July 31, 2007
listen
Amen Broken ends the month with another vigorous deconstruction of the amen break.
Amen Broken ends the month with another vigorous deconstruction of the amen break.
Labels: amen_break, loop
July 30, 2007
listen
Unsafe Bull is a tribute to Alvin Lucier's experimental classic, I Am Sitting In a Room. I used a short sample of composer Jay C Batzner saying "unsafe bull" (also the name of his podcast). This sample was compressed using QuickTime's Qualcomm PureVoice setting. The resulting file was compressed again in the same way. This process repeated 14 times, each version becoming more distorted. The different versions (original and 14 compressed) are heard in sequence.
If you haven't ever experienced I Am Sitting In a Room, you really should find a free hour and give it a listen. Also, check out Jay C Batzner's Unsafe Bull Podcast.
Unsafe Bull is a tribute to Alvin Lucier's experimental classic, I Am Sitting In a Room. I used a short sample of composer Jay C Batzner saying "unsafe bull" (also the name of his podcast). This sample was compressed using QuickTime's Qualcomm PureVoice setting. The resulting file was compressed again in the same way. This process repeated 14 times, each version becoming more distorted. The different versions (original and 14 compressed) are heard in sequence.
If you haven't ever experienced I Am Sitting In a Room, you really should find a free hour and give it a listen. Also, check out Jay C Batzner's Unsafe Bull Podcast.
Labels: collage, musique_concrete, process, unsafe_bull
July 29, 2007
listen
Pepper Mash mixes samples from all thirteen Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band songs into a dense, spicy paste.
Pepper Mash mixes samples from all thirteen Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band songs into a dense, spicy paste.
Labels: collage, plunderphonic
July 28, 2007
listen
Dance Loop Haiku
slicing apple loops
fleeting dreams of music fame
broken drums remain
Dance Loop Haiku
slicing apple loops
fleeting dreams of music fame
broken drums remain
Labels: amen_break, loop
July 27, 2007
listen
Midday is this week's collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com. After making a dance to last week's track, Late Night, he created this response. Same location, different time of day.
Freesound Project Sample attributions
heatwave.wavby laurent
Park_insects-02.wavby jakeharries
Midday is this week's collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com. After making a dance to last week's track, Late Night, he created this response. Same location, different time of day.
Freesound Project Sample attributions
heatwave.wavby laurent
Park_insects-02.wavby jakeharries
Labels: dance-a-day, freesound, musique_concrete
July 24, 2007
listen
Ashley Pearson Believes in You is a phrase from the 2004 State of the Union address. As a refresher, Ashley Pearson is the girl who sent the President a letter about supporting US troops in Iraq. Bush read from this letter during the speech.
I'm not sure what it is about Bush's peculiar way of speaking that attracts me, but I find myself going to the The George W. Bush Public Domain Audio Archive a lot.
Ashley Pearson Believes in You is a phrase from the 2004 State of the Union address. As a refresher, Ashley Pearson is the girl who sent the President a letter about supporting US troops in Iraq. Bush read from this letter during the speech.
I'm not sure what it is about Bush's peculiar way of speaking that attracts me, but I find myself going to the The George W. Bush Public Domain Audio Archive a lot.
Labels: collage, george_w_bush, musique_concrete
July 23, 2007
listen
Peanut Break
Many people have created many tracks using the amen break. I made two this month: Toss Me a Carrot and Invention 4.
Today's piece apllies some common amen-break techniques to a drum loop from another genre--swing. The drum loop is sampled from Royal Crown Revue's version of Salt Peanuts. The bass line is a manipulated Apple Loop.
Peanut Break
Many people have created many tracks using the amen break. I made two this month: Toss Me a Carrot and Invention 4.
Today's piece apllies some common amen-break techniques to a drum loop from another genre--swing. The drum loop is sampled from Royal Crown Revue's version of Salt Peanuts. The bass line is a manipulated Apple Loop.
Labels: collage, plunderphonic
July 22, 2007
listen
Whales & Bells is a cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday. In the end it didn't end up working within the production, but I still like it so here it is.
