Lloyd Barrett – Mise En Scene (Room40)

There is a certain sense of aggression or violence implied in the filmic Mise En Scene from Brisbane sound artist Lloyd Barrett. Its starting point was apparently in film theory and more particularly in the writings of renowned theorist Michel Chion though there are also definite links to Chion’ sonic work. Barrett’s work draws upon music concrete traditions with vivid vibrant processed sounds, crafting an incredibly assured electro acoustic language that is quite dense yet highly controlled. His use of drones, abrupt ruptures, vivid at times quite delicate textures, subtle volume shifts and vast and careful layering draw links with film sound design approaches albeit with some very experimental and exhilarating results.