Made on the last day of the residency with Michael Forrest, this little video demonstrates some of the techniques I use to create tracks, plus records and tone arm made during the month at Machines Room.
Mechanical Techno Demonstration
Ghost in the Machine Music: event reviewed
“The set up for the event was akin to a workshop,” reports Jay Harper for Freq. “The room at the back of the seemingly vast New River Studios replete with a large table (or set of tables, who knows?) chock-a-block with musical gadgets and contraptions (surely a techie’s wet dream?). The audience were invited by Dunning to walk around the table and take a good look at the boxes on display. Of course, once proceedings were underway, the audience regressed back to the usual gig etiquette and stood at a respectful distance from the performer.”
Read the full review here: http://freq.org.uk/reviews/ghost-in-the-machine-music/
Article on Oneida’s track “Sheets of Easter” and rhythm & drone
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT26L1vtgkE]
This great article describes Oneida’s track Sheets of Easter – a 15 minute high speed motorik barrage – in relation to Rhythm & Drone and its sonic affect. My experience of the track is similar to the author’s – this was something of an eye (ear?) opener for me seeing the group play live for the first time a few years ago.
With these things considered, I would like to theorize that the right combination of a solid 4/4 beat and a droning, hypnotic sound which predominantly seldom deviate from their primary forms could be considered the ultimate form of music: One that provides two forms of stability unified as one in a perfect balance, which under varying circumstances could be enjoyed as a solid flow of sound that is either permanently stimulating or gradually becoming part of the furniture. This, dear reader, is why I think “Sheets of Easter” by Oneida is one of the most crucially important pieces of music I’ve ever heard.
https://thesweetestparsnips.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/oneida-sheets-of-easter-each-one-teach-one/
Fractal Meat radio show – Rhythm & Drone special, including live edits
To mark the end of the residency and the closing event I themed my fortnightly radio show, Fractal Meat on a Spongy Bone, around Rhythm & Drone. The show features edits of all the live sets the previous evening, plus a tracklist of pieces related to my research for the residency.
Stream the show here, via NTS on Mixcloud. Full tracklist below.
Graham Dunning – improvisation for two timecode records
Leslie Deere – Live at Ghost in the Machine Music, 1st October 2015
Dead Neanderthals – Endless Voids part IV
Artificial Heart – Flow
Pete Swanson – Punk Authority
Shelley Parker – Live at Ghost in the Machine Music, 1st October 2015
Philip Jeck – Hindquarters
Earth – Thrones and Dominions
Tom Mudd – Live at Ghost in the Machine Music, 1st October 2015
Autechre – 0=0
Slash’s Wormhole – Quiet Eruptions
Simon Scott – Oaks Grow Strong
Voi Doid – Bhagavad
Tom Richards – – Live at Ghost in the Machine Music, 1st October 2015
Kraftwerk – Antenna
Kraftwerk – Antenna (two copies played at the same time)
Graham Dunning – Live at Ghost in the Machine Music, 1st October 2015
Jeff Mills – Axis EP track 5
Ergo Phizmiz – Quartet 2
Closing event photos
A big thanks to all who came to Ghost In the Machine Music – the closing event was great. Here are a few snaps by myself, Becky Davies, Julia Dempsey and Pete Robertson.
And here’s a gif of Tom controlling his theremin-CV-turntable!
Day 17: Final day of residency: making an instructional video
On the last proper day at Machines room I was joined by musician Michael Forrest to make a video of the setup and some of the items I’d made, loosely based on the first series of Look Around You.
Day 15/16: Back to Machines Room
Following the week away I’ve moved my stuff back to Machines Room and started getting ready for the performance on Thursday.
Today was also the fourth and final discussion group, with Leslie Deere – I’ll get the recordings up soon.
Tomorrow being the final full day I’ll spend most of the time documenting what I’ve made and practising for the gig. I’m planning on using some live visuals for the performance so hopefully can get that up and running in time (temperamental equipment dependent).
Rhythm & Drone gigs in Romney Marsh and Venice
For the past week whilst the RCA have been exhibiting at Machines Room for London Design Week I’ve had a couple of gigs, which are the first two under the Rhythm & Drone heading.
Firstly in Ivychurch, Romney Marsh in Kent, I played a set using three analogue synths and dubplates of recordings of windfarms by Caleb Madden across a three speaker system. I’d rehearsed the set at Machines Room and also prepared some records to use in the performance.
Secondly in Venice for the opening of Symphony of Hunger: Digesting Fluxus in Four Movements, I played four sets to a new instructional score called Holon Music. The performance(s) were very much informed by my research on the residency , and I used records modified using the machines there which will be left as part of the exhibition.
Discussion group with Leslie Deere – Sonic Art. Lo-fi. Real Time. Digital. Analogue. Colour. Expanded cinema. Photography. Interactivity. Perspective. Immersive. Environments. Microcosms.
On Tuesday 29th September from 2-4pm, Leslie Deere will be guest for the discussion group. The group is informal and all participants will be welcome to share their thoughts and ideas. We’ll be discussing recurring themes in Leslie’s practice – Sonic Art. Lo-fi. Field Recordings. Collage. Sculpture. Time medias. Real Time. Digital. Analogue. Colour. Expanded cinema. Photography. Interactivity. Perspective. Immersive. Environments. Microcosms. – Plus new ideas from the residency and various tangential and semi-related thoughts.
Originally from Tennessee, Leslie moved to the UK to study Sonic Art, continuing from a performing arts dance back ground in NYC. Her recent eight channel sound installation for Air Space Gallery in Stoke drew on the city’s history of rave culture and industrialisation. Leslie’s live performances use analogue and digital audio equipment alongside field recordings and her lo-fi video projections, to make abstract and absorbing drone collages. Leslie has exhibited internationally with shows in Italy and Switzerland, and has a permanently installed sculpture in Geneva. Commissions include sound installations for Kew Gardens, Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Art and London Fashion Week SS15. She is represented by Galerie Analix Forever, Geneva / Paris.
Rhythm & Drone Discussion group with Leslie Deere
Machines Room: Meeting Room
Tuesday 29th September, 2pm to 4pm.
45 Vyner Street (Ground Floor), London E2 9DQ
Machines Room is located towards the end of Vyner Street in a warehouse building on the left hand side coming from Cambridge Heath.
Day 12: More making + Venice records
Lasercutting the tone arm stands – each happily fits on about an A4 of plywood
A few bits needed recutting due to some measuring issues.
The stands completed – just need to solder them up and they’ll be ready to go.
I also spent a proportion of the day scouring a few charity shops for Venice-related records for the gig there next week. I had it in my head that the soundtrack to Death in Venice would turn up, I’m sure I’ve flicked past it loads of times in the past. But unfortunately it didn’t. I found this record eventually which will work well too:
And here’s the other venice connection Strauss’ Lagoon Waltz from A Night in Venice.” (already modified and ready to go.
Rhythm & Drone // Research & Development 