived in huge underground caverns on the planet mercury and fed upon that planet’s musical vibrations. the creation of “star engine” brought back to my mind c. s. lewis’s sci-fi novel, “out of the star planet.”
the sounds on these records were made by the moog synthesizer and the buchla modular electronic music system of the electronic music studio at the university of california, los angeles. because of the nature of this recording, no attempt has been made to eliminate or reduce electronic background noises such as hiss, hum and occasional unexpected transients. these are ordinarily considered a plague in recording, but here they function as an integral part of the recorded experience.
i am indebted to chris shelton and wadley j. brood for technical assistance, and to the same two and gerald strang, steve soomil, craig buhler, ken yapkowitz, dennis matthews and bob richardson for inspiration, encouragement, cooperation, and for the free sharing of ideas and enthusiasm that has taken place at the ucla electronic music studio. though they may be unaware of it, they have all contributed a great deal to these recordings.”
Derek Rogers: Boxing Demons in Sleep (2010)
Derek Rogers: Boxing Demons in Sleep (2010) “I wrote this piece to demonstrate the five phases of sleep; that is, the moment of awareness before relaxation, the transition from lighter to heavier sleep, and the creation of dreams in the final REM sleep stage. ‘Boxing Demons In Sleep’ was created utilizing guitar, synthesizer, and electronics [...]
Chris Schlarb: Dream State > Police State (2010)
Chris Schlarb: Dream State > Police State (2010) Dream State > Police State by Chris Schlarb “An astounding work of passion and patience over one thousand hours in the making, Long Beach musician/composer Chris Schlarb bestows his latest musical vision, Psychic Temple, onto the world. Known for his work as half of the hypnotic, jazz/drone [...]
Greg Hooper: Unselected (2011)
Greg Hooper: Unselected (2011)
“A new piece using surrogate techniques to generate new works from old. This time I used a recording of the loudest drops of rain falling into a swimming pool as the timing sequence and mapped the pitch sequence of Gymnopedie#1 onto that. It sounded like Brian Eno circa Ambient 1. Some notes didn’t fit and were removed. What remains is that which was unselected.”
Jim Perkins (Bigo and Twigetti): Chopin Prelude (2010)
Jim Perkins (Bigo and Twigetti): Chopin Prelude (2010)
“The original prelude was one of the first pieces I learnt to play. It sparked hundreds of ideas for potential re-arrangments and just provided a lot of opportunities to experiment. I wanted to be able to fuse all the experience I had of editing digital audio files and mixing, with the sounds of the piano but not by chopping up an existing recording as that is quite limited but by starting with the musical arrangement and the playing of the piece, whilst also keeping in mind the editing and effects I might use later on. This allowed me much more flexibility in producing the piece I wanted. That recording triggered a whole series of events which led me to record endless hours of piano, meet some incredible musicians and studio engineers and ultimately create a whole album of piano and laptop pieces.“
JC Combs: The Drone In My Life (2010)
JC Combs: The Drone In My Life: (2010)
Dark, mysterious combination of piano and menacing ambient atmospherics fashioned from processed piano sounds. Creates a feeling of anxiety as if in an alien cityscape at night. Tension builds nicely by the restrained suspension of long tones.
Here is what JC Combs writes about this piece:
“The Drone in My Life” is from a small scale set called “Affliction Suite ” … The piece consists entirely of piano improvisation, including the inside of the piano. As with the other works I employ post-improvisation (what I and others nowadays refer to as re-composition) techniques via audio tool platforms. As for its form, its split into two sections. The first showcasing free piano improvisation with the drone backing up the piano, and the second half where the drone permeates the piece – as the title suggests. Of course, I strive for some humor in my works, in this case the title word play on Feldman’s “Viola in My Life.”
Alex Carpenter: Fainting Spell Mix (2010)
Alex Carpenter: Fainting Spell Mix (2010)
Fainting Spell Mix is an ambient work similar to that being created by James Ross and Richard Lainhart. Alex uses a self-designed multi-amp and delay network he calls the Live Audio Delay System and achieves a convincing sense of stasis and movement simultaneously. In this piece Alex plays guitar and produces a fine, music box-like texture that seems to hang in the air. The result is a restful and engaging piece that holds your interest even as it slowly unfolds. ’Fainting Spell Mix’ was originally posted at ImprovFriday for the September 25, 2010 event.
More info at http://transparentmeans.net/
KraftiM: Itsium (2010)
“Itsium is a part one of a little symphony and can be seen as a short successor of FraxurY, because again soundwaves from my Swedish collegue and mate frags were used here.
For this release again a combination of scandinavian names and dutch dodekagrams are used to give the hopeful feel in these serious pieces. These tracks will be used on a full album that will be released summer 2010 on netlabel Musictrade
Developing since then with influences from classic masterpieces towards more ambient, drone-like pieces that try to capture the full complexity of silence, as well as more rhythmic experimental pieces that try to shift yer mood rather than move yer feet”
jamendo website
uvumi website
musictrade.info website
indie music works
James Ross-Undifferentiated Light (2010)
James Ross-Undifferentiated Light (2010)
Solo electric guitar and Boss RC-50 looper. Inspired by Aldous Huxley’s 1961 MIT lecture, “Visionary Experience.”
