Various Artists – A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals DVD (störung)

0

Various Artists – A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals DVD (Störung)

Curated by Spanish sound artist Francisco Lopez, A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals was initially commissioned with a very specific purpose in mind. Over a three-month period, seven international sound artists would have a unique two-minute piece broadcast once per week for thirteen weeks. The DVD format of A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals compiles the contributor’s work over this period, and removes it from this initial context. To me, this release seemed much more interesting and beguiling keeping this situation in mind. Like Nurse With Wound’s Shipwreck Radio Vol 1 -3, I can imagine these otherworldly and everyday sounds, both subtle and mundane, producing feelings of bemused befuddlement, curiosity and antipathy in many listeners. How would the casual witness to James Webb’s delicate vignettes combining micro-processed chirrups and disembodied vocals, birdsong and Morse code react? Would these lowercase sounds even register in our increasingly congested sonic universe?

In some way, this DVD is an accomplice to this over-abundance of sonic detritus. I found A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals a problematic release to approach, to listen to the 182 minutes of 24-bit audio in one sitting required quite some commitment. By the time the headphonic electronic pulses of Asmus Tietchens bolshy cyber-bees and Conrad Schnitzler style uneasiness was unleashed, I was feeling decidedly punch-drunk. That was nothing compared to Poland’s Zbigniew Karkowski and his woozy sine waves. Subsumed by overdriven, echoic drones, an insect-driven Puerto Rican rhythm section collided with Marcus Schmickler / Kevin Drumm style heavy digital bafflement, leaving my synapses quaking. Room40’s wandering sonic minstrel Lawrence English imbued his 26-minute chapter with the imprint of the verdant undergrowth of sub-tropical Queensland. These dense compositions blended the organic and electronic in a manner similar to his Kiri No Oto long player for Touch.

For the Americas, Montreal’s Louis Dufort segues beautiful soundscapes with heavily processed electronic transmissions, whilst Alan Courtis guides us through Buenos Aires haunted dancehalls and melancholy laneways. The Sound Archive of Experimental Music and Sound Art was founded by Francisco Lppez during 2010, in order to archive his thirty years of activity and exchange in the field of sound art. Documenting his, and other artists work, the physical collection is based in the Spanish city of Murcia, and can be found online as well. Lopez’s contribution to A Tasty Swarm of Small Signals excises the recognisable organic elements peppering the first two chapters of the DVD’s isolationist hum and sonic sorcery gives the appearance of being desiccated and desertified; like the image used to accompany his chapter on the DVD.

Murcia’s mayor writes on the sleeve of the release,”our firm commitment for this work to mark the beginning of a number of future projects, so the sound archive finds its proper place as a paramount referent for sound art, both in Spain and at an international level.” I’d be rather surprised if the mayor of a medium-sized Australian city would promote sound art to the world. Maybe it’s my own perceptions and biases, but where lies the open-mindedness of our bureaucrats and civic leaders? Could they encourage an esoteric antipodean underground during these times of fiscal responsibility and mineral extraction?

Oliver Laing

Share.

About Author

Music Obsessive / DJ / Reviewer - I've been on the path of the obsessive ear since forever! Currently based in Perth, you can check out some radio shows I host at http://www.rtrfm.com.au/presenters/Oliver%20Laing

Comments are closed.