CD Booklet W/ Essays [PDF]

+ / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 1

Komet + / vs. Bovine Life Introduction » Introduction Bovine Life» 2 reciprocal R designers Fehler.designers and features artwork by Fällt and Christopher Murphy (Fällt) by R a remix ofeach other’s work(s). w w acollaborative contributing two sound assemblers This first installmentfeatures between them. of musicalreciprocality theprocessand documenting of two sound assemblers split CDs featuring thework(s) R Fä BiP-HOp inassociation with by 4 operation orseries ofchanges. 3 progress ofsomething. orcourse or some otheroperation. s action orprocedure, esp. a process correspondent; complementary. eries inmanufacture ofstages eciprocess +/vs. eciprocess +/vs. isco-curated eciprocess +/vs. Aseries of a natural orinvoluntary orks; andfinally, contributing ork; aseries ofindependent mutual. mutual. (computing) operate on(data) (computing) llt are pleased topresent I was in a record shop in my There are boundaries, but it’s as I was very keen that this was Philippe PetitPhilippe (BiP-HOp) means ofaprogram. home town of Edinburgh - if the creator of the music has going to be a collaboration

Avalanche - when I first heard set up the track like a science forged strictly over the net, so +v. n. 3 adj. +n.

Frank Bretschneider’s music. project - tamed the chaos, and we both sent each other inversely

I loved it. then put the lid on the sound. economical .mp3 files to fashion 1 into new material. While this of a course I was struck by it’s exacting All this (warm) military precision method of working wasn’t 1 I was in a record shop in my in return. tonal frequencies, mainly is the antithesis of my own ground breaking, it was still 2

because they reminded me of a forays into electronic music - exciting that I could sit in my the hearing test I underwent when they basically resemble scruffy, studio and collaborate with I was fifteen. The shop’s P.A. mutant and promiscuous audio- someone in Berlin. I am the kind broadcasted this electronically one-night-stands. I am not pure. of person that still gets fragile groove with some I am messy and untidy - I think I completely blown away by the homefrequencies just on the border of may betown diseased from my fact thatof the telephone networkEdinburgh -

my audible range and I found working practices. You can hear exists and works.

myself nodding gently to the this evidence in my stuff - it can pristine sound automatically… be impatient, rude, painful or I really enjoyed collaborating. economic... it

playful. Even shambolic, so I Friends would wander into

At first, I didn’t think the track reckoned it would be an my studio (a cupboard in my flat)

Avwas progressing muchalanche over interesting experiment to fuse and- ask me whatwhe I was doing. n I first call heardrather I’d times. other the five minutes it lasted, but it our stuff together. I would say, “well right now…

soon occurred to me I had been right this minute, I am making a

engaged in a subtle form of It would either discipline myself track with a German guy. or other music from from music other or electronic meditation for the or disease Frank! There’s this guy in Berlin, right…” f

duration of the track. I think the It felt very empowering. I have

best way I can describe this Because our styles are different, never met Frank Bretschneider, Frankmusic is that the track doesn’t we hadBretschnei to be speaking some kind yet we’ve made an album! der’s music.term fixed a is This music. appear to go far in the of similar tongue, albeit an

traditional (compositional) electronic one. It wasn’t an oil

sense, but the listener does . and water collaboration - I think

that could have been disastrous, my describe to minimal

That’s not to say Frank’s music but I was nicely surprised by the isn’t ever loose. I think one of opening track ‘Riss’ - Frank's the reasons I like this music is remix of my material from my word the use not would I because it marries precise web site ‘kit’ of samples. It's got a

syncopation with the freedom of sense of humour - and how much et »

a penny rattling around in a jar. glitch/click/cut music has that? Kom + / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 2 Page PM 6:46 4/10/02 Booklet | 01 vs. / +

impressed by the by impressed and the electric music of and the electric

erimenting with tape Dada, the Residents, and Dada, the Residents, tched sci-fi movies. I was movies. sci-fi tched etone) decided to continue

