Episodes
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Rylee (@aalanzaa) is a brilliant mathematician, teacher, speaker, developer, musician, and facilitator of community. She’s a moderator at lines, a constant and encouraging presence in the norns discord, and in the last weeks of December last year she released an incredible collection of hyperpop and electronica songs as Alanza called 'Learning to Run'.
An episode with Rylee has long been on my wishlist — like, since 2018. In every track she shared as part of the Disquiet (@disquiet) Junto that year, Rylee always uncovered the most hypnotic and miraculous timbres — and her virtuosity as a synthesist has only become more evident in the years since.
In this episode, Rylee shares insights into her pursuits as a mathematician, her strategies for synthesizer orchestration inside and out of a pop music context, and some background into the production of 'Learning to Run'.
Rylee approached our conversation with so much generosity and openness of heart — I'm very thankful we finally got to make this happen.
All featured tracks are from 'Learning to Run' (https://alanza.bandcamp.com/album/learning-to-run):
- Breaking Philip
- Your Way Through Mine
- It's Not Him
- Me
- They Gave You Bones
- Nowhere
- You
- Push It Through -
In July of 2020, Tyler Etters (@tyleretters) put out a request for contributions to start a project for norns named dronecaster (https://llllllll.co/t/dronecaster/34737). He found his first collaborator in Ryan Laws ('license' on lines), who helped build a SuperCollider template which not only deployed Tyler’s initial vision, but made it easy for others to contribute as well. among those was Zack Scholl (@infinitedigits), whose norns scripts 'blndr' (https://llllllll.co/t/blndr/35106) and 'barcode' (https://llllllll.co/t/barcode/35297) were already instant classics within the community.
This episode is comprised of separate but dovetailing conversations with these three artists, each recorded almost two years ago. Their perspectives remain incredibly energizing + inspiring, and I’m so humbled to be able to share them as the 23rd episode of this podcast.
Featured tracks:
- Sidereal Lobby: Mental Dub (Lisbon) // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/fciv
- Northern Information: powerlines // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations
- Tyler Etters: dronecaster demo // https://youtu.be/sYnHYDg3rhg
- Tyler Etters: 'What Is Love?' cover with Yggdrasil // https://youtu.be/8ac2qw9gmaw
- infinite digits: tock // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/be-the-light-be-the-void
- Northern Information: one is opposite six // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations
- infinite digits: worthying scattergoods // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/generations
- Northern Information: The Arecibo Lamentations // https://northerninformation.bandcamp.com/album/the-arecibo-lamentations
- infinite digits: lonlat // https://infinitedigits.bandcamp.com/album/be-the-light-be-the-void
- Sidereal Lobby: bottles // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/beaches
- Sidereal Lobby: Mental Dub (Null Lake) // https://sidereallobby.bandcamp.com/album/fciv -
Missing episodes?
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About a month ago, I stumbled on a treasure trove of recordings in a web repository at https://zbs.fm. These uniquely playful and far-reaching captures come from Z, a non-binary musician and athlete at Nonotuck on the Connecticut River. The recordings are bursting with exploratory energy + I was just so compelled to learn more about the processes and experiences that led to such a warm and open collection of music.
For more of Z's music: https://zbs.fm/audio -
Hank Yates reached out to me in early 2020 after navigating the loss of his daughter, Ida, whose stillbirth occurred only ten months after his mother Kathy's passing.
To focus his grief, he wrote each a requiem -- dual tributes which span the extreme edges of loss. 'Life of a Leaf' for Kathy memorializes a life well-lived, while 'The Mockingbird' for Ida mourns unrealized potential of a life not given its full chance.
What strikes me most about Hank is that he found not only reason but strength to create in the wake of such personal tragedy. These albums demonstrate a spiritual resilience that I admire *so much*.
A big part of the support network for Hank and Ali, his wife, is Saul's Light -- a non-profit which provides community and resources to families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Shining a light on this organization was a big motivator for Hank to share Ida's story with us, so if you're able please consider supporting them: https://www.saulslight.org
Thank you to Matt Lowery for his remarkable and empathetic edit of this episode. And thank you to Hank, for his generosity and perseverance.
