This episode of Electronic Frequencies presents a selection of tracks that combine voice and electronics in interesting and very different ways.
In Robin Rimbaud’s ‘Emily’ you hear conversations from unencrypted telephone calls. You could describe this as ‘audio voyeurism’.
The music of Out Of The Blue (featured twice in this episode: ‘Morgenfeld’ and ‘All Time Summer’) consists of pre-recorded sound samples processed in realtime by computer algorithms, developed by composer Karlheinz Essl combined with the (partly) improvised lyrics and vocal art of Agnes Heginger. It’s rich with musical quotes as well as textual quotes from German and Austrian poets and more.
In ‘Vox’ Mario Mora explores the possibilities of the human voice as instrumental musical material. Electronic sounds were derived and generated from the vocal input. This recording was made at the premiere performance by Mario Mora and mezzo-soprano Claudia Godoy at the Cabinet of electro-acoustic music for art music (G.E.M.A) of the University of Chile, Santiago.
In Mycteria by mgbg voice and electronics merge into one rich and lush sound. Marie Guilleray is a French composer, vocalist, improviser and sound artist. Bjarni Gunnarsson is an Icelandic composer and sound artist.
‘North of me’ by Becuzzi and Orzi contains recordings of American folk songs from the early 20th century recorded by the ethno-musicologist Alan Lomax.
Ted Coffey’s ‘Never Ate So Many Stars’ is a very tasteful audio painting. Electronic sounds by Ted Coffey; voice, poetry and other texts by Jean Valentine.
Michel Banabila, born 1961, is a sound artist, composer, and producer from the Netherlands. In his track ‘In Other Words’ you hear nicely processed voices from around the globe.
This episode of Electronic Frequencies ends with an artificial voice from 1961. This recording is generally recognized as the first example of digital singing synthesis. It’s a IBM 704 programmed by John Kelly and Carol Lockbaum at Bell Laboratories.
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00:00 – 00:35 Electronic Frequencies tune
00:36 – 05:18 Emily by Scanner (Robin Rimbaud)
(album: An Anthology Of Noise & Electronic Music #2 / label: Sub Rosa Label – SR200 / 2003)
05:19 – 14:40 Morgenfeld by Out Of The Blue (Agnes Heginger & Karlheinz Essl)
(album: Sommerwellen, Live at Donaufestwochen Strudengau / label: Nachtstück – NS-R14 / 2017)
14:41 – 25:22 Vox by Mario Mora, Mezzosoprano Claudia Godoy
(Live premiere performance at G.E.M.A, Chile, Santiago, April 17, 2017 / Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/mario-mora)
25:23 – 32:38 mycteria by mgbg (Marie Guilleray and Bjarni Gunnarsson)
(album: Korabie / Independent release 2011 / www.mgbg.net)
32:39 – 38:53 North of Me (At Midday) by Gianluca Becuzzi & Fabio Orsi
(album: Muddy Speaking Ghosts Through My Machines / label: A silent place / 2006)
38:54 – 43:10 Never Ate So Many Stars y Ted Coffey And Friends
(album: Lullabies & Protest Songs, Volume 1 / label: Everglade records / 2006)
43:11 – 50:23 All Time Summer by Out Of The Blue (Agnes Heginger & Karlheinz Essl)
(album: Sommerwellen, Live at Donaufestwochen Strudengau / label: Nachtstück – NS-R14 / 2017)
50:24 – 58:51 In Other Words by Michel Banabila
(album: In Other Words / label: Tapu Records – TRBOP11 / 2012)
58:52 – 59:53 Daisy Bell by IBM 704 at Bell Labs
(Programmed by John Kelly and Carol Lockbaum from Bell Laboratories 1961)