Whales & Bells is a cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday. In the end it didn't end up working within the production, but I still like it so here it is.
Labels: sound_design
July 20, 2007
listen
late night is this week's collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com.
darkness. crickets sing.
a moaning wind moves the trees.
distant tv sounds.
late night is this week's collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com.
darkness. crickets sing.
a moaning wind moves the trees.
distant tv sounds.
Labels: collage, dance-a-day, musique_concrete
July 18, 2007
listen
Hot
I apologize, there's really no excuse for this.
Hot
I apologize, there's really no excuse for this.
Labels: collage, musique_concrete, plunderphonic
July 17, 2007
listen
Invention 4 is my interpretation of Bach's Two-Part Invention no.4 in d minor. In school, we studied Bach's music quite a lot. Our focus was always on the harmonic and contrapuntal content of his music. These are important to be sure, but this approach omits one of my favorite aspects of Bach's musicÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡its rhythmic elegance. His melodic lines are expertly constructed so that, when played properly, they can groove as hard as any music made today. My addition of the reworked drumbreakÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡the amen, againÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡does not create a groove where none existed, it merely calls attention to what is already there.
Invention 4 is my interpretation of Bach's Two-Part Invention no.4 in d minor. In school, we studied Bach's music quite a lot. Our focus was always on the harmonic and contrapuntal content of his music. These are important to be sure, but this approach omits one of my favorite aspects of Bach's musicÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡its rhythmic elegance. His melodic lines are expertly constructed so that, when played properly, they can groove as hard as any music made today. My addition of the reworked drumbreakÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡the amen, againÔø‡Ôø‡Ôø‡does not create a groove where none existed, it merely calls attention to what is already there.
Labels: amen_break
July 16, 2007
listen
Brass begins this week with an algorithmic fanfare. Using MaxMSP I created a program that automatically and randomly samples and layers bits of a recording (in this case, the opening fanfare from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress) to create a new piece. After some fine tuning, I ended up with today's minute.
Brass begins this week with an algorithmic fanfare. Using MaxMSP I created a program that automatically and randomly samples and layers bits of a recording (in this case, the opening fanfare from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress) to create a new piece. After some fine tuning, I ended up with today's minute.
Labels: collage, MaxMSP, plunderphonic
July 15, 2007
listen
Birds & Whales is the fifth cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Birds & Whales is the fifth cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Labels: sound_design
July 14, 2007
listen
Introspect 2 is the fourth cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Introspect 2 is the fourth cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Labels: sound_design
July 13, 2007
listen
Hare Christna is the third collaboration with Boris Willis of Dance-A-Day. I took the original audio from his video, cleaned it up a little and added some new loops and layers.
Hare Christna is the third collaboration with Boris Willis of Dance-A-Day. I took the original audio from his video, cleaned it up a little and added some new loops and layers.
Labels: collage, dance-a-day
July 12, 2007
listen
msym2.1 is another experiment with compressing an entire movement of a symphony into a single minute. This time I used the first movement of Mahler's Symphony no.2 "Resurrection". Rather than deleting chunks of the music until only 60" remain, I cut the music into equal segments and piled all of them together so that the result is a dense swirl of Mahler.
msym2.1 is another experiment with compressing an entire movement of a symphony into a single minute. This time I used the first movement of Mahler's Symphony no.2 "Resurrection". Rather than deleting chunks of the music until only 60" remain, I cut the music into equal segments and piled all of them together so that the result is a dense swirl of Mahler.
Labels: collage, plunderphonic
July 11, 2007
listen
Recovering #2 further explores the noisy sounds I recovered from my hard drive while attempting to reverse an accidental deletion of some important files.
Watch out, it's noisy.
Recovering #2 further explores the noisy sounds I recovered from my hard drive while attempting to reverse an accidental deletion of some important files.
Watch out, it's noisy.
Labels: musique_concrete, noise
July 10, 2007
listen
Oh expands a recording of a woman's voice saying "oh" to a full minute.
Oh expands a recording of a woman's voice saying "oh" to a full minute.
