Urban London 2013: Sonic postcards L01-L03

:: L03 - London 28th May 2013. Skaters @ Southbank Skatepark ::

                    



I have started gathering sounds for the 'Urban London 2013' collection. These will be posted on Freesound for you to access/comment as you wish. I will also be adding them here as Sonic Postcards.

Recording Technical Specifications are:

Recording device: Zoom H2n

Microphone: Rode NT4 (stereo)

London, May 2013

The recordings sound best on headphones with some beautiful movements from left to right in the Skatepark recordings (above) and again, along the Regents Canal (directly below).

:: L02 - London 25th May 2013. Peering through trees to Regents Canal below ::

                    

The recording, 'Near Festival, by the canal', and 'Festival Inner' both feature the sounds of a festival in Victoria Park that started at about 11am that day. The former, was recorded at a position along the canal whereby the distant sounds of the music from the festival would come and go, between audible and inaudible as the wind would permit. The volume fluctuations are completely natural. Recording was done at a flat input level. The latter was recorded within the festival grounds.

:: L01 - London 25th May 2013. On the way to Festival @ Victoria Park, along Regents Canal ::

                    

I haven't consciously recorded the sounds of a city for years and I was surprised at the inner conflict I had in doing so. Just to be clear - I have recorded the sounds of markets, machinery, live improvisations at night in inner city buildings and trains passing overhead as I am tucked underneath their rolling guts - but to stand in the thick of it, in the middle of the day as traffic and sirens rise to a level that twinges your ears is quite another matter...

- and I didn't really even do that - I still subconsciously discovered pockets of the city that were not completely sonically dominated by the sounds of traffic. 

But who can ignore it? I am standing there, at the edge of the Thames surrounded by swarms of tourists and weekenders and there is not a living critter apart from us, to be seen bar one - a solitary Canada Goose with only one leg remaining, standing remarkably close (too close for his own safety) to a young family who are exploring the shoreline. It was an experience that I can't shake. It's feathers were dirty and uneven and it was obviously tired and not well fed. It wasn't scared of the people only a few meters away - perhaps it's wariness was not as strong as its reasons for watching them. It stood there unmoving, staring at them with a stubborn desperation - I assume it was hoping for food. 

Please don't think I'm particularly targeting London with these thoughts - in any big city you'll find the small critters paying the price of our developed urbanscape. It was a moment of confrontation as I stood there with my microphone, watching this quiet tragedy run its course. I put the microphone down and walked away.

Looking at London

I have been doing a lot of walking around, through and amongst London - as is my travelling ritual. My sense of direction is somewhat questionable and if possible - even worse when my body clock is realigning itself to the position of the sun. Walking puts myself as direct master of my movements and allows me to figure out just where the hell I am in relation to where I plan to be, in the time as required to do so. It's also another good jetlag tip (how to avoid it, deal with it and encourage it to disappear). I will walk or ride a bike before I catch public transport - as a type of physical and mental meditation. Taking steps seems to fall into simpatico with the sorting of my thoughts and the turning cogs of my body's own time measuring mechanism.   

and then there is the element of discovering the small details that would be otherwise missed.....

The lean of buildings, the awkward corners and 'dead' spaces that exist as offcuts of building templates. They hang off the edges of prescribed wall fronts and lurk in the backgrounds of a buildings facade.

The more they are neglected, the stronger their presence becomes.



   

I am already regretting the fact that I did not bring more sophisticated microphones to record sounds with. Once again, I am immersed in a city and once again, I am inspired to listen and understand how I believe it ticks - to find, gather and select my desired sounds. A small and modest collection of urban soundscapes will be my alternate project while I am in London and I am enjoying the thrill of the hunt now it has begun. I don't know why I find it so rewarding to decipher a city - haven't quite pinned that one down yet - but I do know that ultimately - when I begin to plan my recordings of a certain place/time - that is exactly how I feel I am working - by peeling back the layers of a communities outer shell and taking the time to collect what is beneath in sonic representation.

An astoundingly effective snapshop of memory and meaning behind the cities motions.

British Library Sound Archive: Exchange - waking up in London

I have been fortunate enough to be selected for a staff exchange between the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) and the British Library Sound Archive. Time lapse between the notification of selection date and departure was barely 2 months - I arrived in the UK on the Friday just gone and feel a little like Alice might've felt at the bottom of the rabbit hole. I haven't been to the UK before and this year I will be making the journey to England twice (again in late October, to work under the expertise of Chris Watson and to head to the festival, 'L'Espace du Son'). I must say that the flight was the toughest I have had to do to date - I'm not sure if I was just overly sensitive or if - infact - it is a troublesome journey - either way - I'll be getting use to the experience with three more trips still left to go in this year.

