film soundtrack composer, sound / installation artist, curator – An architect designs works that occupy spaces; I create sound sculptures that fit in the flow of time and perception
The Illusion of Infinitesimal on Baksaru 027 – 2014
Po dwóch latach przerwy z nowym albumem powróciła kanadyjska artystka France Jobin. Przygodę z muzyką rozpoczęła w latach 80. od grania na klawiszach w bluesowym zespole. Następnie pojawiła się spora przerwa w jej karierze, która trwała dziesięć lat. Jobin dopiero w 1999 roku zaczęła ponownie nagrywać muzykę eksperymentalną, ale pod nowym pseudonimem i8u. Jej prace można określić jako „dźwiękowe rzeźby”, które artystka formuje za pomocą minimalizmu. W swojej twórczości bardzo lubi łączyć brzmienia analogowe z cyfrowymi. W 2012 roku wydała swój pierwszy album pod własnym nazwiskiem, a był to krążek „Valence” (LINE).
Z kolei tegoroczna płyta „The Illusion of Infinitesimal” została podzielona na trzy długie kompozycje. Dwa pierwsze nagrania („-1/2” i „0”) to minimalistyczny ambient w najczystszej postaci, przygotowany z mikroskopijną dokładnością. Zamykający utwór „+1” ociera o bardzo spokojne struktury dźwiękowe balansujące na granicy ciszy i delikatnych trzasków, przechodzących w organiczny ambient podbity dronem. Album „The Illusion of Infinitesimal” jest jednym z najciekawszych wydawnictw z ostatnich miesięcy.
The Illusion of Infinitesimal on Baksaru 027 – 2014
My first listen to The Illusion Of Infinitesimal happened without my knowing. I was playing an entirely different record for the umpteenth time – Barren Harvest’s Subtle Cruelties, as it happens – when I began to notice elements of the landscape that didn’t exist before; gigantic agitations of low frequency that felt like yawning canyons either side of the central melody (which, given the Subtle Cruelties’ ties to death and fragility, actual fit quite effortlessly). In fact, France Jobin’s music had started playing in a separate audio player, quiet and light enough to slip within the other record – like a mist dispersing among a forest – until louder gestures jolted my consciousness to its happening. In some ways it was a wonderful introduction. The Illusion Of Infinitesimal exists regardless of my ability to hear it, and with so much of the sound occurring on the absolute horizon of my perception, as mere glints of sunlight brushing a faraway object, I am spellbound by the possibility that much of the record exists beyond my radius of perception.
And in fact, many of these sounds seem fragile enough to fracture under the mere act of listening – electronic tones whirr like glass blown into thin, straight tubes, while other melodies curl faintly in the air as gas, cycling through patterns instigated by gravity and the wind, threatening to fade from thin translucency into absolute invisibility. Some of those high beeps sound like ultra-fine syringes slipping painlessly into my head, while flickers of real world places and objects appear as the album’s percussive flaps grant it fleeting, brittle shape: a soft rustle midway through “0” reminds me of brushing a woollen jumper against a duvet during a mid-afternoon nap, while flutters of tiny snipping noises cause me to question whether ants may be cutting my hair as I sleep.
I can never be quiet enough. I shuffle momentarily in my seat and Jobin’s world is shaken, once pristine and now not. The sound is so precise that I wonder if, as a human being, I am too clumsy to understand; even as I transfix on an acoustic guitar loop that captures the sound of sweat and fingerprint scuffing the strings, its repetition renders it a gesture of deliberation and the immaculate, tugging it away from its momentary associations with failure and mistake. Similarly, the drone carrying the record to its conclusion is still too pure and beautiful for organic instigation in spite of its thickness and audibility, humming like an accordion that can never be entirely compressed. My world is too loud, and I can either pursue a helpless search to find a spotless, silent space in which each particle of The Illusion Of Infinitesimal can be impeccably rendered, or I can accept that the record will tilt between another dimension and this one, fading into a silence that an earthly organism will never know.