Labels: collage, musique_concrete
July 9, 2007
listen
Toss Me a Carrot was created from two samples: the amen break and Brian Wilson's Vega-Tables. It's an exercise in absurd contrasts.
Toss Me a Carrot was created from two samples: the amen break and Brian Wilson's Vega-Tables. It's an exercise in absurd contrasts.
Labels: amen_break, collage, plunderphonic
July 8, 2007
listen
Leading was created using a single sample from the The George W Bush Public Domain Audio Archive that I manipulated using my favorite freeware, Sound Hack, and mixed in Logic. Enjoy.
Leading was created using a single sample from the The George W Bush Public Domain Audio Archive that I manipulated using my favorite freeware, Sound Hack, and mixed in Logic. Enjoy.
Labels: collage, george_w_bush, musique_concrete
July 7, 2007
listen
Harbor Bells is the second cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Harbor Bells is the second cue I created for To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday.
Labels: sound_design
OTC 1 on Dance-A-Day
As part of our ongoing collaboration, Boris Willis has created a dance using OTC 1 from July 2. Stop by danceaday.com to check it out:
http://danceaday.blogspot.com/2007/07/morneau-bass.html
http://danceaday.blogspot.com/2007/07/morneau-bass.html
July 6, 2007
listen
Retreat is the first in a set of music cues created for a production of To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday staged by Curtain Players. I will be posting these cues to correspond with the performance dates.
Retreat opens the performance, transporting the audience from a crowded urban street to the beachside setting for the play.
Retreat is the first in a set of music cues created for a production of To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday staged by Curtain Players. I will be posting these cues to correspond with the performance dates.
Retreat opens the performance, transporting the audience from a crowded urban street to the beachside setting for the play.
Labels: sound_design
July 5, 2007
listen
Recovering #1 is one of a series of pieces I intend to create using a particular set of sounds. While working on a project last year I accidentally deleted an entire folder of sound files that I needed. In a moment of panic I purchased a file recovery program and ran it on my hard-drive. In addition to the files that I needed, it somehow recovered 14GB of random sound files. Most of these are noises, probably from data that was originally part of some other file type. I've kept this fascinating collection and will use it to make many little pieces over the next year.
Watch out, it's noisy...
Recovering #1 is one of a series of pieces I intend to create using a particular set of sounds. While working on a project last year I accidentally deleted an entire folder of sound files that I needed. In a moment of panic I purchased a file recovery program and ran it on my hard-drive. In addition to the files that I needed, it somehow recovered 14GB of random sound files. Most of these are noises, probably from data that was originally part of some other file type. I've kept this fascinating collection and will use it to make many little pieces over the next year.
Watch out, it's noisy...
Labels: musique_concrete, noise
July 4, 2007
listen
Cadence is an expanded version of a snare drum cadence used by marching bands.
Happy Independence Day, America.
Happy Wednesday, World.
Cadence is an expanded version of a snare drum cadence used by marching bands.
Happy Independence Day, America.
Happy Wednesday, World.
Labels: collage, holiday, plunderphonic
Bonus #1: Mother Daughter
listen
One of the inspirations for 60x365 is a similar project called Dance-A-Day by Boris Willis. As the name implies, this is a podcast where a new dance video is posted every day. These are wonderfully varied and embrace the act of creation without worrying about whether a masterpiece is being created. Boris describes this motivation in his Pre-Futurist Manifesto:
We've agreed to collaborate regularly on his posts, exchanging music and video, and taking turns in the lead. All of the music I create for these collaborations will also appear here. In cases where the video being scored is longer than a minute, the music will be classified as a bonus track so as not to upset the 60-second imperative I've laid out for myself.
The first collaboration, Mother Daughter, can be seen here.
One of the inspirations for 60x365 is a similar project called Dance-A-Day by Boris Willis. As the name implies, this is a podcast where a new dance video is posted every day. These are wonderfully varied and embrace the act of creation without worrying about whether a masterpiece is being created. Boris describes this motivation in his Pre-Futurist Manifesto:
Performance happens now, it does not have to secure funding, book a theater or advertise in newspapers. It does not need rehearsal space. It does not need a concept. It does not need to last for more than a second. It does not need to be ephemeral. It does not need flowy pants, tight tops or bare feet. It does not need previews, reviews or even to be seen at all.
