I'd like to introduce my newest CD release, "Mandolin from Mars". You can read more below, download sample sound clips, and view CD artwork on the web.
Mandolin from Mars is colorful and complex exploration of the 6-string mandolin and laptop computer. This work weaves a fantastic story of the "red planet," babbling mountains, and menacing telepathic messages from the ancient chimera of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.
Anyone who has managed to follow my discography, while taking note of the themes I have emphasized as inspiration for my music, will also observe that I am almost always fixated upon the ideas of space, science fiction, and horror (especially the Lovecraftian sort). I’m afraid this CD is no different. These themes continue to occupy my thoughts and heart with the same fascination and intrigue that I experienced as a child.
As with most of my works assembled on compact disc, I tend to freely improvise the music, let the music do the talking, and then title the songs and tell the story accordingly. Mandolin from Mars has two stories to tell.
The first story is regarding this so-called "mandolin from mars." I decided to play an instrument relatively new to me, namely, the 6-string mandolin. The instrument has six single strings (not doubled like the traditional four-string mandolin), and it is tuned like a guitar. It was therefore not difficult for me, as a guitarist of 25 years, to grasp the fundamentals of the instrument and play it in a convincing manner almost immediately. However, the small fret spacing on the mandolin proved challenging and forced me to take the songs on the CD in a different direction than from the idiosyncrasies I normally exhibit on the guitar. Consequently, I titled the CD "Mandolin from Mars" because the instrument was alien to me (i.e., metaphorically from Mars), which compelled me to generate a musical feel that would seem alien to listeners relative to what they normally expect from the mandolin.
Playing the mandolin on this CD was therefore an experiment. I did not practice the instrument before recording, but rather I immersed myself directly in the instrument to express myself as best as I could without being colored by familiarity with its musical character.
The second story is the usual one. The titles and order of the pieces on this CD frame a series of images and concepts. Here is the “CliffsNotes” version: The so-called face of Mars sends a radio message to Earth, which the title depicts as “Unintelligible Archetypal Babble from the Face.” This concept is accentuated by the fact that it is the only song on the CD that was recorded with only my voice, processed with the laptop computer. After the babble from the face, Earth sends out a manned probe to investigate. (Remind you of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "2010: The Year We Make Contact"? It should.) During the space trek to the red plant, and while in their life support cold-sleep units, the astronauts are haunted and possessed by telepathic and menacing messages from an alien being on Mars. (The being is Cthulhu, and this is basically consistent with the Cthulhu Mythos for anyone into that story by HP Lovecraft.) Think of this when you hear the song “Astrophonic Dreams in the Tube,” but take note that some of the sound effects you hear are a processed recording of an MRI machine. (I was inspired to do this after receiving an MRI and experiencing back surgery.) I actually enjoyed the MRI, which inspired me to produce more CDs like this!
...back to the story. Shortly before the manned space probe lands on Mars, Earth loses contact (“Probe Out”), after which the astronauts are driven (again by telepathic commands from Cthulhu) to cultivate some of the "trenches" on Mars, fill them with water (“Thirst for Ancient Shores”), and then reanimate Cthulhu, the ancient Lovecraftian beast. After this activity, Cthulhu rises to the planet’s surface to...well, who knows? That is for the imagination of Lovecraft fans, but one might suspect that the creature remains on Mars to build a new alien kingdom. Either that or he makes his way back to earth to torment us…
My looping comrads and I made it into Guitar Player Magazine. Below is a link to a scanned version of the article, with pictures and text regarding the Y2K6 International Live Looping Festival. You can see me playing free jazz with my PRS Archtop. Also, five of these cats shown played at the recent 2nd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival, which was approx 40% looping artists.
I have two new videos to share (one is not so new, but wasn't available until recently).
1) Y2K6 International Live Looping Festival: Krispen Hartung (guitar and laptop) & Rick Walker (percussion); excerpts of the last set on Saturday night; this is the music and video behind the picture of the two of us in the recent Guitar Player ariticle. Thanks to Barry Cleveland at Guitar Player for sending me the DVD! This is me on my PRS hollow body, my laptop (with Mobius looping software and various VSTs), and the Boss VF1 for amp simulation and ring mod
2) 2nd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival (April 27, 2007): Krispen Hartung (mandolin and laptop) & Vincent Miresse (percussion); most of the effects processing the mandolin on this one are from Reaktor, and a few max/msp patches in VST format; I hadn't converted to my pure max/msp system at the time of this festival
Second, I just finalized the video of me and Lumper-Splitter from Oakland, CA (Joe Rut and Lucio Menegon) performing at the 2nd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival.
I really like this video, first because I have always enjoyed the natural and creative improvisational energy of Joe and Lucio; and second, because I think our performnace had some interesting sections, call and response, dynamics, and a subtle and playful reference to Lumper-Splitter's "Hello, Hello" performance last year. It's also my first vocal only performance.
It's me with just vocals and laptop (mainly Reaktor and some MAX generated VST effects), Joe on guitar, found sound, and elecronics; and Lucio on guitar, found sound, and electronics.