France Jobin
The Illusion of Infinitesimal
KARU:27
CD (digipak)
Edition of 500
February 11th 2014
Perfection and Uncertainty
The thing about France Jobin’s music that never fails to impress is that it works on so many levels. Listen to it at the threshold of perception (the way it is mastered) or at very high volume, on headphones or through loudspeakers, and you will hear new sonic relationships, new structures, a new logic every time. Things simultaneously are and aren’t as they seem; sounds you hear are and aren’t really there.
Montréal sound/installation artist France Jobin has come a long way since her days as a blues keyboardist in the 1980s. In 1999, after a hiatus that lasted a decade, during which she raised two sons, she turned to experimental electronic music of the very quiet, rumbling, abstracted kind, and started performing and releasing music under the moniker i8u. Slowly but with great assurance, she built a much-lauded career and kept on refining her art, ever digging deeper into the core of sound. When the revered LINE label offered her an album (Valence) in 2012, she abandoned her alias and started using her own name.
In her own words:
«The Illusion of Infinitesimal represents another chance to refine the unique essence of each sound and composition, in an effort to better communicate intent without influencing its unfolding, a delicate balance between perfection and detachment.
A parallel could be drawn from particles of matter, which, “as far as we know, are infinitesimal points of zero size, yet they have measurable amounts of angular momentum. Does the concept of rotation even make sense for a featureless speck? Angular momentum seems to be a more foundational concept than rotation itself. The angular momentum, or spin, of a single particle is restricted in strange ways. It can have only certain values, and not all values are allowed for all particles.” (1)
Perfection and uncertainty.»
(1) Collage of quotes from Jim Pivarski, “Spin”, Symmetry Magazine, March 2013.
livingvoid – A compilation of self-portraits in audio and image designed for shuffle playing is now available to pre-order!
Jack Chutter of ATTN magazine UK put together a special USB memory stick pack, including:
1 x engraved wooden USB memory stick
1 x small painting by Jack, created while listening to livingvoid. Each will be unique.
1 x livingvoid A4 flyer, featuring a list of all contributors.
Orders will be sent out on 30/01/2014. Order here:
Adam McFillin / Alex Rumboldt / Alfie Cooke / Anatole / Andersen Viana / Anla Courtis / Anthony Galante / benjaminwillems / Brayden Bagnall / Budhaditya Chattopadhyay / Cauterised / Cindy Wegner /cjmann / Colin Taibi / conversationswithrocks / Craig Johnson / Cretin Dilettante / Daniel Barbiero / Dante Palmieri / David Fenech / david ian griess / Derek Piotr / Emile Milgrim / France Jobin / Gregg Davies / Ion Plasma Incineration / Jack Chuter / James Chuter / Jay Howard / Jean Drop / Jeremiah Cymerman / Jeremy S. Adams / Jim Barker / Joel Pearson / Josh Ronsen / Joshua Hummel / L’eclipse Nue / Laurie Tompkins / Leslie Deere / Liberez / Lisa Hogan / Luke Lund / Mark Chickenfish / Matt Warren Matthew Cheshire / Matthew Lee Knowles / MEANHAWK / Michael Roth / micromelancolie / Mike Cooper / Mike Perdue / modus op / morteza shirkoohi / Mountains On Fire / My Cat Is An Alien / neeeeeill / Norman / One Qwarter Horse / Pete Simonelli / Phil Taylor / Philippe Petit / protofuse / RADIO HUMMINGBIRD / raxil4 / Robomatix Rebirth / Ryan Muar / scutopus / Sebastian Engelhardt /Seth Guy / Shaun Duke / SOLARCIRCLES / Steve Sachse / Stu Von Geel / Stuart Craig / swefn / The Dan Haynes Experience / Thomas Evans / Thomas Rex Beverly / Vagabond Dog x Geoff Smokes / Vincent Euliano
Listen to France Jobin’s “un petit rien” on playlist one
Le projet Dermis met l’accent sur des pratiques d’atelier et des travaux sonores en cours ; encore invisibles, inaudibles, et inconnus du grand public . L’intention de Richard Garet pour ce projet a consisté à s’éloigner des conventions en invitant des artistes confirmés à présenter un travail inachevé ou un fragment destiné à la réalisation de nouveaux travaux , et tout ce qui normalement ne serait pas autorisé à voir le jour. Entre l’exploration, l’enregistrement, la production ou la simple écoute, les processus et les pratiques d’atelier sont très riches. Souvent, et comme par défaut, les fichiers audio s’accumulent dans les dossiers informatiques, pour aboutir à de longues heures de matériel et éventuellement à la création de bibliothèques de sons.
