I have been an appreciative student & fan of the experimental & avant-garde of music since the very early 80s. One branch of this wide under-the-radar milieu is music specifically composed on 'tape' that results in a piece on some sort of fixed medium (media). The composer essentially constructs the piece by bringing together sounds 'found' in the natural world and/or sounds specifically created on tape/computer using technology of the day. About 70 years ago this process involved using all sorts of reel-to-reel & other formats of analog tape & recorders, and later alongside the earliest analog synthesizers such as Buchla and Moog. (The Buchla line of purely electronic instruments was actually designed by a SF Bay Area pioneer in the early 60s, as part of a commission by the SF Tape Music Festival itself!) The earliest nearly mid-20th century compositions spawned a style of electronic music called 'Musique Concrète' and it in turn has brought forth a host of approaches and productions in the last half-century and then some. These days the composition platform du jour is typically the computer and other specialized platforms, where sound elements of any origin can be manipulated beyond belief down to the electron.
Music of this nature is usually presented as playback for the audience from the original master tape, or in the case of this event and most performances today, from a laptop or similar. This evening was a treat because we basically listened to six 8 to 26 minute pieces through 24 speakers in surround in a darkened theater, which left the ears & mind alone to submerse in the odd & creative delights. My neighbor (and yours) would hardly refer to this as music, but my & fellow spectators' very open (some might say tolerant) ears understand this to be music all the same. It's about the furthest from Top 40 radio, jazz & western classical as one can get! It challenges our very notion of what composition, structure and form are about. And the sonic wonders presented are sometimes fantastical, at the least remind us of what we have yet to learn.
One of my two favorites of the evening, as I reflect back, was the 11-minute Bastet (2004) by Elsa Justel from Argentina. To quote a portion of the composer's description, "...Bastet, this naughty cat deity, has slipped into the piano box. Confused by the strange appearance of this place, she tries to find the exit while holding on to the strings." This was a delightfully playful & chaotic & at times humorous piece that combined acoustic instrument strings & parts of drums in all manner of attack, friction & processing. It is not clear if the cat was ever let out of the bag or not! Listen to the 2-minute excerpt found at the link above.
Another notable experience of the night was the 22-minute Hot Air (1995) by Jonty Harrison of the UK. This closing selection, one of the longest of the set, was hypnotic, fat, tiring and elating. One could feel the collective sigh/awe of the audience when it ended, like air finally being let out of tires after a circus inside. In Mr. Harrison's words, "...One of the principal source sounds for this work — balloons from children’s parties — gave rise to a train of thought which, after linking ‘toy’ balloons to ‘hot air’ balloons, went on to draw in numerous other concepts of air (breath, utterance, natural phenomena) and heat (energy, action, danger)." Excusez-moi?
So all that just begins an attempt to describe the SF Tape Music Festival. It was a treat to attend, and sits in wonderfully stark contrast to some of the more traditional, predictable live music shows I often enjoy. Perhaps next time around I will hit all the performances.
Thanks for listening and don't forget to turn the lights out before you press play...