Here is the scoop on my second international collaboration CD release.
Since its original inception on December 18, 2005, this officially announces the completion of (CT) Collective - Project MRI.
Project MRI is a collection of compositions based on a set of sample recordings of a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine. The artists, all members of (CT) Collective, manipulated these sample recordings with various effects and audio software, using the output as their final compositions, or using it as a backdrop for adding additional recorded tracks from various instruments.
More Information (CD artwork, MP3 file download, background on the CD, etc)
It's baaaack! "Experiments of Sounds" returns, maintaining the spirit of the Boise Experimental Music Festival.
Featuring Lucio Menegon from Oakland, CA, and Craig Green from Idaho Falls, ID
With a special multimedia intermission on the history of the Theremin.
It's going to be a very interesting evening of music and sounds, yet another effort toward supporting creative and "challenging" music art in Boise and the surrounding treasure valley.
Cheers,
Krispen Hartung - Boise Experimental Music Festival
BW's Best of Boise: Vote Now!Hello folks -
Every year, the Boise Weekly, one of the sponsors for the Boise Experimental
Music Festival, hosts an online voting for the best services, artists,
bands, venues, food, etc. in Boise.
If you enjoyed the festival and are willing to take the time to complete all
the questions in each category of the ballot (took me about 15 minutes),
then it would be great if you could vote for the Boise Experimental Music
Festival as Boise's best event, in the Arts & Entertainment category. BEMF
is not listed as one of the pre-define events, so you have to select "other"
and type it in. Be sure complete all the questions in each category,
otherwise your votes will not go through and be counted.
Vote for Best of Boise Now!
Find your ballot online and help us track the best things in the City of
Trees, from bars to stores, and politicos to punk rockers. Boise needs your
vote now. Go vote now.
http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/extras/poll?oid=oid:220256
Cheers,
Kris
Here's an update on the new CD project I am working on, "Music Unfit for Children," and three sound clips linked below.
Most of the songs on this project are, or will be done with nothing but children's toys (my own kids') and manipulation with my laptop, max/msp and/or reaktor.
I just finished mastering the third song, "Electronic Toothbrush Ensemble," which I really like. It has two separate tracks mixed together. The first one is of my 2 year old twins brushing their teeth one morning, with their Sponge Bob and Dora the Explorer electronic toothbrushes. I caught them in action, and in wandering stereo, and I then processed the recording with the Lexicon PSP 84 VST plugin and some waves gold reverb.
The second track is of me playing on a big boy's toy, or what I call the "Joe Rut Machine." This is a contraption that Joe Rut from Lumper-Splitter made and played at the Boise Experimental Music Festival. He and Lucio gave it to me as a gift after the festival with most all the musicians' signatures on it. I decided to use it. I played it and processed and looped the sound in real time with max/msp only. It's a really cool and fascinating instrument.
The Electronic Toothbrush Ensemble has a playful, Twilight Zone ("Little Girl Lost"), yet dark sort of feel to it. You can hear my kids brushing their teeth, giggling, talking, and eventually getting bored and brushing the surface of the refrigerator. Then you have the bizarre processed sound of the Joe Rut Machine in the background. There is one one section at 2:03 that is just hilarious. There is a bit of climax in the music that has a ominous feel to it...a tri-tone movement, and coincidentally, Kyra, my daughter starts saying "No, no, no, no!!!".
First off all, I apologize if you are receiving this email in error. I lost all my BEMF Outlook distribution lists and have to resort to a blanket email to all the addresses in my contacts folder. If you do nothing with this email or the instructions below, then you will not receive any further communications regarding the Boise Experimental Music Festival.
Now, on to business. The 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival is now set for May 22 - 25, 2008 (Thursday through Sunday). I will communicate more details, venues, call for submissions, etc, at a later date.
I am moving toward a central, web based distribution list (Google Groups) for the Boise Experimental MusicFestival. This will pose less challenges over managing the list via my computer's email program, and will also provide more flexibility in how you get updated on the whereabouts and status of future festivals.
This new distribution group will be the primary mode of updating the everyone on the Boise Experimental Music Festival, including web pages, key dates, musician features, submission guidelines and announcements, sound and video, musicians, tickets, etc. If you want to keep up to date on the festival, be sure to sign up for the list, because I will not be sending any further festival communications outside of the Google Group list and a few other music related discussion groups that I frequent.
To get on the Boise Experimental Music Festival distribution list, click on the following URL:
After this, if you want to access BEMF past communications from the Google Group web page, you will need to setup a Google Account. If you don't have a Google Account set up yet, you'll first need to create an account before you can access the group. You can create an account at:
I recently changed the communication system for the Boise Experimental Music Festival to a Google Group distribution list. I also sent an invite to out yesterday with sign up instructions. However, there was an error with the sign up link and it was not adding emails to the group. Consequently, this is the correct link for signing up.
If you want to stay up to date on the festival, you'll need to sign up, because I won't be sending general updates through email any longer. When you sign up, your email address will be kept private, and you will only receive period updates from me. It is not a discussion list.