Pour mieux rendre compte de cette réalité, Richard Garet a contacté ses collègues et amis artistes avec un appel à contribution rédigé comme suit : » Envoyer une piste audio inédite avec des sons ou des débris issus de votre pratique d’atelier ( à interpréter comme vous le souhaitez) , un résidu audio, pas de field recording reconnaissable, pas de vague sinusoïdale constante , aucun drone constant, texte et approche théorique bienvenus , pas besoin de fondu en entrée ou en sortie, le son peut être d’un bloc, assurez-vous juste qu’il ne sature pas les haut-parleurs , il peut être brut ou composé , et plus d’un fichier audio peut être proposé. »
Toutes les pièces soumises ont été acceptées et inclues dans le projet, sans réserve ni aucun travail de post production.
Le derme est un tissu de type conjonctif formant la peau avec l’épiderme et l’hypoderme. Son épaisseur est variable selon les régions corporelles mais elle peut atteindre un millimètre. On distingue usuellement le derme papillaire jouxté à la jonction dermo-épidermique, le derme réticulaire et le derme profond. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derme
« DERMIS project » focuses on sonic studio practice from artists making work that is currently in process; subsequently yet unseen, unheard, and unknown to the public. Richard Garet’s intention for this project consisted of stepping away from the obvious and instead focusing on inviting artists that could present work that was unfinished or a segment of something that could be intended for making new work, or anything that normally would not be allowed to see the day of light as is. In the studio practice of any artist working with sound there is so much that happens and that consists of exploring, recording, producing and just listening. Often and by default in this practice audio files accumulate in computer folders, eventually creating libraries of sounds and extensive hours of listening material.
With that in mind Garet contacted his peers and these were the guidelines that he passed along for this project. « Submit an unreleased audio track, noise or debris from a sound artist studio practice (interpret this as you wish), audio residue, no recognizable field recordings, no constant sine waves, no constant drones, text and speech welcomed, no need for fade in or out, it can be just a block of sound, just make sure that it does not override the speakers, it can be raw or composed, and more than one audio-file can be submitted. »
These submissions were not reduced in any manner and everything that was submitted by each artist was included.
Dermis: The dermis is a layer of skin between the epidermis (with which it makes up the cutis) and subcutaneous tissues, that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. It is divided into two layers, the superficial area adjacent to the epidermis called the papillary region and a deep thicker area known as the reticular dermis.[1] The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis through a basement membrane. Structural components of the dermis arecollagen, elastic fibers, and extrafibrillar matrix.[2] It also contains Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat, hair follicles, sweat glands,sebaceous glands, apocrine glands, lymphatic vessels and blood vessels. Those blood vessels provide nourishment and waste removal for both dermal andepidermal cells. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermis
shibui_oto [subtlety in sound] is a sound art presentation collective. Dedicated to the act of listening, it facilitates intervention between sound creation and architectural or geographical spaces. shibui_oto strives to push beyond borders with respect for the context of presentation and artistic vision. In the spirit of minimalism and drawing from Japanese culture, shibui can be named as the aesthetic of simplicity, balanced with refinement in detail.
shibui_oto affirms its commitment to the nuances of sound environments and dedicated listening experiences.
The artists:
Christopher Bissonnette is a Canadian musician/sound artist/designer living and working in the Detroit/ Windsor area. He has released two full-length albums for the Chicago based label Kranky and more recently a collaborative recording with David Wenngren (Library Tapes) on Home Normal. Bissonnette is also a founding member of Thinkbox, a project-based collective that has explored art, sound and video in a variety of contexts ranging from art galleries to music venues.