To further mix my muddled thoughts - I will be contributing to two blogs during my time here - ultimately - attempting to split my identity into two - that of the artist and that of the archivist.

For the sake of clarity and to fulfil the exchange duties, I will dedicate the blog on the NFSA website to more technical and work specific details whilst general musings, inspirations and thoughts will be compiled here, on my personal blog.

Let's see how I go shall we... Crack on!! (learned that one today).

Some travel tips for you:

Fast, affordable accommodation: Airbnb. An incredibly helpful way of finding a place to stay when a hostel or backpackers won't cut it and homely touches and appliances such as washing machines, kitchens and quiet garden areas are required/desired. My stay in London is over three weeks - long enough to send you a tad barmy in a hostel (unless you don't mind pinning towels around a bunkbed to create your own, 'personal working space'). You will find all sorts of accommodation in all parts of the world on this website. I managed to find a room in an apartment, 30 min walking time from my work place - sharing with other similar aged and working individuals.

Travel sickness: XANAX. Never tried this before but it really does help alleviate anxieties that often amplify/spark travel sickness. I took minimal doses (half a pill) and that was enough to calm my nerves, settle my stomach and allow me to doze. I also took some tic tacs - found these helped too.

Pre-booked taxi from Heathrow airport to private address: London Heathrow Cars. While they are not particularly cheap - they are not more than a normal taxi and that is for a service that includes your own personal driver waiting for you at touch down. I knew I would be a bit fragile after the flight and so booked in advance. I did find some other cheaper options such as Shuttle Direct however, they would not deliver to personal addresses - only hotels. Well worth the money if your accommodation involves a couple of connecting trains and a few blocks walk to get there....

Compact, affordable and light (stereo) recording device: H2N Zoom. I haven't tried this one before but have heard many a good thing about its capabilities. At around $230, with 24bit/96khz I am happy. It has a stereo mic input of a single 3.5mm Jack so I have taken my own Rode NT4 to make things as easy as possible. For non complex - basic audio capturing minus the worries that come when travelling with expensive audio equipment - I'm sure it will suffice. Will keep you posted.

Small carry-on bag for laptop and gear: Crumpler Yee Ross. Isn't meant to fit a 15" laptop but it does (even with a padded pocket to protect it). In addition to the laptop, this bag can also fit a small handycam, microphone(s), books and all your usual small necessities as required in travel. It's hardy, waterproof and the smallest most convenient hand-luggage bag that I have found for my needs - to date.

That's all I can put to page tonight. Jet lag is a little overwhelming so to bed I go.

TBCont'd...   

Moozak Festival: Call for submissions

My good friends of the viennese label, 'Moozak' are asking for submissions from artists, to present works at their Autumn festival in Vienna.

I was fortunate enough to launch my debut album, 'Selected Realities', at the festival last year and meet the men behind Moozak - Clemens Hausch and Gerald Krist, in person.

Looking for Cowslips

:: Looking for Cowslips - live performance @ the Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre ::

The final evenings performance for Mira Calix included compositions from British composers Tansy Davies, Larry Groves and Emily Hall. I was not familiar with any of their work but will be keeping my third eye and ear attuned in the future, as I enjoyed and was intrigued by their various approaches in composition. 

By far the piece that shone on the night (in my memories) was 'Wedding List' (Calix) from the contemporary opera piece, 'Dead Wedding'. During rehearsals it did not particularly register with me and yet as the night at the Salon pulled you closer, it rose to the point of becoming a modest yet ideal example of the elements that Calix brings together for her work in contemporary classical/electronic composition. 

Musicians for this piece were:

Zoe Knighton - Cello

Anna Webb - Viola

Aviva Endean - Clarinet

Lotte Betts-Dean - Soprano

Mira Calix - Electronics

Together they generated a sweetness in the air that began with a coy shyness between soprano and clarinet. Timid refrains created a melodic conversation between the two, to be joined by quieter chanting voices and delicate electronics in their sonic background. The piece builds and it's musical elements lose their inhibitions, expressing a release of the emotion 'Love'. It becomes harder to differentiate between the electronic sounds, soprano and strings. Vocals, strings and electronics swirl, layer upon layer, bonding to create a pocket of warmth that you are fortunate enough to be existing in, as they inspire and act as catalyst to the atmosphere growing around them.