The 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival is now set for May 22 - 25 (Thursday through Sunday). I will communicate more details, venues, call for submissions, etc, at a later date, but for now I can say this is going to be a spectacular event, now 4 days vs. ony 2 or 3 like the prior years.
Music Unfit for Children is a Hartung family collaboration and experimental collection of improvisational compositions. Each musical composition is based on various children's toys, acoustic and foundsound instruments, and processing by the notebook computer and Cycling 74's Max/MSP.
Krispen Hartung - Mini electric guitar, Notebook computer, Cycling 74 Max/MSP, Native Instruments Reaktor 5, vtech® Bright Lights toy phone, Alphabet Pal® Caterpillar, Joe Rut Sound Machine, Craftsman® Toy Screwdriver , Spinning Star Globe Wand
Tristan Hartung - Nylon string acoustic guitar, fork on pot lid, Electronic toothbrush, Voice
Kyra Hartung - Fork on pot lid, Electronic toothbrush, Voice
CD tray card photo by Krispen Hartung; inside sleeve photo of Krispen by Mark Hamburg; inside sleeve photos of Tristan and Kyra by Carissa Hartung
Song credits and instrumentation:
Alphabet Pal: Krispen Hartung (Alphabet Pal® Caterpillar, laptop computer processing via Max/MSP and Reaktor 5)
Bright Lights: Krispen Hartung (vtech® Bright Lights toy phone, laptop computer processing via Max/MSP and Reaktor 5)
Electronic Toothbrush Ensemble: Tristan & Kyra Hartung (voice, electronic toothbrushes), Krispen Hartung (the Joe Rut Sound Machine, laptop computer processing via Max/MSP and Reaktor 5)
Forks on Lids: Tristan & Kyra Hartung (kitchen forks and pod lids, voice), Krispen Hartung (mini electric guitar, laptop computer processing via Max/MSP and Reaktor 5)
Unprepared Guitar: Tristan Hartung (nylon string acoustic guitar), Krispen Hartung (laptop computer processing via Max/MSP and Reaktor 5)
I'm excited to announce the availability of a new CD, "Mojo at the Dojo", of me and Ted Killian. It was recorded live at a performance here in Boise, Idaho, sponsored by the Boise Experimental Music Festival. Info and website below. We hope you enjoy it! :)
Despite the fact that the title of this project was cleverly selected out of consideration of the performance venue (i.e., an Aikido dojo) rather than actual programmatic musical intent, the adroitly improvised live music on this work nevertheless does conjure a fair share of the psychological drama (if not the physical) of an old Kurosawa samurai movie duel between master swordsmen.
The two musical protagonists, Krispen Hartung (on nylon-string guitar and laptop) and Ted Killian (on electric guitar synth and live loops), parry and weave - often as though in extreme slow motion - through the course of three tracks (totaling slightly over the fifty-minute mark) with a rare, almost perfectly matched skill and simpatico. The textures that Hartung and Killian produce are often seismic and dark (you will definitely want to have your subwoofer turned on to hear all the tectonic lows). However, many of the surface gestures are frequently delicate, smallish and subtle, with bright flashes that skitter by so quickly that you might miss them entirely if you are not attentive. Moreover, this work is not background music for casual listening or mult-tasking. On the contrary, it requires a rigorously disciplined attention span to discern and appreciate its nuances and worth. However rare this might be, it is also rare for such formally "free" music to inhabit such an emotionally and psychologically rich reality - particularly in the field of "electronic" music.
While obvious moments of traditional guitarist "flash" may be fewer and further between within this work, the sense of an unrelenting, volcanic, smoldering heat and intense musical strategic mind-game is everywhere evident.
Note: This work was recorded live on August 26, 2006 at 3 Shapes Aikido dojo, Boise, Idaho. These performances were part of the show, "Mojo at the Dojo: Experiments of Sound", also part of an ongoing series of showcase performances sponsored by the owner of the dojo, AlejAndro Anastasio, and the Boise Experimental Music Festival.
The 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival May 28 - June 1, 2008
The Boise Experimental Music Festival is beginning to earn the reputation of being one of the most exciting and well executed creative music events in the world. Now in its third year, the festival continues to evolve and feature an impressive array of performers from all over the world. This year, the festival runs from May 28 through June 1, 2008, and fans will come from all over to hear some of the finest and most cutting edge creative music artists on the planet. The talent and caliber of this year’s performers will be spectacular. The event will also feature experimental film and the ground-breaking program, Kybermusik, coordinated by one of Germany’s most inventive musicians, Rainer Straschill. The Kybermusik program will give festival performers the opportunity to perform live with musicians all over the world via the internet.
May 28 (Wednesday), 7:00 - 8:30pm Museum of Eastern Idaho Eastern Idaho Experimental Music Festival 300 S. Capital Ave Idaho Falls, ID 83402 208-524-7777 $10 at the door http://www.theartmuseum.org/
May 29 (Thursday), 7-11pm 3 Shapes Aikido 1512 north 10th street Boise, ID 83702 $5.00 at the door http://www.3shapesaikido.com/
May 30 (Friday), 8:30pm - Midnight El Korah ShrineCenter 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $7.00 at the door http://www.elkorah.org
May 31 (Saturday), 1-7pm El Korah ShrineCenter 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $6.00 at the door ($10 will cover evening show as well) http://www.elkorah.org
Announcing the 2nd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival CD Compilation.