Bissonnette began his career studying fine art at the University of Windsor with a major in video and multimedia. His intense interest in sound art began while creating audio works to support the abstracted imagery of his visual work. Bissonnette also experienced the rise of the Detroit electronic music scene in the early nineties and began to develop a distinct sound of his own. Experimenting with “purist” techno sounds, working with analogue synths and rhythm machines, he soon discovered that this was ultimately unfulfilling. In 1996 Bissonnette teamed up with Mark Laliberte to form Disseminator Audio, which produced hybrid performances of sequenced tracks, turntable experiments and spoken word. Bissonnette refined his practice producing audio, video and installation work. In 1997 Laliberte and Bissonnette began working with Windsor film and video artist Chris MacNamara, founding Thinkbox, a media collective focused on the intersection of art and electronic music. Thinkbox produces art in a variety of media and spaces from art galleries to nightclubs and have fronted a series of limited edition themed compilations.
In 2004 Thinkbox was invited to perform a showcase at the Mutek music festival in Montreal. In addition to a collaborative performance with the other five members, Bissonnette offered a solo piece derived from a body of work that would be the foundation of his solo debut release, Periphery. Over the past ten years Bissonnette has continued to expand his aural vocabulary and production techniques incorporating elements of concrete, field recording and modular synthesis.
Tim Hecker is a Canadian-based musician and sound artist, born in Vancouver. Since 1996, he has produced a range of audio works for Kranky, Alien8, Mille Plateaux, Room40, Force Inc, Staalplaat, and Fat Cat. His works have been described as “structured ambient”, “tectonic color plates” and “cathedral electronic music”. More to the point, he has focused on exploring the intersection of noise, dissonance and melody, fostering an approach to songcraft, which is both physical and emotive. The New York Times has described his work as “foreboding, abstract pieces in which static and sub-bass rumbles open up around slow moving notes and chords, like fissures in the earth waiting to swallow them whole”. His Harmony in Ultraviolet received critical acclaim, including being recognized by Pitchfork as a top recording of 2006. Radio Amor was also recognized as a key recording of 2003 by Wire magazine. His work has also included commissions for contemporary dance, sound-art installations, as well as various writings. He currently resides in Montreal
An intellectual pioneer as much as anything else, Akira Rabelais issued forth musical creations and inventions from his perch at CalArts. Born and raised in South Texas, one of his childhood pastimes involved shooting metal plates with BB guns so that he could experience the unique sound that it caused. That fascination with sound, combined with a philosophical and literary bent (his favorite surreal and magical realist snippets of literature are on his website, www.akirarabelais.com) helped lay the path for the musical creations he has been issuing since 1990 — he describes himself as a “composer writing software, not an engineer making music.” The software that Rabelais made reference to in that quote, or at least the most famous among his inventions, was the Argeïphontes Lyre. With functions like Eviscerator Reanimator, Time Domain Mutation, Morphological Disintegration, Verwechslung Kaffeetass, and the Lobster Quadrille, the Lyre was a program that allowed the user to make a number of alterations to a piece of pre-recorded sound. The program quickly became a favorite of electronic music composers such as Terre Thaemlitz and Scanner, who used it to create disorienting sound shifts. Rabelais’ own CD, Elongated Pentagonal Pyramid (Ritornell, 1999), showed the stamp of the Lyre, with its multiple layers of gently wavering sound. Eisotrophobia followed in spring 2001.
shibui_oto is pleased to present immersound_LAX in partnership with Human Resources and VOLUME. immersound_LAX will showcase artists Christopher Bissonnette (CA), Tim Hecker (CA), and Akira Rabelais (US), for an intimate evening of performances in an immersive 6.1 channel installation.