Life of a Leaf: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/life-of-a-leaf
The Mockingbird: https://mousymagazine.bandcamp.com/album/the-mockingbird -
Nick Angeloni is a composer, audio engineer, pianist and synthesist who releases work under the name n-So.
One of the hallmarks of Nick's fantastic 2018 album 'A Stroke of Blue' is its careful balance of felted piano and electronics — it's an album that's full of accessible moments that twist in just the right way. Depending on the listener, the album's x-factor could be the unexpected textures, or it could be a chord that perfectly roots an ambient soundscape.
Speaking with Nick, I was reminded how tense the balance is between will + self-care. Nick is an incredibly talented and driven artist, and it was staggering to hear him talk openly about the challenges he faced while trying to finish this work. And to confirm that coming out of the valley isn't a momentous break of clarity — it's small moments of grace, of the universe wanting to heal what's hurting. I am grateful for Nick's honesty, artistry, and perseverance.
Episode 20 was lovingly assembled and edited by Matt Lowery (@mattlowerymusic). I'm so grateful for his willingness to give his energy and expertise toward this project and toward the lines community. sound and process is an exploration of lines, so, come join the conversation at https://llllllll.co
Out of the Valley: https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-the-valley
A Stroke of Blue: http://n-so.bandcamp.com/album/a-stroke-of-blue
Nick's website: http://n-so.online -
Joseph Branciforte is a multi-instrumentalist, recording and mixing engineer, composer, sound artist, and programmer based out of New York City. This episode was edited by Joseph himself, which has allowed me to approach it primarily as a listener. And I've been must struck by Joseph's balance between conviction and query.
Though much is covered in this half hour, Joseph's reflections inspired so many questions for me. What happens when you shake the dust of the day-to-day a little? When you inject a new choice into the established theme? What happens when we dive in head and heart first?
More about Joseph's work: https://josephbranciforte.com
His label, Greyfade: https://greyfade.com
lines: https://llllllll.co
Featured music:
- 4.19 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1
- example 6.1 realtime generative voice-leading max patch for yamaha disklavier piano (video/explanation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-E78AHmHM)
- 90 structures, a generative work with realtime notation for live chamber ensemble
- 3.4.26 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1 (https://greyfade-label.bandcamp.com)
- july 6, 2016 from 2016 sound journal
- 6.15 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1
- april 20, 2015 an electronic composition by kenneth kirschner transcribed for piano + 2 cellos by joseph branciforte.
- 0123 for low string quartet MIDI rendering of a forthcoming algorithmically composed string quartet.
- july 24, 2016 from 2016 sound journal
- 5.5.9 from joseph branciforte & theo bleckmann's LP1 -
Josh Mason's music is an alcove you've never noticed, in a park you've walked through a hundred times.
Over the last eight years, he's released 20+ albums of solo and collaborative work.
Through guitar, tape loops, digital and analog synthesis, Josh has established an enchanting lexicon. His music is an ever-evolving conversation about personal and philosophical challenges. Its tones and timbres speak with curiosity and humility.
Josh keeps his practice approachable and immediate, which defies stagnation.
Discover + support his music:
https://j-w-m.bandcamp.com
https://joshmason.info -
On a snowy Chicago afternoon, Carl Testa and Meredith Johnston (Warm Human) joined me for a live discussion about improvising with electronics to explore and expand the bounds of their classical instruments (Carl: string bass, Meredith: voice). It was a joy to learn how software interactions helps each produce distinct and compelling results.
After the conversation, we were treated to performances from each artist. Carl performed solo bass with his custom live processing environment, Sway, before Meredith capped off the afternoon with a sneak peak of her developing cowboy series.
To learn more about Carl and Sway, please visit: http://carltesta.net/
To hear more of Warm Human, please visit: https://warmhuman.bandcamp.com
Many thanks to the Crowd Theater, whose chicken wings are nonpareil. -
Izzy Barreiro is an accomplished DJ, producer, composer, synthesist and teacher. They perform as @stud1nt and are part of the deeply necessary collectives Discwoman and KUNQ. They have taught classes everywhere from Moogfest to Ableton Loop. They are also the director of production at Whimsical Raps, a Brooklyn-based musical instrument company.
In this episode, Izzy explores some wonderful ideas about the importance of community built on shared experiences, how vulnerability develops an artist, and how their own approach to music-making tools has changed over the years.