p ck lease their work. So, in 1995, their work. lease as first exposed to electronic exposed as first andmate Olaf Bender (a.k.a. andmate oundtracks, with their simple oundtracks, ecalls, “when I listened to I listened ecalls, “when It was as a child growing up in growing as a child It was that Bretschneider East Germany w time I the first music. “I guess at music was electronic heard the age he of nine or ten,” r and plays radio science-fiction wa really s and treated echoes sine waves, these I discovered Later noises. in psychedelic [same] sounds ro Miles Davis.” Miles of with the explosion only It was in the 1980s, wave punk and new that Bretschneider however, began making music, ex forming and eventually machines he which AG.GEIGE, the band influenced as “heavily describes by authors] fiction science [Soviet and Boris Strugatskii.” Arkady of AG.GEIGE the break-up After and Bretschneider in 1992, b By but their musical experiments, to finding a label had difficulty re label, their own formed they

EIGE.” tting-up systems of modules to of modules tting-up systems ork contains many random om the recorded sequences, om the recorded opular music, most often dub often opular music, most scillators, filters, envelope scillators, filters, enerators, logic - as modules enerators, lements, it’s very much, as he as much, very lements, it’s equences. “I connect the “I connect equences. will do ee what the machines oftware will do.” In the end, will do.” oftware incorporate the accidental, the incorporate se random unintentional, create s - LFO’s, modules different o g to as possible unconventionally s wasting of time with (instead composing). the system After sequences, nice some creates further for it to hard disk I record the computer, treatment. At brick by brick I build the track fr kit. a construction like I cut, loop …using plug-ins to and filter, again, structures; add random things hoping unexpected some will happen, looking at what the s while Bretschneider’s however, w e music,” puts it, “constructed structure with its overall of the conventions by informed p and hip-hop. been making electronic “I’ve with I started 1984. music since guitars treated tape machines, synth. MS-20 and a Korg called a band I founded In 1986 AG.G I like precise, short,precise, I like

r. y of explanation, he adds, “I’m y of explanation, an sine waves and white an sine waves e ea omet). “This is a fixed term for term omet). “This is a fixed onic frugality is a cool, intricate onic frugality sounds ounds. “The basic ynthesizer system,” he explains, system,” ynthesizer licks, hissing static, gentle hissing licks, ather call it economic and, impulsive sounds.” Throughout sounds.” impulsive which the composition process, to paintinghe likens a picture, to tries Bretschneider “I would not use the word “I would my music,” minimal to describe musician Berlin based declares (aka Bretschneider Frank K I’d other times. other music from r by Later, microscopic.” maybe, wa to want I don’t guy; lazy a really to too much to expend have build a track.” of Bretschneider’s The result s music, composed of often (soft of sound pinpricks delicate c pings) and echoing keyboards, the occasional undulating bass line and/or snippet of melody. to work prefers Bretschneider artificial synthetic, with highly s a computer- from created are modularaided virtual s his working as he describes are favourites methods. “My cl both are simple and noise, which cl Sound micro-economics | Susanna Bolle » + / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 4 Page PM 6:46 4/10/02 | Booklet vs. 01 + / + / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 6

Susanna Bolle

Rastermusic, which forged a the older Raster), as well as aside from the names. “Later,” [.mp3] www.bovine.org.uk

ion 2.0 ion Vers distinctive aesthetic, producing constructing art installations and he says, “I thought it might [Film] Screen British/Scottish

| Social Electrics Social | Life Bovine | No One Sees Black Sees One No | abstract, yet accessible electronic multimedia performances. The be a good idea to release under Dooks Chris

2000 998 music, such as Bretschneider’s label’s various projects, including different names for different 1

cont. early Komet full-lengths, ‘Saal’ art, design, science, performance projects, but, unfortunately, and ‘Flex’, as well as records by and, of course, music, are I’m not able to maintain such

» Tol, Kyborg and Produkt. chronicled and critically strict separations. Every time I

