Red Room Saturday: Olivia Block (Chicago) + Caleb Johnston (Baltimore), two electro-acoustic solos
John Berndt
Saturday 10/4/14
Door Open at 8:30PM
$6
OLIVIA BLOCK / CALEB JOHNSTON
The Red Room is proud to present Olivia Block, one of the most interesting electro-acoustic composers of our time, in a Baltimore premier of her work "Dissolution," along with a unique opening performance by Baltimore inventor Caleb Johnston.
Superb Chicago electro-acoustic musician Oliva Block creates sound compositions for performance, recordings, installations, cinema, orchestra and chamber music concerts. Her solo performances include partially improvised pieces for electronics and amplified objects, presented in a slow and deliberate gestural style that Steve Smith of the New York Times described recently as having “palpable sensations of volition and emotional involvement.” Her compositions often combine field recordings, chamber instruments and electronic textures. In addition to her compositions for solo recordings and performances, Block creates multimedia works for sounds and video and writes scores for large ensemble, string quartet, and orchestra. She will be performing "Dissolution."
Dissolution is a solo performance piece composed mainly of
pre-recorded unscripted conversations from personal recordings, live
feeds and field recordings. These dialogues are layered, obscured and
revealed through various live processing techniques. At most points in
the piece, there are no intelligible words, only somewhat recognizable
linguistic and emotional sound-patterns and inflections. There are
small, fleeting glimpses of language, only to be submerged into a haze
of patterns again. Field recordings from various sites are also brought
in and out of the mix.
Live processing techniques include the
utilization of communication-related instruments, both vintage and
modern, including noisy vintage walkie-talkies, analog processing
devices, and analog micro-cassette recorders. Other instruments in the
piece include amplified autoharp, amplified metal objects, and small
electronic instruments. Dissolution is both a sound/musical performance
and a personal medi
tation about the failings and complications of sound-communication--the
misunderstandings and mistranslations, interference and disruptions.
Opening up is local mad scientist inventor Caleb Johnston from Baltimore's spirited WEST SIDE (Proprietor of THE BANK). Caleb will be performing on his new invention called the VC REV-VAR LOOP which allows control voltages to drive tapes speeds, creating unusual sound possibilities.
The Red Room
C/o. Normals Books and Records
425 E. 31st St.
Baltimore MD. 21218
www.redroom.org
"The Red Room: Expanding The Definition of Expanding The Definition."