Izzy's work is a bold exploration of genre, approach and self -- you can hear more of it at:
https://soundcloud.com/stud1nt
https://stud1nt.nyc -
Over the years, I’ve been lucky to watch Meredith Johnston perform in a variety of contexts — improvisational comedy across Chicago, film (2018's Pet Names), and most recently music under the moniker Warm Human — and every project is anchored in emotional exploration.
Her upcoming album, Ghastly, tells deeply personal stories through a melange of synths, vocal processing, and brilliant pop arrangements. As a producer, composer, and lyricist, Meredith infuses feeling into each bit of the album’s DNA. She tells her side of the story with a balance of ferocity and compassion that is, at times, both uniquely funny and absolutely heartbreaking. Ghastly will, no pun intended, haunt you well after its last track.
Throughout this conversation, Meredith unpacks some complex topics — her insecurities while performing live, navigating her ownership as a storyteller over shared experiences, and her struggles with different forms of addiction.
bandcamp: https://warmhuman.bandcamp.com
lines: https://llllllll.co -
a mix for Free City Radio (@freecityradio) on @radiockut
Emily A. Sprague (@mlesprg) — Synth 3
glia (@glia) — cosmophonic phonofunk
Joshua Andrew — Modular Sketchbook: Beverly Beach, OR
Cool Maritime — Mossage (via @leavingrecords)
warm human (@warmhuman) — dog years
Nick Turner (@tyrestasounds) — Union Pier Winter
Meng Qi (@mengqimusic) — 晚风 wanfeng
andrew c.s. / Irving Park (@andrew-shike) — Settling Noises -
Rodrigo Constanzo is a seasoned improviser + performer, which directly influences his approach to designing software interactions. Through careful consideration of the needs of the performer, he builds software that can be easily manipulated through gestures akin to playing acoustic instruments.
Since 2011's The Party Van, Rodrigo has built many incredible bits of software, ranging from dynamic varispeed loopers to huge leaps in concat re-synthesis, but at the core of these tools is an aesthetic that can only be described as "lo-fi, broken, digital stuff."
Beyond the performance videos and audio artifacts housed on his website (https://rodrigoconstanzo.com), Rodrigo has also written a considerable amount of essays trying to understand the mechanics of how improvisers improvise. His findings are fascinating, annotated with interactive examples and self-reference. Rod's academic + artistic endeavors often play out as a non-linear looping mechanism.
(some choice ones: http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/thesis/, http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/2016/03/just-making-things-up/, and http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/2015/04/making-decisions-in-time/)
Throughout the episode, Rodrigo shares insights into his performance practice, unpacks the importance of formal training when working within an experimental context, and plants flags in the common ground between comedy + music improvisation.
As always, Sound + Process explores the artists of lines (https://llllllll.co). Come join the conversation. -
Sound + Process # 13 features musician, designer, programmer and teacher Meng Qi. A pioneering interface theorist, Meng Qi is perhaps best known for opening new dimensions of control and interaction with Peter Blasser’s Ciat-Lonbarde circuits. His earliest module, Voltage Memory, is the first synth module to have ever been both designed and manufactured in China. Over the years, Meng Qi has released a wide spectrum of music with these and other instruments. His experiments with feedback and frequency modulation are only enhanced by explorations of tonality — the resulting songs are uniquely beautiful in both timbre and emotion.
Since Meng Qi’s audiences span many countries and languages, I’ve chosen to present his episode in two different formats — one is a transcript annotated with audio at https://soundandprocess.com/ep_13 and the other is a standalone album with a downloadable document on https://soundandprocess.bandcamp.com. Visit one, visit both, but as always feel free to join the conversation on lines — https://llllllll.co.
Before we part ways, this track ends with a short live performance that Meng Qi treated me to during our conversation.
I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for listening. -
At the tail end of last month, Gohan Tapes (https://gohantapes.bandcamp.com) released ‘Spring’ — a new full length album from Joshua Saddler, who records as ioflow. On ‘Spring’, Josh combines field recordings, modular synthesis, and piano improvisations to capture memories like aural photographs. The sparse arrangements interplay with sounds of wildlife from the California landscape. This is an essential album, especially if you live somewhere that's cold right now.
