Sounds

All audio examples are MPEG 3, encoded at 192 kbps or better.

Electroacoustic

Coming Together (2009-)

Coming Together is a series of compositions that can be summed up as “composition by negotiation”: autonomous musical software agents interacting to determine an ever-changing musical environment. Agents converge various musical parameters (such as density, volume, and pitch) towards a mutually agreed upon collection; however, agents can also choose to break away from the group.

Coming Together : Notomoton

Live performance system for percussionist, robotic percussion, and realtime composition system

Coming Together: NotomotoN was inspired by the NotomotoN robotic instrument, created by Ajay Kapur. Given a composition’s overall duration, individual sections are calculated in which a rhythmic tala is interpreted by the agents, one of whom is the Notomoton, in unique ways. The human performer improvises over the dynamic environment, and his playing is interpreted by the agents in ways that affect the resulting music.

Coming Together : Shoals

Artificial Life Installation

Exploring Ollie Bown and Jon McCormack's notion of sonic eco-systems - using elements of artificial life to create artworks, but tuning the systems for creative purposes. Audio becomes for artificial lifeforms, who consume it through granular synthesis, using Diemo Schwartz's CataRT system. Agents form social networks, and converge parameters over time. Future plans include extending this work over a long-distance high-speed network.

Coming Together : Beauty & Truth

Installation

The agents begin playing phrases of a single pitch, at unique tempi and time signatures. They listen to one another, and attempt to converge their phrase beginnings and lengths. At the same time, they negotiate a group harmony by moving their pitches in relation to other agents in order to create a "harmonious" relationship. Once agents acheive initial harmonic success, they add additional pitches around their chord tones: these pitches are also negotiated so as to create a "harmonious" result. Lastly, agents attempt to acheive a collective volume; however, individual agents may "break away" from the group, and play at either a much higher (or lower) level. The end result should be a "coming together" of tempo, tala, volume, and harmony.

Beauty & Truth are the original (and far more poetic) names for Top and Bottom quarks. Quarks are elementary particles of matter with extremely short lifetimes that can only be observed in the most precise conditions (i.e. particle colliders); similarly, the Beauty/Truth agents are only born when specific conditions have evolved within their world. Their lives are beautiful, but extremely short (in comparison to the other agents); similarly, they demonstrate the "truth" of the environment within which they exist.

KinetiK Engine (2005-2009)

Ongoing research project, in which intelligent multiagents create complex rhythmic interactions in performance.

Version II

Kinetic Engine controls Ajay Kapur's MahaDeviBot, a 12-armed robotic drummer.

Version III

Kinetic Engine generating a score, using a genetic algorithm dervied from an analysis of Cuban music; performed by musicians

Kinetic Engine generating material in realtime,also using a genetic algorithm; controlling MahaDevibot

Version IV

Using rhythmic information passed from v.2, a separate set of autonomous agents control pitch interaction

Silicon/Sand (2005)

A collaboration with Amir Koushkani, Persian Tar virtuoso. Eight studies in the relationship between ancient and modern; east and west; acoustic and electroacoustic; poetic and abstract.

Resonant Postcards (2005)

Stereo reproduction of an immersive, 8 channel live soundscape work. Based upon the concept of "audio postcards" - 20-40 second clips of soundscape recordings. Live processing is a complex method of resonant filtering based upon spectral energy.

7:57 min MP3

English Bluff (2004)

Collaboration with Halifax cellist Norman Armour. Norm requested an interactive work for cello and Max/MSP that he could perform solo, without me being present. Seems straightforward, until you realize that all of my interactive software requires me to "babysit" it and nudge it along.

21:46 min MP3

Komori-Chambon (2004)

Created for the largest net-label release of all time, "Wein, Weib und Gesang" - a collection of ambient music from 34 different artists, almost five hours long. A longer than usual ambient exploration of some non-Western soundscapes and sound objects.

Available on kikapu (under my pseudonym "raemus").

Ambiguous Prophets (2004)

A series of "ambient minimal" works using software created in Max/MSP. Beginning with one or more recordings of world music, the software manipulates the material in various ways (including granular synthesis) in realtime.

Available on nishi (under my pseudonym "raemus").

sp*m filt_er (2004)

A series of "ambient minimal" works using software created in Max/MSP. The software generates the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of the patterns based upon parameters set by me. I control the relationship of the patterns in a real-time (live) performance. The titles are taken from a series of spams I received in the winter of 2003-2004.

Available on kikapu (under my pseudonym "raemus").

Stream (2004)

A soundscape work, created in Max/MSP, that explores the multiple meanings of the title: moving water, moving people, moving data.

Stream Studies (2004)

A series of short studies, created while working on "Stream". Also using soundscape recordings manipulated live using software created in Max/MSP.

Available on stasisfield (under my pseudonym "raemus").

Goran Remix (2004)

Music for Serge Bennathan's choreographer for the Off Centre Dancers. Based upon the album "Weddings and Funerals", by the amazing Gypsy composer Goran Bregovich, it is essentially a remix, combining up to six different songs from the album, with the liberal addition of other beats, drones, and sounds.

Nine Days (2003)

A foray into the world of electronica - "ambient minimal", for lack of a better description. All are live studio compositions, realized using software written in Max/MSP.

Available on 2063 (under my pseudonym "raemus").