This CD, as well as the 1st Annual CD set compilation and the 2nd Annual DVD set compilation, will be on sale at the Record Exchange on May 12 here in Boise, Idaho, and will also be on sale at this year's festival, at the main venue, Friday through Saturday. www.boisemusicians.com/BEMF-3/
1. Rick Walker & Stefan Smulovitz 2. Craig Green 3. Krispen Hartung & Vincent Miresse 4. The Transhumans 5. Ted Killian 6. Gretchen Jude 7. Jeff Kaiser & Gregory Taylor 8. Patrick Benolkin 9. Breccia 10. Stefan Smulovitz 11. Robert Price & David Grollman 12. Amy Vecchione 13. Lumper-Splitter 14. Tom Baker & Jesse Canterbury
Special thanks to:
Aaron Davis - song excerpt selection, live recording & sound engineering Rick Walker - festival MC The Boise Weekly - promotion and advertisement Thee Art Of (Tarey P.) & Walter Cox - event and CD photography & video Corkscrew Photography - event and CD photography Visual Arts Collective - venue and PA system Good Boy Rufus - BEMF logo and graphics Boise Co-Op - promotion and advertisement 3 Shapes Aikido - sponsorship and support
BEMF3, the 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival, is almost here! In just two days, this five-day event will begin and feature over 30 creative music artists from all over the world. Spanning four venues, with nearly 16 hours of music, and featuring virtual performances over the internet with the Kybermusik program, BEMF3 is going to create a unique music vibe in Boise that has never been experienced in its entire history. If you are intrigued by cutting-edge music that pushes boundaries and leaps beyond the reach of popular music, you can't miss BEMF3!
BEMF3 kicks off on May 28 in Idaho City at the "Museum of Eastern Idaho," continues in Boise on May 29 at "3 Shapes Aikido," and continues on May 30 through June 1 at the "El Korah Shrine Center" and Boise's own "Record Exchange". All tickets are on sale at the door.
Also note that the BEMF1 two volume CD set, as well as BEMF2 CD compilation and two volume DVD set are on sale at Boise's Record Exchange (artist of the month) and at the festival, May 30 through June 1, or online at these online locations:
The 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival May 28 - June 1, 2008
The Boise Experimental Music Festival is beginning to earn the reputation of being one of the most exciting and well executed creative music events in the world. Now in its third year, the festival continues to evolve and feature an impressive array of performers from all over the world. This year, the festival runs from May 28 through June 1, 2008, and fans will come from all over to hear some of the finest and most cutting edge creative music artists on the planet. The talent and caliber of this year’s performers will be spectacular. The event will also feature experimental film and the ground-breaking program, Kybermusik, coordinated by one of Germany’s most inventive musicians, Rainer Straschill. The Kybermusik program will give festival performers the opportunity to perform live with musicians all over the world via the internet.
May 28 (Wednesday), 7:00 - 8:30pm Museum of Eastern Idaho Eastern Idaho Experimental Music Festival 300 S. Capital Ave Idaho Falls, ID 83402 208-524-7777 $10 at the door
May 29 (Thursday), 7-11pm 3 Shapes Aikido 1512 north 10th street Boise, ID 83702 $5.00 at the door
May 30 (Friday), 8:30pm - Midnight El Korah Shrine Center 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $7.00 at the door
May 31 (Saturday), 1-7pm El Korah Shrine Center 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $6.00 at the door
May 31 (Saturday), 1-5pm The Record Exchange 1105 W Idaho St Boise, ID 83702 FREE
May 31 (Saturday), 8:30pm - Midnight El Korah Shrine Center 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $7.00 at the door
June 1 (Sunday), 1-7pm El Korah Shrine Center 1118 W Idaho Boise, ID 83701 $6.00 at the door
FESTIVAL PERFORMERS
Rainer Straschill (Munich, Germany) With financial support by the Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe Institut
Jim McAuley (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Tom Baker (Seattle, WA, USA)
The Choir Boys (Jeff Kaiser & Andrew Pask) (San Diego & Los Angeles, CA, USA)
The Deep End Ensemble (Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Emily Hay & Motoko Honda (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Rob Wallace, Colter Frazier, & Jim Connolly (Santa Barbara, CA, USA)
The Transhumans (Ventura, CA, USA)
Robert Price, David Grollman, & Lucio Menegon (New York, NY, USA)
Lucio Menegon (New York, NY, USA)
Ted Killian (Medford, OR, USA)
Thorrific (Seattle, WA, USA)
Unicorn Feather (Elijah Jensen) (Boise, ID, USA)
Gretchen Jude (Boise, ID, USA)
Craig Green (Idaho Falls, ID, USA)
Jared Hallock (Boise, ID, USA)
Krispen Hartung & Robert Sterling (Boise, ID & Ventura, CA, USA)
Krispen Hartung, Brian McFadin, & Jared Hallock (Boise, ID, USA)
Mike Blomquist (Boise, ID, USA)
Emily Hay, Motoko Honda, & Krispen Hartung (Los Angeles, CA & Boise, ID, USA)
Craig Green, & Krispen Hartung (Los Angeles, CA & Boise, ID, USA)
Funding for BEMF was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Idaho Commission on the Arts
Kribophoric (Bob Sterling and Krispen Hartung) have put together a charming Jazz, Electronics, Ambient, Experimentation album called “Visceral” now available on Paper Cuts Records. Bob who lives in Ventura, CA and Krispen who lives in Boise, ID show a connection can be nurtured regardless of the different area codes they live in. Both of their individual talents are expressed and new endeavors exposed on this midnight hop into mild/dark but vibrant album.