At the finish of this piece I believe I became, 'stuck'.

It's lingering impression and mood was such that I could not wholeheartedly focus on those that followed, as my heart was still with, 'Wedding List'.

Fables & Other Works

:: Rehearsal artefacts :: 

The first evening went well and I must admit, I was relieved once it was complete and looking for that glass of red wine. I was struck by how different the pieces sounded when removed from the comfort and somewhat casual but hectic nature of rehearsal. They seemed a lot 'harder' in observation - both in the musicians act of physically playing the pieces and in the challenges of non-conventional composition, presented to the listening audience. 

In the formality of the concert, the boundaries between the expected/accepted and the new - being tampered with in composition methods and creative content, was laid out bare on a stark background to be opposed, accepted or simply observed as one would see fit. 

Personally, I found it exciting but also a little terrifying. 'He Fell Amongst Roses' was a typical example of the above, with  it's crescendo being reached as musicians frantically bowed their instruments with heightened strength and aggression as to evoke a level of volume and intensity that left me feeling exhilarated and oddly enough - frightened. They finish in unison on a single note almost as a vocal shout of triumph (or war-cry), while Mira Calix continues playing the electronic sounds of a thumping beat typically heard through the walls of a club - to fade into a muffled sub frequency that soaks into the sonic surroundings before finally reaching silence.

Tonight is the Salon. 

See you there.

Fables & Other Works: Looking for Cowslips. Rehearsals.

:: Guest performers :: 

I joined Mira Calix for her rehearsal schedule, to find developments moving quickly. I missed the first couple of rehearsals and those small voids covered an expanse of progress well beyond what I would expect to achieve in rehearsal time. She moves quickly!! While I scoop up scores with recently added pencil markings and hand written scribblings - to save them before they disappear into the flurry of actions and objects that together - bring the works to life - Mira has moved on to the next rehearsal piece and is describing moods and inspirations to the musicians.

These moments of explanation from Mira have become a bit of a favourite of mine. They are moments of quiet, whereby the musicians (and I from afar) sit and listen, to the tales of how/why/where/who - reasons of creation - intended emotional response and translation of the above through the playing of their instruments. I've always enjoyed a good story teller... Captions that I remember from her tales include, 'Egyptian basement acid trip', 'Whirling dervishes' and 'thick, dense, soupy air'. There were so many more but I've managed to forget them already.

:: Rehearsal in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall - in progress ::

Wednesday's rehearsal was in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall of the Melbourne Recital Centre and included the musicians,

Amir Farid - Piano
Josie Vains - Cello
Sarah Curro - Violin
Jo Beaumont - Violin
Aviva Endean - Clarinet
Anna Webb - Viola

The two pieces that have haunted me with their sounds since this rehearsal are 'Nunu' and the 'Made of Music' commission, 'He Fell Amongst Roses'. I'm trying not to give too much away but I will say that both are strikingly different but cover two pressure points of my own likings, them being, instruments as used to generate organic sounds (opposed to traditional musical notes) and the lure of repetitive beat - that is typically not so present in classical as it is in dance music. 

Thursdays rehearsal was considerably quieter - with more time to hear inspirations from Mira and to be inspired myself. Musicians included,

Amir Farid - Piano
Zoe Knighton - Cello
Lotte Betts-Dean - Soprano
Aviva Endean - Clarinet
Anna Webb - Viola

While Wednesday seemed to focus on 'larger' pieces (if this makes sense), Thursdays works conveyed a sense of smaller tales of the sweet, sour and disruptive. The room was the, 'Salon' which is considerably smaller and much more intimate than the large hall. Sounds are more direct - there is less need for amplification and each piece feels as if it is being told to you by a close friend, rather than a speaker announcing to a crowd. 'Narcissus' is a piece aptly named and provokative in nature - to the point that you enjoy it's discord. In contrast, 'I am Alone', leaves you internally weeping and holding your loved ones close to you in joy and sorrow - together as one....

If I had to choose one night to attend then I would chose Saturday night in the Salon. (I have always liked smaller crowds and closer friends for company). Either of the nights would give you a whirlwind of emotions as generated by the musical repertoire - collecting you from your point of beginning and delivering you at the point of end - with the feeling of having gained experiences unique to the world.

Not to be missed......

Booking details: 

Friday in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall: Fables & Other Works can be found HERE

Saturday in the Salon: Looking for Cowslips can be found HERE