[Video Works] [Video BiP-HOp [CD] BiP-HOp [Documentary] TV

examined in a recent book, Oacis make music I have to explore S

Isis Arts/Millennium Dome Arts/Millennium Isis No More Self Harm Self More No

“We had no philosophy [per se], (with companion CD). new things and so my latest Beethovens

but did have a few ideas about release as Frank Bretschneider, Dooks Chris

999 1 2002 998 [what] our sound [should be]: it For Bretschneider, who trained ‘Curve’, is more comparable to 1 should be purely electronic, as a graphic designer and the Komet release ‘Rausch’ than

without the use of lyrics or painter, the points of intersection to the Bretschneider

www.bovine.org.uk [.mp3] www.bovine.org.uk [CD+] [Documentary] WT/ITV vocals, simple and clear without between visual art and music predecessor, ‘Rand’.” L

ersion 1.0 ersion V ar of The Artist/NRFTA/Isis Arts Artist/NRFTA/Isis The of ar Ye being stupid, rhythmic or techno. explored by Raster-Noton have Show)

999 1 2001 unused sounds and we wanted explains, the visual aspects of 1997 to utilize the vast possibilities of composing electronic music - the the computer for sound design.” images on his computer monitor,

the blinking LEDs on his

orks for Dance] for orks

“I guess the visual aspect [of synthesizer - are an important W

Fight or Flight [Interactive Video [Interactive Flight or Fight BiP-HOp [CD+] BiP-HOp

electronic composition] is a big part of his work. Film] [Rostrum Screen Scottish

influence on my music… Early Dooks Chris

999 1 2001 on, I started making music on a In the last year, Bretschneider 1997 computer and I always had has been quite prolific, releasing this visual sense of my music on a justly acclaimed full-length,

the screen; the moving bars, Rausch, as Komet on 12k and a

Bovine Life Recordings [CDR] Recordings Life Bovine BiP-HOp [CD] BiP-HOp dots, lines…” stunning new record, using his Composition] [Orchestral SCO

999 1 2001 996 In 1999, Rastermusic merged Bretschneider does not see his 1 with artist Carsten Nicolai’s work as Komet and that as (a.k.a. Noto) Noton label to form Bretschneider as separate. Due

Raster-Noton. Since the merger, to a misunderstanding with Mille

[Documentary]

the label has focused both on Plateaux, his records are Film] Dance [Nightvision

PBS/US Forest Service Forest PBS/US Fight or Flight/Scottish Arts Council Arts Flight/Scottish or Fight

sound and art design, releasing released as Frank Bretschneider [Film] Screen Scottish

four different series of CDs on the Frankfurt label, but there Norris Dooks/Alex Chris

astermusic [CD] astermusic astermusic [CD] astermusic [CD] astermusic [CD] astermusic 999 996 996 998 aster-noton [CD] aster-noton aster-noton [CD] aster-noton

Komet 1 r Komet PRODUKT R 1997 Komet SIGNAL r 1 R 1 R 1997 PRODUKT R 1

Komet/Frank Bretschneider Select Discography » + / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 8 Page PM 6:46 4/10/02 | Booklet vs. 01 + /

+ / vs. 01 | Booklet 4/10/02 6:46 PM Page 10 What is Collaboration? | Phillip Sherburne » Sherburne Phillip | Collaboration? is What »p Y what you know? music thesameway, knowing Can you not. hearOf course the to know thistoenjoy themusic? time islived. Doyou need differently thanthe way that a body, aproxy thatabsorbs time collaboration, thetrack becomes disruption (andprosthetic) of andthetemporalcomposition, ofsoftware-basedthe potentials the limitsoftrack; through and backward, does notstopat continuity thatstretches forward ag impatience, orchafing orfatigue, y that’s allhecantake. Butwhat 60-minute sessions because risk. Imagine giving someonerisk. giving Imagine theopportunity,Imagine andthe p f shoulder-to-shoulder, itisa w Notareal-timedifferent. But thecollaboration here is ofthetradition.and co-incidents around them,theprecedents marketplace, withthemusic of theirsoftware, withthe –withthemakers collaborating musiciansareDigital always What isacollaboration? crave curators. weand wrapped inouregos, Nearsighted, hardofhearing e unnoticed, untilsomeone else’s be made,butthey slipby, vow of ourtheories andtentative s presence ofanother, ahuman can’t bemadewithoutthe And so there are sounds that the echo ofourown thoughts. what we tell them,butsimply so what we’re for isn’t looking b “Ineedto with anotherperson. re There are thoughts you can’t Kom ile-sharing, quiteile-sharing, literally, ounding board, like themirror board, ounding ou hear here isnotthesound of ou tell me. ar picks themoutfor us. ounce thisoffyou,” we say, and eer-to-peer. orkshopping, head-to-head or orkshopping, so