Issue #2 of Paper Cuts and more artists on the way for the summer of 08.
Bravo!
Paper Cuts Records
-------------------------------------------------
RELEASES
+DOG+ - "DUST"
PCR02 (CDR)
$7 (S/H Included)
+DOG+ is a complete free for all approach to sound with a variety of characters acting in some bizarre and yes noisy play. Sheet metal, chains, homemade electronics, drills, synths, guitars, drum machines are just some of the instruments used to create one tragic hypnotic passage to noise bliss. Steve Davis the founder of this revolving ensemble draws from Japanese acts like Hijokaidan, Masonna, and Solmania, to carry on a tradition that seems to be lost in the current West Coast Noise scene. Not to mention, he puts together some great listenable noise albums.
It's been awhile since we heard from this talented electronic duo, which have been spending the last three years engulfed in the Transhumans. Now that they have the time to get back to their roots of free electronics, another baby has been born. "City Bells" is their first release on Paper Cuts Records and a perfect follow up to "Grandmas Cookies" released in 2005. Justin Cassidy and Patrick Rodriguez have put together another travel into lost ambience, cold loops, and clean bell sounds.
This Los Angeles based artist is making his way through the over populated territories of noise acts, but I wouldn't necessarily say he is straight noise. Ralf Lowi AKA Lost Cowboy Songs mixes experimentation, dark ambient, and noise into a boiling pot to produce one flavorful stimulating experience. His new release "My Prosthetic Sky" on Paper Cuts Records is well put together '3' mini disk that displays the variety of paths he likes to take. Very interested on how this artist develops.
Bob Sterling and Christian Clay established Soundproof in 2001, but you would almost think some of the songs were recorded in the 50's or 60's. Not because of sound quality but because of the Exotica, Les Baxter, Whitenoise feel to it. Both were gracious enough to let Paper Cuts Records put together "Redux", a collection of songs from their four albums. They are no longer performing or recording but the magic is captured with this release.
This is not intended to be junk or spam email. If you no longer want to receive emails from Paper Cuts Records please respond to this email saying so. Thank you Paper Cuts Records. www.papercutsrecords.com
Below is the release of my new CD with Bob Sterling, from Ventura, CA. I had a lot of fun creating this one. We actually recorded 23 tunes, so we'll be releasing another CD in about 6 months. Be sure to check out our website: http://www.kribophoric.com/
You can listen to sound clips, a free narration of the CD over music, a clip of our recent live performance at BEMF3, etc.
Kris
PAPER CUTS RECORDS - KRIBOPHORIC!
Kribophoric (Bob Sterling and Krispen Hartung) have put together a charming Jazz, Electronics, Ambient, Experimentation album called “Visceral” now available on Paper Cuts Records. Bob who lives in Ventura, CA and Krispen who lives in Boise, ID show a connection can be nurtured regardless of the different area codes they live in. Both of their individual talents are expressed and new endeavors exposed on this midnight hop into mild/dark but vibrant album.
Issue #2 of Paper Cuts and more artists on the way for the summer of 08.
Bravo!
Paper Cuts Records
-------------------------------------------------
RELEASES
+DOG+ - "DUST"
PCR02 (CDR)
$7 (S/H Included)
+DOG+ is a complete free for all approach to sound with a variety of characters acting in some bizarre and yes noisy play. Sheet metal, chains, homemade electronics, drills, synths, guitars, drum machines are just some of the instruments used to create one tragic hypnotic passage to noise bliss. Steve Davis the founder of this revolving ensemble draws from Japanese acts like Hijokaidan, Masonna, and Solmania, to carry on a tradition that seems to be lost in the current West Coast Noise scene. Not to mention, he puts together some great listenable noise albums.
It's been awhile since we heard from this talented electronic duo, which have been spending the last three years engulfed in the Transhumans. Now that they have the time to get back to their roots of free electronics, another baby has been born. "City Bells" is their first release on Paper Cuts Records and a perfect follow up to "Grandmas Cookies" released in 2005. Justin Cassidy and Patrick Rodriguez have put together another travel into lost ambience, cold loops, and clean bell sounds.
