Re: [microsound] I N S E C T M U S I C

[jhno <ear@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>> Frogs

>insect


strange how these two branches of species have such a unique and compelling
projection into our perceived audiospace. at least into mine; i am as likey
to be hypnotized by a chorus of tree frogs, as a few scattered phasmids
unseen in a grass field, negotiating... what? are they trying to
accomplish? find each other? find food? i siesta'ed amongst the phenomenal
cicadas at punto del diablo, iqualla, mexico, the most interesting i've
heard, and listened for hours, to emerge with, essentially, no clue. my
curiosity is unabated, even though my ability to detect the pattern and
organization there may never be sufficient to see what is behind it...

by analogy, think of the pre-sapiens earth as rich host for the chaotic ebb
and flux of electrical potential... most dramatically perceived during
thunderstorms but operating at many other levels, down the soil chemistry
and cell biology. an electric-centric point of view might witness history
as a gradual organization of electrons into higher states of information,
overall creating a distinct sense of structure, a sculpture with an idea to
express.

the gist, i believe, is that any time-based stratum where laws (or rules of
thumb) of resonance and propagation hold true, has the potential to develop
complex behaviors, or host them, should an external source have a method of
transferring its activity. we refer to a certain class of these behaviors
as "life," although it is generally agreed that the boundary definitions
are indistinct.

in the buzz and click and moan of nature my ear seeks correlation to the
underlying logic of their origins, and the stories and movements that have
transpired. i know i miss almost all of it, almost all the time - but that
is to be expected.

insects and/or frogs took residence in every recording i have released
(except perhaps the 12" single, fly, which was more about eagles, and the
70's, and squarepusher). however they have played a more consistent and
noticeable role in my live sets. what i have observed is that the bugs
offer a layer of... depth... to a space. the context of a live set is
always some kind of human gathering in human architecture to engage in
human activities (talking, falling, stealing silverware) so somehow a
subtle bed of sound that is itself comprised of a large community of
creatures lost in the slings and arrows of their own existence... well, i
don't think many of the listeners recognize it explicitly, but we would
rather not manipulate the explicit part of their minds anyway, since that
is where all the laws are.

for at least one listener, the insects and frogs have always been the high
point (respects, chac-mool). he is listening for the systemic relationships
beneath the sounds, as draws our ear in any kind of music. the bugs and the
frogs are symbionts with an asymmetrical relationship - (one could say
predator-prey, but that is a bit presumptuous). our own harnessing of
electrons has been much more meticulous and one-sided - but the bodhisattva
has not thrown the red flag; presumably electricity is not sentient. or
perhaps, electrons are quite sentient, and yet couldn't care less where
they are hurled around in the larger scheme of things. to them it is all
just a good, fast ride.

if some informational entity subsists within the vibrational fields of the
cicada, i suspect it would be an equally benign passenger. but perhaps not.
i search for clues, in the language of the cicadas - not the surface
language that the insects understand, but the language beneath that, the
subtext, but what patterns replicate in that medium... movement and
activity that is sustained physically by the bugs, but with completely
orthogonal to that frame of reference.

this would be not a symbiont, but an informational parasite, of sorts. it
could be an intentional propagation of by a replicating system compatible
with the medium, or nothing more than "random" viral propagations of
unusual patters that happen to thrive in those rules, with no source but
the tao. these would be no less interesting, as viral activity offers a
unique viewpoint into the character of a system, both its figure and
ground. the tao has such a compelling form.

[j]

http://subminimal.com/ear