Much of his compositional technique is rooted in blind recording, a process he discovered through his participation in Marc Weidenbaum's Disquiet Junto. If you're unfamiliar, the Junto is an incredible project — a weekly assignment which challenges artists to explore new techniques and workflows. https://disquiet.com
‘Spring’ is additionally unique because it was made during the most physically painful phase of Josh’s struggles with congenital hearing loss and neural degradation.
Faith is important to him and it's obvious that he shares his work as a celebration of life and in gratitude for his own.
This episode is structured a little differently. I’ve removed the interview elements and chosen to focus solely on Josh’s reflections. He’s underscored by selections from ‘Spring’, available on Bandcamp at https://ioflow.bandcamp.com -
There’s something about Marcus Fischer’s music that fits this season. Last year, a lot of listeners shared how the snowstorms they were homebound by were the perfect backdrop to Marcus’s reflections. As another year closes, I am so excited to share another conversation with this wonderful artist. This isn’t something I expected, but Marcus has been really giving of his time and it was his suggestion to do a follow-up. In the spirit of the season, I’m very thankful to have gotten to know him better.
Since episode 5, Marcus has been for lack of a much better word, busy. He completed the Rauschenberg Residency and released the follow-up to 2010’s 'Monocoastal' — 'Loss', which is absolutely stunning. He established an experimental power trio with Paul Dickow and William Selman called Wild Card, which toured with High Plains at the end of this past summer. He’s been performing with Lisa Schonberg’s Secret Drum Band. He recorded another collaboration with 12k’s Taylor Deupree called 'Lowlands'. And I’m sure I’m missing something.
This episode digs beyond his output as an artist to explore the internal processes that inform his approach, especially as an improviser.
As always, the music from each of these projects and partnerships weaves throughout the episode, which can all be purchased as digital or characteristically breathtaking physical objects on Bandcamp.
Grab a warm cup of tea and dive in.
'Loss' on 12k: https://12kmusic.bandcamp.com/album/loss
'Lowlands' on IIKKI: https://iikki.bandcamp.com/album/lowlands
Marcus Fischer's back catalog: https://marcus-fischer.bandcamp.com
Secret Drum Band: https://secretdrumband.bandcamp.com
Wild Card: https://wildcardofcascadia.bandcamp.com/releases
https://llllllll.co -
My guest for this episode is Karl Fousek, an improviser who has spent the last five years crafting an incredible archive of live modular performances and studio albums. As a deeply devoted fan of experimental and electronic music and by dedicating himself to the mastery of his tools as a single instrument, Karl has developed a compositional agility which helps him explore new directions of form. His latest release, ‘Two Pieces For a Contemporary Connection’, is an inspiring hybrid of live improvisations and rehearsal recordings.
Beyond his work as a solo synthesist, Fousek also plays with Devon Hansen and Roger Tellier-Craig — a partnership which bore the very well-received ‘No Sound Without A Misunderstanding’ and most recently, ‘No Image In Particular’.
I’m so excited to share this episode. Through our conversation, Karl covers everything from his approaches to longform performances, building patches that are mutable yet structured, learning a modular system as an instrument, collaborating with others, and how he navigates uncanny sounds.
http://karlfousek.bandcamp.com
https://llllllll.co -
The first time I heard Emily Sprague’s music was on lines. Somebody posted a video of hers, 'Three Sisters + Harmonic Oscillator', that had captured their attention as a high watermark...and it’s easy to understand how. The straightforward and earnest exploration of a beautiful module, through a looped melody you could listen to for hours, seemed the work of a seasoned pro. Somebody else commented, revealing that the synthesist was Emily Sprague from the band Florist. While they brought up that Emily had just started working with modular synths in the last year, digging deeper revealed that the video was actually made in her second week.
Beyond the quality of her music, which has only swelled over the last year, what’s fascinating about Emily’s work is how public her process has been. While most whittle away for months, releasing new work only after long incubation, Emily seems to revel in sharing each step of her growth in realtime — a direct response to the trajectory of her own self-education.
If you’re new to modular synthesis, this is the episode for you. If you’re deeply settled, this is the episode for you. Emily has retained a beginner’s mind while leveraging her rich decade-long background as a musician, producer and engineer to create music that is playful and emotional, while remaining technically impressive.