This Los Angeles based artist is making his way through the over populated territories of noise acts, but I wouldn't necessarily say he is straight noise. Ralf Lowi AKA Lost Cowboy Songs mixes experimentation, dark ambient, and noise into a boiling pot to produce one flavorful stimulating experience. His new release "My Prosthetic Sky" on Paper Cuts Records is well put together '3' mini disk that displays the variety of paths he likes to take. Very interested on how this artist develops.
Bob Sterling and Christian Clay established Soundproof in 2001, but you would almost think some of the songs were recorded in the 50's or 60's. Not because of sound quality but because of the Exotica, Les Baxter, Whitenoise feel to it. Both were gracious enough to let Paper Cuts Records put together "Redux", a collection of songs from their four albums. They are no longer performing or recording but the magic is captured with this release.
This is not intended to be junk or spam email. If you no longer want to receive emails from Paper Cuts Records please respond to this email saying so. Thank you Paper Cuts Records. www.papercutsrecords.com
Bugs is a collection of compositions based on a set of sample recordings of a various insects from around the world. No other sound sources were used other than the insects. The artists, all members of (CT) Collective, manipulated these sample recordings with various effects and audio software, in order to produce their final work of musical art.
Hope you all like it. I really loved the creativity from everyone on this project.
Check it out...come down and support the avant-garde arts and creative music in Idaho.
Tomorrow (Wedesday) from 4 to 7pm, as part of the Department of Arts & History "Open House-Summer in the City", I will be demonsting electro-acoustic music, random computer effect processing, and random audio looping in an interactive way, right in front of the Boise City Hall. I will have four instruments on a table, all running into my computer system and custom program built in Cycling 74's MAX/.MSP, which randomly manipulates the acoustic sounds, loops the input, etc. The instruments are a vocal mic, the Joe Rut Machine, Madagascar bamboo harp, and Tongue Drum. It will be a total blast.
People will be able to walk up, play with the instruments, and experience or interact with the randomly generated output in real time. They can put headphones on or listen to the output through the PA. Below is the handout and instructions for one instrument. I also have a handout that defines improvisational, avant-garde, electro-acoustic, and experimental music
This demonstration allows you to experience the fundamental principles behind electro-acoustic music. The main characteristic of most electro-acoustic music is that a performer plays an acoustic instrument and processes or manipulates the sound of the instrument with the computer and a software program. In some contexts, the processed output of the acoustic instrument is accompanied or mixed with the original sound source; on other contexts, the original acoustic sound source is replaced completely by the processed output.
This demonstration features four acoustic instruments as original sound sources: The tongue Drum, your voice, the Madagascar Harp, and a newly invented instrument, the “Joe Rut Machine.” The sounds of these four instruments are routed into a laptop computer, which is running Cycling ‘74’s software program, MAX/MSP. The software program is running a custom “patch” that randomly chooses various effects and sound manipulators, randomly alters the parameters of those effects, and randomly samples and plays back the final output in real time. In essence, your spontaneous input is accompanied by the spontaneous input of the computer, resulting in hybrid human-machine performance.
Instructions – Madagascar bamboo tube harp
1. Pluck or strum the strings of the harp with your fingers 2. Listen to how the computer alters the sound of the drum 3. If possible, try to react to what the computer does, complementing or accompanying the processed output
This evening, as part of Boise's "First Thursdays", I am conducting for the second time my audience interactive electro-acoustic music demonstration. It will be in front of the City Hall, down town Boise, 5-7pm. I look forward to seeing you, or tinkering with my music machines.
Below is the overview of the program.
Kris
An Interactive Electro-Acoustic Demonstration
by Krispen Hartung
Electro-Acoustic Music
“Electro-Acoustic music thrives in more unfamiliar territory; the styles that emerge are often dictated by the technology itself. Rather than sampling or synthesizing acoustic sounds to electronically replicate them, these composers tend to mutate the original timbres, sometimes to an unrecognizable state. True artists in the genre also create their own sounds (as opposed to using the preset sounds that come with modern synthesizers). In progressive electro-acoustic music, the electronics play an equal if not greater part in the overall concept. Acoustic instruments performed in real time are usually processed through reverb, harmonizing, and so on, which adds an entirely new dimension to the player's technique. At best, this music opens up new worlds of listening, thinking, and feeling.”
– All Music Guide
The Demonstration
This demonstration allows you to experience the fundamental principles behind electro-acoustic music.It features three acoustic instruments as original sound sources: The tongue drum, a music box installed on a small acoustic guitar, and the “Joe Rut Machine.”The sounds of these three instruments are routed into a laptop computer, which is running Cycling ‘74’s software program, MAX/MSP. The software program is running a custom “patch” that randomly chooses various effects and sound manipulators, randomly alters the parameters of those effects, and randomly samples and plays back the final output in real time.In essence, your spontaneous input is accompanied by the spontaneous input of the computer, resulting in hybrid human-machine improvisational performance
All performances were recorded live at the 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Festival, 2008 www.boisemusicians.com/BEMF-3
Credits: Aaron Davis (live mixing/recording for Improvisation #1; Rainer Straschill (host for the Kybermusik internet performances and live mixing/recording for Improvisations #2-4; Krispen Hartung (director of the Boise Experimental Music Festival, CD graphic design, and song mastering); Thee Art Of and Corkscrew Photography (performance photos); Kunaki.com (CD production)
I am excited to announce my second release with my friend and percussionist, Robert Sterling, from Ventura, CA.