Undifferentiated Light by jrossmusic
James Ross at Goodbye Blue Monday, on Fri., August 20.
also performed (on video) were Alex Carpenter and Michael Waller with help technical help from Richard Lainhart, Jim Goodin and the folks at ImprovFriday for helping to make it a great night.
the sea, the sea- My Fun/Justin Hardison (2009)
the sea, the sea- My Fun/Justin Hardison (2009)
My Fun is the slightly eccentric nom de guerre of Justin Hardison, a musician, who uses field recordings, lush electronics and samples to make quite lovely, if also quite bittersweet music. – Rare Frequency
He also runs The Land Of label
when someone loves you no more: Derrick Hart (2010)
when someone loves you no more: Derrick Hart (2010)
fall asleep to this EP via archive.org“when someone loves you no more” begins with a profound wailing on behalf of anyone who has ever suffered before blooming into some incomprehensible sonic victory. it is performed only with his voice, captured with a contact-mic, processed and converted.
With his “fall asleep to this” EP he goes a more experimental and meditative way. The five tracks are mainly based on vocals, even though there are no actual lyrics. “To follow Derrick’s advice: The EP serves as a meditation tool to listen to before sleeping. So plug your earphones in and fall asleep.
Anton Baibakov: Music for Stop Motion Camera (2010)
Anton Baibakov: Music for Stop Motion Camera (2010)
“this track, the dream of fixing time in the conditional space.”
Music for stop motion camera by Anton Baibakov
curated by Heinali
Oliver Blank – We Were Walking in the Rain (2009)
“The album, Karhu ja Tiikerini, tells the story of two animals who come together. We Were Walking In The Rain takes a moment away from the narrative to set a scene and let the listener just be. Unlike the rest of the album, where I tried to move away from electronics, the track’s foundation lies in software processing. A piece of source music was run through the iRedux software (www.iredux.net) to create a noisy melodic bed. The noise was then recut to bring a progression to the piece and Maiju Lempinen’s beautiful violin playing was layered with vocal harmonies and whispered words. Listen carefully and you’ll hear that the piece also incorporates melodic themes that appear earlier and later in the album.”
Play We Were Walking in the Rain
Download We Were Walking in the Rain
via jim perkins twigetticast #2
Jeremy Keenan (Upside Down Umbrella): 4 am Hong Kong Sun (2010)
am Hong Kong Sun: delirious + delicious = deliricious? A recording unit, a stereo pair of microphones, and an excellent Chinese dinner at a particularly strange juncture. Later that night, an MS20 analog synth recording, some editing and a basic structure. The next day, a guitar and bass guitar overdub by Alex Abalos, and some additive synthesis atmosphere. Finally, some live granular overdubs by Edgar Curtis, and a lot of mixing. Enjoy your meal.
Download 4am Hong Kong Sun (clip)
curated by Jim Perkins from his twigetticast #2
Shane Cadman: Music for Insomniacs #3 (2009)
Shane Cadman: Music for Insomniacs #3 (2009)
from his website…
“This page is dedicated to a collection of acoustic ambient compositions I am writing called “Music for Insomniacs.” These pieces are composed on no more than three staves and have no specific instrumentation, so that they can later be orchestrated as needed/desired by the performers. They will each be slow in nature (otherwise how could someone fall asleep to them), and generally five to ten minutes long. These also fit nicely into a concept I have called “realistic music.” “Realistic music” is music that can be performed live at an acceptable level by competent musicians with no more than three hours of rehearsal time.The scores on this page are free to print and perform. All I ask is that you report any and all performances to ASCAP, as well as to Illustrious Music. Also, while performance tempos are marked on the scores, they are there as reference points – the pieces may be played faster or slower as desired by the performers…”
Mark Harris: Still Frame (2009)
Mark Harris: Still Frame (2009)
“an experiment in granular synthesis. created from two notes (a piano and violin tone)“
website
curated by: Paul Muller
Jeremy Keenan (Upside Down Umbrella): All Out Valhalla
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‘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)
Joanne Gabriel: Daybreak (2009)
[Joanne Gabriel: Daybreak (2009)
Listen to more tracks.
‘Daybreak is the first track from the “Landscapes” opus, recorded for the ‘50 songs in 90 days challenge of Summer 2008‘. Like all the other tracks in this opus, it is a soundscape inspired by contemplation and describing a scene in the form of sound-art.’
curated via Jim Perkins from his twigetticast (itunes podcast)
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Alan Morse Davies: The Sontaran Experiment in the Style of Jóhann Jóhannsson (2009)
The Sontaran Experiment in the Style of Jóhann Jóhannsson
notes via alan:
“Just a bit of fun… I was playing around with how Jóhann Jóhannsson uses little splashes of a melodic motif bound together with big tracts of connective tissue, and I had the idea of linking it with one of my favourite Dr. Who epsiodes where the Sontarans travel back in time to made DaVinci paint multiple copies of the Mona Lisa in order to make themselves rich in the future. The explanation probably over-hypes the result by some order of magnitude.”
alan morse davies (wordpress.com)
curated by paul bailey
thanks also to marc weidenbaum’s excellent site disquiet.com for introducing me to the music of alan morse davies (and many others)
Drṓwryh Creesp: Tulsan Twilight
Drṓwryh Creesp: Tulsan Twilight
“Formed in 2007. Drṓwryh Creesp is a one man project from Brisbane, Australia. Guitar and piano lie at the centre of the music with the aid of strings, an array of percussion, bass and various others.
Initially called Ulin Vod Naar, and creating dark ambient/industrial sounds, Drṓwryh Creesp changed its direction towards ambient instrumentals and therefore the few works completed as Ulin Vod Naar entered the Drṓwryh Creesp catalogue as an album entitled “Ulin Vod Naar”, as well as the “Beacon” release.”
curated by Shane Cadman
