[Date Prev][Date Next]   [Thread Prev][Thread Next]   [Date Index][Thread Index][Author Index]

Stockhausen, radios, minimalism




  Speaking of using radio broadcasts as sonic source material, some of my
  favorite stuff is from Stockhausen 60's stuff.  "Prozession" and
  "Kurzwellen" both use shortwave radio as PRIMARY instruments, that is,
  just about everyone is playing one with scored instructions on how to add
  accompaniment.  "Spiral" is about a soloist using radio as a "accompanist
  from the heavens".  None of the above is loopy, but can be pretty funny.
  Oh yeah Keith Rowe as well as Fred Frith both have been using radios into
  their guitars for 2 or 3 decades.  Last months issue of "Resonance" (a
  British experimental music magazine) devoted the entire issue to radio in
  exp. music.  Worth checking out if you see it.  Radio is a time-honored
  tradition and barrels of fun.

  Wandering on to a loop-related topic, There was a thread about minimalism
  a couple days ago and another piece worth checking out is Stockhausen's
  "Stimmung" which is a 60 minute piece using just 6 vocalists doing
  loop-oriented singing.  They change the timbre of their voices by
  altering the shape of their mouth cavities and emphasizing overtones.
  More dynamic than Reich, Riley and Glass (which is probably why I like
  it).