Featured on centibel, Edition 7, august 2003. Reviewed in Disquiet, February 2004.

Obsessions Délicates (2002)

A musique concréte abstract work without mimetic or referential qualities. Sound as sound.

8:20 min MP3

Pejvak (2001)

An interactive work with Amir Koushkani, tar, and iBook running Max/MSP.

10 min MP3

Anagrams (2000/2001)

12 pieces that each explore a different source recording through realtime granular synthesis. All are live studio compositions, realized using software written in Max/MSP.

The entire 12 piece CD "Anagrams" is available through kolorform records (under my pseudonym "raemus").

  1. primo bolo - 2:56 min MP3
  2. i hertz - 3:58 min MP3
  3. of gypsum gently - 3:01 min MP3
  4. id, ergo, i do - 3:45 min MP3
  5. a gold kudu - 5:35 min MP3
  6. older sun - 5:19 min MP3
  7. isis luminance - 3:17 min MP3
  8. malayisah - 3:15 min MP3
  9. bryn ade keggin - 4:58 min MP3
  10. pith oboe thunderer - 3:40 min MP3
  11. loam ruins - 3:29 min MP3
  12. a veneer theory - 4:37 min MP3

Below are images from the Quicktime video that accompanies three of the pieces:
Malayisah
Isis Luminance
A Veneer Theory

Soundbytes (1991)

Media clips from the two weeks prior to the Gulf War.
11:47 min MP3

Inside Leonardo (1989)

Excerpts from the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci.

7:42 min MP3

Commissioned as "Calculus and Arithmatic" by EDAM Dance, Vancouver.

Sands of Sirocco (1989)

Winds of North Africa, blowing sounds, as well as sands, of the desert dwellers.

11:08 min MP3

Commissioned as music for dance by Ballet Jurgen, Toronto.

In the Light of the Above (1989)

Inspired by the medeval humanist struggles against the oppression by the church.

15:02 min MP3

Commissioned as music for dance by Les Jeunes Ballets, Marsailles.

Small People Behind the Big Red Suns (1988)

Red images, including blood coursing through veins, planets in space...

10:17 min MP3

Commissioned as music for dance by Judith Marcuse Dance Company, Vancouver.

Acoustic

Slam / The Title of Your Book (2008)

Serge Bennathan was asked to create a work for Vancouver's Dancing on the Edge 20th anniversary show, and I was commissioned by Standing Wave to compose a new work that involved dance - this is how combined both into one. The version here is a MIDI realisation created for the dance premiere in July 2008; the musical premiere will occur in 2009.

Noughts and Crosses (2006)

A chamber work for soprano, bass clarinet, piano, and percussion. Text by Colin Browne.

Image d'une Traversée (1998)

An orchestral work, commissioned by les Ballets de Monte Carlo, for choreography by Serge Bennathan. This is a MIDI realization, as the recording was not usable.   :-(

20 minute MP3

Remembering/Forgetting (1997)

An orchestral work, commissioned by the Stuttgart Ballet, for choreography by John Alleyne.

20 min MP3

Quand les Grand-meres s'envolent (When Grandmothers Fly Away) (1992/2003)

A work for chamber orchestra, composed for Serge Bennathan's Dancemakers. Based upon the opening of The Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae by Jan Zelenka (1679-1745) ; a post-modern appropriation/reworking.

Defiant Paths (1997) (excerpts)

A chamber work for violin, viola, harp, vibraphone, and alto. Commissioned by Judith Garay. The dance is about Finnish Immigrants to British Columbia, and the hard times they experienced. This is the "sad" duet. Most reviewers didn't think too much of the sparseness of the whole work.

Water Stories (1998) (excerpts)

A zany dance work by Marla Eist, requiring some fun and frivolous dance music.

les yeux fermes (1997)

A piece for string trio, commissioned by Katherine Labelle Dance, choreography by Serge Bennathan. The solo dancer dances the entire 15 minutes with her eyes closed.

14:32 minute MP3

Les Arbres d'Or (1995) (excerpts)

Les Arbres d'or is a one hour composition for flute, saxophone, bass clarinet, recorder, flugelhorn, violin, viola, bass, harp, vibes/marimba, and piano. It was commissioned by the Canada Council for Toronto's Dancemakers for choreography by Serge Bennathan. The Canadian Press loved it, the American press hated it. I have released a CD of the entire work, available through the Canadian Music Centre.

In and Around Kozla Street [Warsaw] (1994)

Probably my most famous piece. Commissioned by Ballet BC, choreography by Serge Bennathan. Performed throughout North America and parts of Asia (including once in Japan in a performance that the crown Prince of Japan attended), remounted three times (!) in Vancouver. Audiences love the work, and so do most reviewers. Michael Scott, the pinhead from the Vancouver Sun, somehow saw a difference piece.

Les Vents Tumultueux (1994) (excerpts)

Commissioned by Dancemakers, this score is for synthesizers and seven instruments. Kind of a fin de siecle piece. Here are four of the eight pieces:

Traumweiss (1994)

I wrote this piece as a favour to Serge Bennathan. He had done a duet using Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs. When the Strauss estate heard about this, they told him to stop using the music. So I wrote this orchestral score (this is a MIDI realization) in the style of Richard Strauss, to replace the "lost" music. It's kind of tongue in cheek.

13:37 min

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