1 Anker Fjeld Simonsen – Oktav III (1988)...... 04:34 1 Bjørn Svin – 7 cirkler i 1 matrix (2002)...... 08:33

2 Jonas R. Kirkegaard – 802 (2012)...... 02:27 2 Michael Nyvang – Collage IV, Corona (1996)...... 05:06

3 Daniel Rothman – Southwest Sky (1988) ...... 10:58 3 Vectral – AC-3 (2007) ...... 05:30

4 Band Ane – Hyper Motel (2011) ...... 02:39 4 Line Tjørnhøj-Thomsen – Lauria (1998) ...... 13:49

5 Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen – Omdrejninger II (1989) ...... 07:12 5 Hans Hansen – Passaics Monumenter (1999) ...... 08:17

6 Jonas Olesen / Morten Riis – Prim x (2010) ...... 02:59 6 Jørgen Teller – Sparklings (2005)...... 03:03

7 Fuzzy – Electric Gardens and Their Surroundings (1989)...... 11:46 7 Birgitte Alsted – Zu versuchen, die Fragen (2002) ...... 16:20

8 Puzzleweasel / Richard Devine – Mad Bonce (2008)...... 06:24 8 Sofus Forsberg – Homework (2005)...... 01:58

9 Per Nørgård – Årsfrise-91 (excerpt) (1991) ...... 05:29 9 Rasmus Lunding – On Learning How to Kill (2002)...... 08:13

10 Halfdan E. / Dan Turèll – Intro (Team Trash) (1993)...... 01:30 TOTAL: 70:49 11 Wayne Siegel – Tunnel Vision (1995)...... 11:31

TOTAL: 67:29

Dacapo is supported by the Danish Arts Council Committee for Music Flashback / Flashforward by Wayne Siegel

Let me just tell you how thrilling it really is, and how, what a challenge it is, because in 1987 the question is whether we’re going forward to tomorrow or whether we’re going to go past to the – to the back! Dan Quayle Vice President of the United States 1989-1993

The Forward/Backward Principle The works on this CD are arranged in forward/backward order with two interwoven chronological strands, one moving forward from the late 1980’s to the early 2000’s, the other moving backwards from 2012 to the early 2000’s. In 2002 DIEM was dissolved as an independent organization and became part of the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, resulting in a shift of focus from production and promotion towards education and research. The early works on this CD reflect creative work in the electronic music studios at DIEM. The more recent works are by composers who have either studied or taught at DIEM. Together, these works represent the varied activities associated with DIEM between 1987 and 2012, with focus on electronic works created in the studio. In fact, instrumental works with live electronics, interactive computer music and sound installations have been as important as studio productions at DIEM, but these works are not well suited for CD release and we have chosen not to attempt to include them. Oh yes, the “we” here refers to an intimate editorial trio consisting of the present author, Wayne Siegel (composer, director of DIEM and professor of electronic music), Morten Riis (composer and PhD student at DIEM) and Jonas Olesen (composer, teacher and former student at DIEM). Several composers who worked at DIEM in the 80’s and 90’s returned in the 2000’s to either obtain a degree in electronic music or to teach, adding yet another level of interweaving. A 2-inch tape reel used on the Otari MTR-90

5 Flashback In the early spring of 1986 I stumbled over an ad for a new position as part time director of a new Danish national electronic music studio, which was being established in Aarhus at the time. The ad described what I could only see as the job of my dreams: setting up and managing a new national electronic music studio funded by the Danish Music Council. I decided to apply, and was fortunate enough to get the position. The idea of establishing a national electronic music studio in Denmark stemmed from the Danish Music Council, propelled by an important figure in the development of Danish electronic music and chairman of the council at the time, Prof. Finn Egeland Hansen. The history of electronic music in Denmark was somewhat humble compared to Denmark’s Scandinavian big brother, Sweden. The EMS studio founded in Stockholm in 1964 was considered to be one of the most advanced studios in the world at the time and indeed the abbreviation “EMS” often popped up in articles and reports used as political leverage in favor of the foundation of a Danish national studio. The original mandate for DIEM was broad, reflecting compromises and alliances made in the process of procuring funds for the new institution. The new national center was expected to embrace many different styles and genres ranging from experimental electroacoustic music to popular electronic music when it was founded in Aarhus in 1986. Copenhagen would have been a more obvious choice for a new center of electronic music in Denmark. After all, most of the potential users lived in or near the Danish capital. What made Aarhus attractive, apart from the city’s strong musical traditions, was the fact that the recently completed Concert Hall housed a fully equipped 24-track analog recording studio with a substantial amount of excess studio capacity.

