Explorations in Sound, Vol. 4 The Sound of Live Performance – Various Artists

cd_big90My work, titled “Feedback.mono” is on Explorations in Sound, Volume 4, The Sound of Live Performance, a net label release curated by Furthernoise editor Roger Mills. The release is a 23 track compilation of noisemakers responding to the theme of the incidental and unexpected audio consequences of live performance, and is free to download with printed sleeve from the February/March 2011 issue of Furthernoise.org.

This compilation on The Sound of Live Performance assembles those “sound failures, the misassigned patch, unintended playing outcomes, FX overloads, calibrations and pinnacles of performative exploration” that offer sources for eclectic new material.

“Feedback.mono” fits in the category of “the miss assigned patch, FX overloads.” It was captured in October 2000, and due to time constraints I’ve had to edit it down from its original 11-minute length. (Perhaps in the future there will be an appropriate and affordable way to release it in its entirety.)

I have always understood and shared Marcel Duchamp’s appreciation of chance and the “happy accident.” So, it is gratifying to be able share this instance from my own experience with a larger audience, in the medium of sound.

What happened on that day in October was while setting up an effects loop in my studio. Accidentally, my mis-patch of the signal route caused a fierce swell of rich, interesting feedback. Fortunately, the recording was on and the event was captured with my venerable 4-track cassette recorder. Unfortunately, the occurrence blew one of the 15-inch woofers on my Klipsch speakers. The woofer was replaceable however, while the sound recorded was quite special—not easy to repeat. Hence a warning: though quite pleasurable, playing “Feedback.mono” at high volume may risk speaker damage, particularly the last few seconds.

My submission fits in the category of the “the miss assigned patch, FX overloads,” and was captured on October 2000. Due to time constraints I had to edit it down from its original 11-minute length, at the point where the DC offset damaged the 15-inch woofers of the Klipsch loudspeakers I used at the time. Perhaps in the future there will an appropriate and affordable way for me to release this recording in its entirety. The circumstances leading to the occurrance-or shall I say, eruption-of “Feedback.mono” happened while setting up an effects loop in my studio. I created, by accident, a fierce swell of rich and interesting feedback. Happily I was recording while setting up and captured the event to my 4-track cassette recorder. The occurrence blew one of the woofers on my Klipsch PA speakers. Hence a warning: though quite pleasurable, playing at high volume may risk speaker damage, particularly the last few seconds. 

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