We've agreed to collaborate regularly on his posts, exchanging music and video, and taking turns in the lead. All of the music I create for these collaborations will also appear here. In cases where the video being scored is longer than a minute, the music will be classified as a bonus track so as not to upset the 60-second imperative I've laid out for myself.
The first collaboration, Mother Daughter, can be seen here.
Labels: dance-a-day
July 2, 2007
listen
OTC #1 explores the uses of ready-made loops available with programs like Apple's GarageBand. These programs ship with scores of loops that enable any user to feel like a real producer. Here I cut apart a single bass loop and rearrange the slices into new patterns that degrade over the course of the piece. It is also the second weekly collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com.
OTC #1 explores the uses of ready-made loops available with programs like Apple's GarageBand. These programs ship with scores of loops that enable any user to feel like a real producer. Here I cut apart a single bass loop and rearrange the slices into new patterns that degrade over the course of the piece. It is also the second weekly collaboration with Boris Willis of danceaday.com.
Labels: dance-a-day, loop
November 2007 is "Listener Appreciation Month"
If you would like to participate in Listener Appreciation Month here at 60x365 all you need to do is provide an idea for a one-minute piece that you would like to hear. Your suggestions can be as specific as "compress the entire Sgt. Pepper's album into a minute", or as general as "make something fun with Rush Limbaugh's voice". Or, if you're uncomfortable suggesting a sound source, you can provide a poem, or a picture, or even a video for me to respond to.
When I use your idea, I will credit you by name and, if you want, provide a link to your webpage or myspace profile or whatever other online presence you maintain. My goal is to collect enough ideas so that every day in November can feature a listener suggestion. Please send you ideas to me via email @ dmorneau@60x365.com _or_ by posting a comment on this page.
Thank you.
When I use your idea, I will credit you by name and, if you want, provide a link to your webpage or myspace profile or whatever other online presence you maintain. My goal is to collect enough ideas so that every day in November can feature a listener suggestion. Please send you ideas to me via email @ dmorneau@60x365.com _or_ by posting a comment on this page.
Thank you.
July 1, 2007
listen
bsym5.1 was originally composed for the Vox Novus 60x60 project (a collection of sixty one minute works by different composers presented in concert as a continuous one hour work.) It was included in the 2006 Midwest Mix and presented on several concerts during the year. That project was a part of the inspiration for this one.
bsym5.1 compresses the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony no.5 into sixty seconds. enjoy.
bsym5.1 was originally composed for the Vox Novus 60x60 project (a collection of sixty one minute works by different composers presented in concert as a continuous one hour work.) It was included in the 2006 Midwest Mix and presented on several concerts during the year. That project was a part of the inspiration for this one.
bsym5.1 compresses the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony no.5 into sixty seconds. enjoy.
Labels: 60x60, collage, plunderphonic
welcome to 60x365
One minute compositions, one new composition a day, every day for a full year.
Why? I like the challenge of creating this way. Being in a position where I need to compose a new work every day will push me to develop and grow. Also, I'm interested in exploring what it means to be a composer in the internet age, how to create for this medium.
How to best listen is a choice I leave to you.
Why? I like the challenge of creating this way. Being in a position where I need to compose a new work every day will push me to develop and grow. Also, I'm interested in exploring what it means to be a composer in the internet age, how to create for this medium.
How to best listen is a choice I leave to you.
Help Promote 60x365
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links to 60x365
- NPR interview
- New Music Box interview
- Spark Festival Review
- Networked Music Review (1)
- Networked Music Review (2)
- OSU Arts Blog
- Great Dance
- Eine Kleine Yarnmusik (1)
- Eine Kleine Yarnmusik (2)
- We Are All Mozart
other sites of interest
- Dance-A-Day
- Unsafe Bull Podcast
- Vox Novus' 60x60 Project
- We Are All Mozart
- x365
- Some Assembly Required
- Networked Music Review
- Thing-A-Day
