Ref. Assembler, Lag Tunes and SimpleTextAudio...

[Christopher Murphy <chris@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear All,

Ref. Lag Tunes and/or SimpleTextAudio...

Since we released Pimmon's 'Assembler' CD we've received a steady stream of
queries and comments about some of the additional 'software' components that
were released to accompany the 'hardware' CD.

Given the recent question(s) re. SimpleTextAudio, I thought it might answer
a few questions to post a draft of an interview that is currently ongoing
between Laudanum and Fallt.

Apologies if this in any way appears out of place posting to the list but as
quite a few of the questions/comments have originated at .microsound, it
seems appropriate.


::::....::::....::::....::::....


Laudanum:
I wanted to ask you some questions about 'Assembler' so as not to fall into
the same trap as Mr. Borthwick...[cf. The Wire, December 2000].


Fallt:
Yes, the first paragraph of the review [about not being able to find the
additional components at the Fallt website] concerned me. We've always tried
to make our website crystal clear and easy to navigate. As far as I was
concerned the .mp3s etc. were easy enough to find. An email asking where
they were and suggesting, perhaps, a clearer interface might have been a
more constructive approach than an opening paragraph that I felt helped no
one.

Nonetheless, I did feel (minus the first paragraph) the review was
insightful and obviously grasped the depth of 'Assembler' (i.e. it's not
'just another static-soaked noise-fest'...).

As the Press Release states, we always intended to blur the lines between
the different components that comprise Assembler. I suppose, as you suggest,
we could have bundled all the components on the CD but then I'm not sure
we'd have acheived the same effect.

The CD alone was intended as very much a self-contained suite - almost a
symphonic approach - which would work alone if the decision was made not to
download the additional components.

I don't think the ten one minute .mp3 studies would work if added onto the
end of the CD. While similar in feel, each one is a distinct study; by
adding them as audio files one would inevitably judge them in relation to
the twelve tracks on the CD.

The whole thing came about do in no small part to my discovering an old
(1948) book on musical terminology. I was fascinated with the terms:
'etude', 'symphony', etc. hence the inspiration to release the one minute
studies through the site. I've always felt the sheer intangibility of .mp3s
lends them perfectly to exploratory/investigative pieces.


::::....::::....


Laudanum:
What exactly is the connection between the components and the CD?


Fallt:
It is a flexible, open-ended system that exists within a set of audio/visual
parameters (or 'styles'). Part of the reason for introducing a
component-based structure was to allow for the introduction of an ongoing
series of 'remixes'/'reactions' to the original work. We liked the idea that
the work was ongoing.

To this end we have a variety of artists currently working on responses to
the original piece, the first to be uploaded (currently being finalised but
I've attached a link below) will by Fallt designers Fehler:

http://www.fallt.com/assembler/diazepam


::::....::::....


Laudanum:
How do you want us to listen or view them?


Fallt:
As with all (Fallt) releases: any way you choose. I'm very much in agreement
with Barthes notion of the 'death of the author'; once the work is
'finished' and 'released' the reader may interpret it in any way they see
fit and there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to read it.

The various pieces can be read independently, in tandem, reacted to,
adjusted, mixed... Ultimately the listener (or reader) decides.


::::....::::....


Laudanum:
How do the scores relate?


Fallt:
I think there's an explanation at the site now but, in all honesty, I
thought it was self-evident and needed no explicit explanation. The scores
were exchanged as the project unfolded: the music informed the scores; the
scores informed the music.

There is a long tradition of Graphic Scores (Feldman, Cage and Stockhausen
to name but a few) but I had in mind specifically the 'listening scores' of
György Ligeti. These were scores provided to accompany Ligeti's music, where
shapes and symbols, in various colours, were used to represent what is
heard.

The music on 'Assembler' (specifically the CD) is incredibly complex with
several different levels interacting at once. To me it represents an
incredibly rich listening experience which truly rewards repeated listening
(I think I've now heard the various components in excess of a few hundered
times each and I haven't tired of them in the slightest).

The idea of Ligeti's 'listening scores' appealed to me greatly as I believe
that music should be an open and expressive process which rewards
exploration and play. I like the idea that a listener can hear different
aspects by listening alongside the variety of scores provided. There are
more scores which will be uploading periodically to further enhance this
aspect.


::::....::::....


Laudanum:
What is the point of the one second 'locked grooves' (this is the strange
one for me)...?


Fallt:
This has been quite a common reaction and, to be honest, I find it a
little perplexing. If a label releases a piece of vinyl with 'locked
grooves' on it, the point seems obvious. The uses are many: play,
experimentation, functional use, DJ'ing for example. But releasing these as
software-only files seems to have aroused some confusion as to the point.

I think it might lie in the fact that the tracks were labelled as
SimpleTextAudio? which has raised it's own set of questions (for example,
what exactly is SimpleTextAudio??). A common reaction has been to ask if the
files are meant to be read as text or played, the answer is, again, that
they can be read in a multitude of ways, no way more 'right' than any of the
others.

A similar series of audio fragments existed on Farmers Manual excellent
'fsck' [Or, 1997] perhaps because this was CD-based it was simply accepted
that the CD was intended to play on shuffle mode. A more explicit (yet less
publicised) exploration of this concept was Ios Smolders must-have 'Music
for CD Player' [Staaltape, 1994] in which he wrote the following:

"The CD contains a digitally encoded score. Your CD player is the performer.
You are the conductor."

We commissioned Otaku Yakuza to reproduce a series of 60 one second
reactions to 'Assembler' for a number of reasons. Primarily, because we were
fascinated with the fact that she chooses to work only in SimpleText (hence
SimpleTextAudio...), eschewing any 'normal' audio editors or sequencers. We
have a CD currently in progress by her [ASCII] but for a number of reasons
it's release has been delayed so we wanted to release something by her as a
temporary measure.

In addition to this we were intrigued by the fact that a single second -
usually viewed as an extremely short audio timeframe - is in fact an
incredibly spacious event. We were also fascinated by the fact that the
fragments Yakuza provided were so recognisably by Pimmon. Lastly, we hoped
these fragments might be picked up and utilised by others, possibly
contributing the results back to Fallt for release as part of the ongoing
web-based remix/patches series...


::::....::::....::::....::::....


I hope that clears up some of the questions we've been receiving and, if
nothing else, proves interesting reading.

Take care,

Christopher


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