About immersound
immersound is a concert series/philosophy initiated by artist France Jobin, which proposes to create a unique listening environment by focusing on the physical comfort of the audience through a specifically designed space. The premise for immersound is to seek out/explore new perceptions and experiences of the listening process by pushing the notion of “immersion” to its possible limits. Set in a very intimate context, limited to an audience of no more than 40, the architecture of the multi-channel sound system is consistent and evolutive in its design and tuning. The artists work collaboratively with the curator and sound engineer to develop musical compositions unique to the immersound experience.
SOLD OUT!
Venue
Human Resources 410 Cottage Home St.
Los Angeles CA, 90012
immersound_LAX is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
immersound_SEA
shibui_oto is pleased to present immersound_SEA in partnership with Wayward Music Series at the Chapel Performance Space. immersound_SEA will showcase artists Christopher Bissonnette (CA) and Tim Hecker (CA), for an intimate evening of performances in an immersive 6.1 channel installation.
immersound is a concert series/philosophy initiated by artist France Jobin, which proposes to create a unique listening environment by focusing on the physical comfort of the audience through a specifically designed space. The premise for immersound is to seek out/explore new perceptions and experiences of the listening process by pushing the notion of “immersion” to its possible limits. Set in a very intimate context, limited to an audience of no more than 40, the architecture of the multi-channel sound system is consistent and evolutive in its design and tuning. The artists work collaboratively with the curator and sound engineer to develop musical compositions unique to the immersound experience.
Drone is a utilitarian thing: when it works, it works. Being critical of it beyond pointing out the obvious in terms of form can be a challenge. In terms of articulating your position- it’s like arguing about different hues of grey (let’s hash out 919191 vs 999999, you hex/RGB nerds). Also, I don’t spend that much time thinking about it because it’s one form where it’s better to listen. Despite all misgivings about genre overcrowding, how there’s been too much drone released into in the world: maybe it’s simply like gas. Maybe pollen. Maybe there’s always just the right amount. I’ll let others discuss it on #dronelife. Anyways, as the onesheet goes: “湧声 is a sound creation made of layering over 5000 peculiar voices by tmymtur which includes ultrasonic waves…developing sounds from frequencies, marking over 20kHz – that human ears are incapable of catching. These ultrasonic waves are often included in sounds of nature such as the flow of the river, and sound of the wind blowing through the trees. It is said that these elements have the effect to make the human brain relaxed.” Despite the conceptual anchor of rendering the barely audible audible, it’s hard to figure out the difference between source and process. Little in the way of visuals demonstrate or allows for me to understand the science, and perhaps it was the raft of celebrity remixers who helped tease out the sounds, with interpretations by Christopher Willits, i8u, Sogar, Stephan Mathieu and Taylor Deupree. Each track is variation on a theme, exercises in shape and/or texture: one a tone louder, another quieter, the others more textured, sanded down, high sheen, chrome blue, cavernous, skinny, bright. Imagine this release as a tour through a gradient and proper attention will yield rewards. [CO]
Relatos del minimalismo. Atmósferas contemplativas. Fuentes inagotables de tranquilidad, de relajados movimientos entre más de 5000 capas de sonido que son reducidas o sumadas canción tras canción para generar tonalidades cambiantes, que pese a conservar similitud entre track y track, permanecen únicas y sublimes.
呼応 es una obra de Tmymtur creada como parte de una exposición donde se explora la superposición y modelado de miles de capas sonoras provenientes de voces de todo tipo de registros, incluyendo desde voces humanas hasta grabaciones de ultrasonidos, los cuales son procesados y transformados de diferentes maneras para generar diversos estados de escucha donde reina principalmente la introspección y la calma.
Todos los tracks parten de una única composición, la cual es remezclada por diversos artistas que plasman su versión pero conservando líneas donde se une cada corte con los demás haciendo de la experiencia de escucha algo delirante y elevador. Sonidos de alta tranquilidad, ideales para esos momentos donde por algún motivo necesitas sentirte en nada y en todo a la vez. Un especial disco para que el sonido en su aparente constancia rompa el tiempo y genere nuevos espacios desde la mente.