KRIBOPHORIC - "VISCERAL II"
SONG LIST
Dance of the Electric Eels [4:55] Figments of Time [5:42] Confrontations [7:17] Despicable! [4:22] Freak Gene Dance [6:21] Microworlds [7:01] Giant Slots in Hyperspace [3:45] Moving Structures [4:05] Small Hairy Things [7:51]
This CD represents the culmination of a six-month collaboration between drummer/percussionist Bob Sterling and electro-acoustic guitar player Krispen Hartung. Spontaneously improvised files were exchanged on-line, each player then responding to the previously recorded material. Sometimes just two tracks were ultimately utilized, while at other times several tracks were layered via further improvisations and then mixed in order to better balance the sound. The spirit of the CD lies in it spontaneity, each artist attempting to 'get into the creative head' of the other in order to develop compositions that reflect a mood, a setting, or an implied situation. Bob used a number of acoustic and electronic devices to fulfill his artistic intents, from acoustic and electronic drums to effect units, samplers, his voice, mini synths, and even small objects like plastic straws and twist ties. Krispen's instruments included mini electric and nylon string guitars, nylon string guitar, voice and laptop computer. Bob and Kris continue to collaborate this way and intend to release more CDs of their music on a periodic basis in the future. Their first CD, "Kribophoric-Visceral," will be premiered at the 2008 Boise Experimental Music Festival (BEMF 3) and will be available from the Paper Cuts Records website.
KRIBOPHORIC
KRISPEN HARTUNG: Mini electric guitar, mini nylon string guitar, nylon string guitar, voice, laptop computer (max-MSP, Reaktor)
BOB STERLING: electronic and acoustic drums, misc hand percussion, voice, looping devices, FX, synth, plastic straws and twist ties, and other found objects
FYI. A new release from my collegue from Germany, Rainer Straschill, who was also a headliner at the 3rd Annual Boise Experimental Music Fesival. This CD features a song from that festival, with Rainer, me, and Motoko Honda on grand piano. Highly recommended!
Kris
----- Original Message -----
Rainer Straschill
Wie groß ist die Luft ?
2008 - in Rainer Straschill's musical cosmos, the year of the 2008 MoinSound World Tour, which featured next to stations in three countries, on two continents, in different festivals (among them headlining the bodacious Boise Experimental Music Festival 3) and again in cyberspace primarily one thing: the triumphant return of the concert trombone to the instrument choice of Straschill, completed only by weird vocal noises and his signature "komische Elektronik" (which can only inadequately be translated to "whimsical electronics").
The album Wie groß ist die Luft ? (German for "How big is the air?") documents different performances from this programme. Indeed, to make it even more interesting, completed by spontaneously added guest musicians: during the 2nd Live Looping Festival Berlin gig, it was TJ Shredder, who let his even more whimsical electronics (a.k.a "Ondes Memorielles") loose on a Straschill performing purely acoustically. The second evening of the BEMF3 main festival found Straschill joined by Motoko Honda (grand piano) and Krispen Hartung (without any electronics, but with acoustic guitar), himself well-known from Straschill's surroundings.
But how does it sound? A short description: odd, and sometimes surprising. The slightly longer one: surprising insofar, as there are quite lyrical passages to be admired. And the even longer one: "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" - for which reason I'll just point to the work of art:
1. Confessions of a Ball Peen Hammer 2. Mad and Frenzied Upon the Deep 3. Bi-Polar Fissures 4. Pesky Peculiarities 5. Malicious Ascent 6. Dali in Space 7. Mechanical Underworld 8. Edge of the Fringe 9. Between Two Voids
Dance Music for Inanimate Objects, by Krispen Hartung & Ted Killian
House/Dance/Electronica meets avant-garde and free jazz guitar
APRIL 22, 2009 What's That Noise? Fourth annual BCIMF challenges listeners
Krispen Hartung is imagining what a whole new color would sound like. Laurie Pearman
BY AMY ATKINS Krispen Hartung is imagining what a whole new color would sound like.
The "experiment" in the inaugural Boise Experimental Music Festival in 2006 had almost as much to do with the event as it did with the kind of music showcased.
"This style of music emulates life," organizer and improvisational musician Krispen Hartung said. "It's like having a conversation."
Now in its fourth year, Hartung has made some changes to the festival to try to bring in larger audiences than in years past. It's now called the Boise Creative and Improvised Music Festival; it will include a panel discussion; several artists will exhibit and paint in mini galleries in the venues; events will take place at Neurolux and the El Korah Shrine Temple; an avant garde play in which an iPod and an analog tape recorder duke it out has been added to the mix; and from the time it starts at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 24, until it ends at midnight on Saturday, April 25, it's all free. Hartung also added a locals-only showcase with performances by himself, Tim Andreae, Gretchen Jude, Stardust and Floomdorm.