As you’ll notice, there are more music breaks in this episode than previous ones — due to my own fandom and Emily’s generosity, you’re the first to hear the demos that will make up her much-anticipated modular album.
Beyond her talents, Emily is an insightful and passionate addition to the lines community and personally, I hope that her reflections help anyone who feels that their voice is un or under-represented in this field to join the conversation at llllllll.co -
Prior to March 2015, lines (https://llllllll.co, the online community this podcast explores) didn’t exist. In its place simply stood the monome forum. As you’ll hear in the episode, it held much of the same energy in those early days as lines does now. One of the hallmarks of this spirit was MCRP, a project rooted in musical collaboration between these original members.
A loose process was formed: users would submit samples which formed the only raw material able to be used in the final songs. Over the course of 18 volumes -- including two holiday iterations, an Earthquake Disaster relief compilation and a memorial for user VGAForest who passed away from complications related to leukemia -- the unique care and respect these strangers on the internet had for each other found manifestation.
After the lines migration, it took little time before this project was rebranded as LCRP, the lines community remix project.
The latest, titled ‘New Noise’, is one of the most packed community remix project albums in a long time — its contributors range from decade-old members to lurkers who joined just to participate. This episode of SOUND + PROCESS features reflections from many of the creators, discussing their unique approaches to working with the same samples. Every piece of music featured is from the resulting album, which can be freely downloaded or affordably purchased at https://lcrp.bandcamp.com
Featuring:
Simeon Smith (http://www.awonderfulkindofimpossible.co.uk/)
Thorsten Vieth
ermina
Duncan (GoneCaving)
Evan Hartzell / abalone (http://sidromusic.net/)
Michael Hetrick (http://mhetrick.com/)
Anton Hörnquist / jah
pauk
glia (https://soundcloud.com/zunaito + https://soundcloud.com/sound-and-process/glia-sound-and-process-1)
SteveOath
Alessandro Bonino (http://soundcloud.com/alessandrobonino)
Zedkah -
My guest for this episode is Piotr Szyhalski, a Polish-born artist who creates multimedia works under the name Labor Camp. His early pieces, large-scale Internet installations which defy the constraints of late 90’s technology, captured the attention of the New York Times, MTV, and the National Endowment of the Arts. Soon after, he began composing music with Max/MSP and modular synths, eventually merging his talents for both visual and aural art to create immersive performance environments. Piotr is also a Visual Arts professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he collaborates with students past and present -- most notably, Pramila Vasudevan’s multidisciplinary group Anicca Arts.
archive | http://www.laborcamp.org
instagram | https://instagram.com/laborcamp
facebook | https://www.facebook.com/labor.camp
sound cloud | https://soundcloud.com/labor-camp-orchestra
monome | http://monome.org
lines | http://llllllll.co
To download this episode and receive sneak previews of future conversations, tape copies and Field Notes, please consider contributing to the S+P Patron at http://patreon.com/soundandprocess -
Marcus Fischer has been a staple figure in modern ambient and experimental music for the better part of the last decade. Characterized by his masterful use of tape loops, Fischer's works also build space and emotion through layers of baritone guitar and modular synths. His solo debut, 'Monocoastal', was released on 12k in 2010 to international acclaim. Over the course of his career, he has partnered with several artists: Matt Jones (as Unrecognizable Now), Ted Laderas/The OO-Ray, Simon Scott, Devin Underwood. His collaborations with Taylor Deupree, with whom Fischer released 'Twine' in 2015, are masterclasses in shared voice and restraint.
Fischer is a longstanding member of lines (www.llllllll.co), the online community that surrounds Eurorack module and instrument maker monome.
To explore and support Fischer's work, please visit:
www.mapmap.ch
www.marcus-fischer.bandcamp.com
www.12kmusic.bandcamp.com
To support future development of SOUND + PROCESS, please consider becoming a contributing listener at: www.patreon.com/soundandprocess
Special support for this episode came from:
Jason Wehmhoener, Evan Hartzell, Thorsten Vieth, Nick Sanborn, Rodrigo Constanzo, Brian Anderson, Robert Pitts, and Brian Crabtree
Photo credit: Brian Young www.instagram.com/losingtoday/ - Show more
