My Podcast: The Holmes Archive of Electronic Music
My blog for the Bob Moog Foundation.
Every once in a while, I find myself listening to a selection of electronic music that is so interesting that I tell myself I must play it in a podcast. This episode is one of those. I was listening, kind of randomly, to works by Robert Ashley and came upon one of my favorites—Superior Seven. Bob was often known for what he called his “operas,” conversational dialog set to modern music, often electronic. But Superior Seven is not one of those. It is a work that he composed following the introduction of MIDI in the mid-1980s. It is a concert piece written for flute, piano and a MIDI orchestra. But that hardly describes the music you are going to hear. It is one of those works I always find to be fresh, whether listening from a recording or seeing it live, which I was fortunate to have done.
For some reason, while listening to Ashley, I was reminded of the contemporary electronic composer and musician Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, a vocalist, guitarist, and modular synth artist from Washington state in the United States. The connection is more subliminal that apparent, but Smith deftly blend instrumental and electronic sounds in a way that I think Ashley would have appreciated. So, in this episode we will hear four tracks from her album called The Kid.
My third inspiration for this episode is from long-time Ashley engineer, mixer, and collaborator, Tom Hamilton. He is himself a really interesting composer and I am featuring a couple of works that remind me of his connection to Superior Seven, for which he collaborated with Ashley in concert and for this recording. One of those works is from 1997 and you are hearing it right now in the background: “Region 6” of Sebastian’s Shadow, a musical exposition based on J. S. Bach's Fantasia And Fugue No. 4. This is the last track from that CD. And, we will open this podcast with another Hamilton work, “London Fix 2” from a disc called London Fix. This disc is subtitled "Music Changing with the price of Gold. An environment of continuous electronic music created through a programming residency at Engine 27, New York City.”
Episode 133
Sonic Adventures in Electronic Composition—The Ashley, Smith, and Hamilton Mix
Playlist
Time | Track Time | Start |
Introduction –Thom Holmes | 05:35 | 00:00 |
1. Tom Hamilton, “London Fix 2” from London Fix (2003 Muse Eek). Composed and produced by Tom Hamilton; Programmed by Michael J. Schumacher. Tom Hamilton first made his living in audio production then gradually shifted all of that work to new music. Tom worked on almost all of the late Robert Ashley CDs and tours since 1990. This disc is subtitled "Music Changing with the price of Gold. An environment of continuous electronic music created through a programming residency at Engine 27, New York City. Please play softly.” | 08:13 | 05:42 |
2. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is an American composer raised on Orcas Island in northwest Washington state. She attended the Berklee College of Music in order to study composition and sound engineering. Smith is a vocalist, classical guitarist, and electronic musician using a variety of modular setups. | 05:20 | 13:56 |
3. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “I Am Curious, I Care” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. | 03:44 | 19:22 |
4. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “I Will Make Room For You” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. | 04:58 | 23:08 |
5. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “To Feel Your Best” from The Kid (2017 Western Vinyl). Composed, produced, and performed by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. | 06:20 | 28:07 |
6. Robert Ashley, “Superior Seven” from Superior Seven / Tract (1995 New World Records). Flute and computer programming, Barbara Held; Computer Programming, processing, and mixed by Tom Hamilton; synthesizer voices designed by Robert Ashley and Tom Hamilton; composed by Robert Ashely. Ashley was mostly known for his modern operas composed of dialog and new music. As a result, this instrumental work may not be what you expect from him. Superior Seven dates from 1988, just after the introduction of MIDI. Ashley fully explored MIDI for this work, writing a solo flute part with piano and a MIDI orchestra. Music was written for a flute player and pianist and audible cues triggered the engagement of MIDI instrumental parts controlled by a participating electronic musician (Hamilton). I saw this performed live and the results were startling. | 30:15 | 34:16 |
Opening background music: Tom Hamilton, “Region 6” (excerpt) from Sebastian's Shadow (1997 Monroe Street Music). Electronics and composed by Tom Hamilton. Sebastian's Shadow follow the harmonic order found in J. S. Bach's Fantasia And Fugue No. 4 (BWV 542) (15:23).
Introduction to the podcast voiced by Anne Benkovitz.
Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.