Though the previous festivals saw audience numbers that weren't dreadful, Hartung would certainly like to see more.
"Last year, we had about 150 people [during the course of the festival] show up," he said. "That's not bad. I've been to festivals in Seattle and San Francisco that had 40 or 50 people. So I'm not complaining. My vision is just much broader."
By choosing not to charge admission, Hartung believes people will be willing to take a risk, whereas a $10 ticket kept a lot of them away in previous years. And if they still don't come? Hartung won't call it quits. He'll just scale back next year with fewer musicians. The exposure to this kind of music is that important to him. And maybe if he doesn't get it out there, it doesn't get out.
"There aren't a lot of venues for this genre; you don't hear [this kind of music] on the radio; you can't dance to it; you don't see it in bars," Hartung said. Much like an actor pulling dialogue out of his hat, a comedian cutting up off the cuff, or a dancer interpreting a composition she's hearing for the first time, these creative and experimental musicians often have no idea where the music will go or what shape it will ultimately take.
Regardless of their tools—guitars, keyboards, drums, cellos, harmoniums, pianos, flutes, saxophones, theremins, Japanese string instruments, voices, strange electronic boxes, appliances—they build songs without the constraint of blueprints. They ignore time signatures and syntax, such as those found in rock or classical music. They ignore the tenets of a verse-chorus-verse form. They don't rely on hooks. The music is organically formed, the discovered rhythms and tones guiding its creators. It's minimalist, it's repetitive, it's ugly, it's beautiful, it's easy, it's difficult. This music covers the spectrum of human response, and not just those of the musicians, but of those surrounded by the unpredictable sounds, sounds that are different from musician to musician and minute to minute.
"Depending on when you go ... you could hear something radically different. You might come in and say, 'That sounds like a rock band to me.' You come back an hour later and say, 'That sounds like a jazz quartet.' Come back again and say, 'That sounds like noise,'" Hartung laughed.
Rob Wallace, a percussionist and postdoctoral fellow at Guelph University in Ontario, Canada, will perform with saxophonist Colter Frazier on Friday night playing drumset as well as shakers, bells and more.
"[I'll play] percussion instruments not usually thought of as instruments: pieces of wood, paper, toy saxophones, the floor, my head, etc!," he wrote in an e-mail to BW.
On Saturday, Wallace will host a panel discussion in which he'll explain how improvisational music relates to a larger purpose and the work he's doing in a Canadian program called "Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice."
"Improvisation in the United States was and is particularly important for oppressed peoples who had few other options for cultural expression," Wallace wrote. "The practices of improvised music—starting with styles like early jazz and blues—have traditionally been a way in which African Americans could give expression to ideas and philosophies that they were denied in the political and legal arenas.
"Many improvisers indicate that what they do in music is just an artistic version of how they survive; they improvise," he wrote, adding that the ICASP project is one of the only university-based projects to formally study the ways in which understanding improvised musical practices can potentially inform an understanding of larger sociocultural interaction.
Possibly understanding the implications improvised music can have can help further an understanding of the music itself. Hartung is certain that audiences will learn something new.
"For somebody who has never heard this music, it's like seeing a new color for the first time. You can imagine a new color of blue, but we're not talking about blue. We're talking about a whole new color."
Friday, April 24, 3-7 p.m., FREE, Neurolux, 111 N. 11th St.; Saturday, April 25, 12:30 p.m.-midnight, FREE, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Idaho St. For more information, visit www.b-cimf.com.
Fourth annual BCIMF challenges listeners APRIL 22, 2009
Hope to see you there! It is free admission, plus we'll be selling festival compilation CDs and DVDs, color posters, and t-shirts.
*****
4th Annual Boise Creative and Improvised Music Festival
April 24 - 25, 2009
Now in its fourth year, the Boise Creative and Improvised Music Festival (formerly the Boise Experimental Music Festival) continues to evolve and feature an impressive array of performers from all over the United States. This year, the festival runs April 24-25, 2009, and fans will come from all over to hear some of the finest and most cutting edge creative music artists on the planet. The talent and caliber of this year’s performers will be spectacular. The event will also feature local visual artists, including visual art galleries, live art on stage, experimental film, and a premier theatrical production. Best of all, this year the festival is free to the public.
Friday, April 24 3pm to 7pm FREE ADMISSION
Neurolux 113 N 11th Street Boise, ID 83702
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Friday, April 24 8pm to Midnight FREE ADMISSION
Saturday, April 25 12:30pm to Midnight! FREE ADMISSION
El Korah Shrine Center 1118 West Idaho Street Boise, ID 83702
Obtain more information on the festival at the following sites:
Kris Hartung Boise Creative & Improvised Music Festival (2009) Event Coordinator and Artistic Director http://b-cimf.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boise-Creative-and-Improvised-Music-Festival/37918746335 http://www.myspace.com/boiseexperimentalmusicfestival info@... 1-208-724-5603
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