“Many years ago Alan Courtis and I started swapping audio recordings we made in deserted places known as “steppe”. I recorded many in South Ukraine, on the last spot of the European virginal steppe known as Askania Nova. Alan found his sounds in Patagonia, Argentina, it’s another steppe territory, another part of the globe. Both are unusual places to get some interesting field recordings.
What you can hear on these audio files? It is something close to “nothing”. No clear particular sound objects, no dramatic movements, or even no specific audio atmosphere. Maybe a little of distant wind’s breath. Maybe some touch of dry summer grass. Maybe some echo of Bird-Queen singing her eternal song. Maybe the memory of ancient Godness walked these fields long before us. Maybe it’s just the vibration of Earth. Maybe it’s just our imagination. Too many “maybe” you can hear there…
Alan and I composed our pieces based on these original recordings and layers of processed/altered/filtered etc. variations of sounds.
Learn to listen to nothing and you will get to hear everything.” – Edward Sol
Released October 25, 2022
Edward Sol – field recordings & tapes, sound sources recorded in Ukraine Anla Courtis – field recordings & tapes, sound sources recorded in Argentina Artwork by Alexander Khaverchuk Layout by Zavoloka Release produced by Dmytro Fedorenko
Since the end of the 90s, Laurent Jeanneau, aka Kink Gong, has been recording the musics of mostly endangered minorities mainly in Southeast Asia. Alongside his relentless pursue of collecting predominantly unknown and unpublished musics, he produced a series of remixes combining these recordings with natural sounds, archive material and electronically treated sounds.
Constellation (10″) by Mads Emil Nielsen + Chromacolor
arbitrary presents the first in a series of remix collaborations and releases by Mads Emil Nielsen and Chromacolor, a project from the German sound artist and producer Hanno Leichtmann.
Mads Emil Nielsen’s “Constellation (side A)” was created by combining several granulations and textures based on a single short recording, extracted from improvisations made with the Buchla synthesizer at EMS, Stockholm – combined with randomly looping orchestral samples, edited and produced in his studio in Copenhagen.
After having heard Nielsen’s live performance in Berlin in 2017, Hanno Leichtmann suggested remixing various of his tracks including “Constellation (Remix – side B)”. For this rework, Leichtmann provides an ambient feel by working with various sources, all of which generate sound using vibrating metal plates in different sizes – including a Premier Vibraphone, a Fender Rhodes and a Hohner Guitaret.
Constellation written & produced by Mads Emil Nielsen at EMS Elektronmusikstudion, Stockholm and in Copenhagen. Constellation Chromacolor Remix written & produced by Hanno Leichtmann at Static Music, Berlin. Mastered and cut by Kassian Troyer at D&M, Berlin. Artwork by Karel Martens.
arbitrary12, released 29 April 2022 10” vinyl (transparent, 45 rpm) + DL Edition of 500, CYK + Pantone print, inside-out sleeve, incl. download code
Delirious Cartographies (CD + 6 prints) by Richard Scott
arbitrary presents “Delirious Cartographies” (arbitrary13) by composer, improviser and synthesist Richard Scott. Part of the Danish imprint’s Framework editions, this release includes three pieces on 12” vinyl and six printed drawings – as well as a text by Scott – published as a limited edition portfolio folder.
“These compositions capture aspects of my personal sonic experience of specific times and places. Extending beyond my usual work with analogue synthesizer, these pieces open the doors and windows to the outside world, incorporating field and live recordings made in various locations and situations. Rather than intending any clear sense of narrative, these are molecular dialogues between elements and geographies which do not necessarily share organic points of connection, other than my own incomplete experience and memory of them.”
The final piece “6 Graphic Etudes” (included as digital prints) is intended as a set of visual / sonic sketches, each of which describes a discrete kind of movement or texture. These may have a variety of uses; as musical exercises, as scores, combined as parts of scores, or simply as stand-alone visual propositions / artworks.
The pieces were composed between 2017 and 2021 at Sound Anatomy, Berlin, Spektrum Berlin, EMS Stockholm, NOVARS, University of Manchester, the Electronic Music Studios, University of Huddersfield and in Boliqueime, Portugal.
As well as various microphones, hydrophones and recorders, the instruments used on this recording are mostly analogue and modular synthesisers: Hordijk Modular, Serge Modular, EMS Synthi A, various Eurorack modules, Buchla Thunder midi controller, Oberheim Xpander, Clavia Nord Micro Modular, CataRT and maxMSP, Rob Hordijk Blippoo box. On “Thunder, actually bicycles…” Axel Dörner plays a Holton Firebird trumpet with additional live-sampling via maxMSP and a controller interface developed by Sukandar Kartadinata.
Written & produced by Richard Scott. Drawings by Richard Scott. Graphic design by Mads Emil Nielsen. Mastered & cut by Kassian Troyer at D&M, Berlin. Thanks to Axel Dörner, Rob Hordijk, Beatriz Ferreyra, Ricardo Climent, David Berezan, Joseph Hyde, Richard Whalley, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Tim Scott, Andy Adkins, Electric Spring Festival, Sines & Squares Festival, Basic Electricity and Sound Anatomy.
arbitrary13, released 2 September 2022 CD version: Digipak incl. 6 prints, 300g paper, text (fold-out, riso)
CRU (Contemporary Radical Underground), is the annual magazine that documents what’s happening at La Plaque Tournante, a non commercial artist space in Berlin and run by French composer Frédéric Acquaviva and English mezzo-soprano Loré Lixenberg.
This first issue of Frédéric Acquaviva and La Plaque Tournante’s audio / video hybrid magazine, includes a CD with music by Frédéric Acquaviva and Phill Niblock, a DVD with performances by Tomomi Adachi, Bernard Heidsieck, Katherine Liberovskaya, Jacques Lizène, Alvin Lucier, and Alex Mincek. Packaged in 12“ sleeve with postcards, posters, and various documents.
CD with Phill Niblock ‘V & LSGH’ (2015) performed by Loré Lixenberg (voice) and Guy de Bièvre (lapsteel guitar). Frédéric Acquaviva‘Loré Ipsum’ performed by Loré Lixenberg (voices) and Frédéric Acquaviva (dead electronics), Berlin version.
DVD with Tomomi Adachi, Loré Lixenberg, Alex Mincek, Jacques Lizène, ‘Silver streetcar for Orchestra’ from Alvin Lucier, ‘Vaduz’ from Bernard Heidsieck, a film from Katherine Liberovkaya with a music from Phil Niblock.
Paper cover in plastic sleeve, 33 x 33 cm., containing:
2 folded posters, 60 x 80 cm. each
2 folded posters, 42 x 59 cm each.
2 postcards, 10,5 x 14,5 cm. each
1 loose printed sheet, 452 x 29,5 cm.
2 press realese, 4 mimeographed pages each, 29,5 x 21 cm.
2 DVD