ainst limits;there isa much theother’s to response ro e lv et » ce ls. OK, so maybels. OK, they can e untilyou’ve shared them s I like precise, short, in s, Dookscomposes impulsive sounds; clean sine waves and white Y conclusion unsaid,unformed. out theintro andleave the be reconfigured anyway. You spit f y el f C yo she reflects back avisionofhow collaborator actsasafilter, heor The yourhaving it. audience get perfectly, understood being of yo the doubtthatisthere allalong: po Maybe thecollaboration isso Y grabs. Itwillberun with. ‘flux’. He’s it’s right; allupfor says of avoice atthebeginning whatyoucareful about say,” c risk, There’s andembraced it. a Dooks have faced uptothe Frank Bretschneider andChris the texture ofyour text. the ‘you’ intheturns ofphrase, To te Youout. don’t sweat the ordinarily write. Itmakes you act you wouldn’twrite things It’s itmakes kindofaggro: you riend, orafew thousandpeople. orm of spying onyourself.orm ofspying lue here: “You have tobe ou sent itoff–toasingle ou sent ou trust. ou open yourselfou open uptoaccident. ollaborating, in this sense, isa inthissense, ollaborating, se c

u’ u’ w hnique, because youhnique, because know it’ll a world eager to pinpoint topinpoint a world eager re re

erful because itforegroundserful because a crack atyour emailbefore

never quite certain of re c noise, which are both eived andperceived. simple and clear. 3.08 (March 14 - 21,3.08 (March 2001)

l. mmissioned by Fällt/BiP-HOp by mmissioned What is Collaboration? Co Sound Micro-economics Dig in Weekly appeared originally Vo

constraint toaidthecreative » with anegg-timer, as a e F ME (also known asChronic re Y in lockstep. b across islandsandcontinents)is ov what isdubbutacollaboration – duplicity attheheart ofdub(for implicit andexplicit; buthere the bymusic, ofcourse, turns Dub iseverywhere inelectronic artist’s veins. Just listen to‘sog’. like adrenaline through the And dub:dubruns through this r left scattered onthecutting spread over spliced-out scenes paths.Thedust many potential crashing downthe gate onso and resolution. Thesound of ofconflict Thesign meddling. interference. Thesound of album, themarksofanother’s and agritinevery track onthis duos every one.There’s atension P like Twothings Lone Swordsmen, p o That’s what’s onhere. It’s going

oom floor. ou would notknow from this lectronic producers write music atigue Syndrome).atigue Whilesome orter Ricks, Techno Animal– dd, because thereferencedd, because orne by marching two bodies oints Ihear intheirmusicare

lease thatChris Dookssuffers er years, between studios,

circumstances of the moment. the of circumstances

compositions to be guided by the by guided be to compositions

itatd u hsalw my allows this but distracted, I'm a bit uncontrolled and easily and uncontrolled bit a I'm ublished by BiP-HOp/Fällt Music BiP-HOp/Fällt by ublished hristopher Murphy. Bovine Life » Bovine Design: Fehler. © + ® 2002 P Sherburne, Thanks: Phillip and Susanna Bolle, Philippe Petit C

Credits »

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