Magnificent machines An Otari MTR 90 24-track analog tape machine was the backbone and workhorse of the original DIEM studio. It used tape that was 2 inches wide with tape reels 10½ inches in ­diameter. The machine was the size of an industrial washing machine (no further comparison intended). New users had to be warned never to touch the reels or tape while The Otari MTR 90 24-track analog tape machine, DIEM studio I, 1987 the machine was running, since the one horsepower motor could easily rip a finger off an unwary composer’s hand. The monster was generally operated by DIEM’s professional

6 audio engineer. Reducing tape hiss and noise was a major concern at the time. The Otari was equipped with 24 channels of Dolby-A noise reduction. Each noise reduction channel consisted of two hardware units, an encoder and a decoder. It was common knowledge that Dolby-A produced some unwanted audio artifacts, but reducing tape hiss was considered worth the sacrifice in audio quality. An Otari MTR 12 4-track tape machine and a Nagra-T audio stereo mastering machine completed the arsenal of analog tape recorders. In the late 80’s when DIEM was established, a major transition from analog to digital technology was fully underway. The CD-audio player had become widespread and writable CD technology had recently entered the pro audio market. Personal computers were begin- ning to be used for musical production and MIDI had recently been accepted as a stand- ardized communication protocol for personal computers and digital synthesizers. Digital recording and editing, especially multi-track recording and editing, were, however, still a very exclusive affair. DIEM’s first studio configuration was a hybrid that reflected the broad scope of our potential users. It included an Atari 1040 along with four Macintosh Plus personal computers with 1 megabyte RAM and two floppy disc drives (no hard disk drives). Software included computer music programming environments such as Csound (MIT), Lisp and HMSL (Mills College) as well as commercially available MIDI sequencer programs and editor/librarian programs for programming outboard synthesizers: an Emulator II sampling keyboard, several Yamaha DX and TX FM-synthesis modules and keyboards and an Oberheim X-pander hybrid synthesizer. The gap between open source software develop- ment environments and user-friendly music hardware and software was addressed by trying to encompass both. Soon an Audioframe digital audio workstation with sampling, digital editing and 8 tracks of hard disc recording was added. This was a high-end main- frame-based system that required its own ventilated glass enclosure to prevent the system from overheating and to reduce fan noise in the control room. Although it was a state of the art system at the time, it was far less powerful than almost any sequencer software running on any standard laptop computer today. Later a NeXT Cube computer with an IRCAM ISPW sound card were purchased to allow users to run IRCAM’s version of Max/FTS, an early ver- DIEM Studio 1, 1988: Emulator SP-12 Drum machine, Emulator II sampler, sion of what today is known as the programming environment Max/MSP. Macintosh Plus computer with external hard drive

9 Other directions by the concert hall security guard who wanted to close down the building and on another Presenting electronic music in Denmark and promoting Danish electronic music abroad occasion having to lay down the law after entering a studio filled with ­cannabis smoke. was an important focus area at DIEM. In 1988 DIEM produced concerts with Alvin Lucier (USA) and Michel Waisvisz (Holland) as part of the Aarhus NUMUS festival. Alvin Lucier Studio time and technical assistance were provided free of charge for composers’ projects. performed Music for Solo Performer (1965), using brain waves to control vibrating instru- One would imagine that this luxury would have made it difficult to get studio time at DIEM. ments and other physical objects via electrodes attached to his head. Waisvisz controlled This was sometimes true, but it was also a challenge to attract a broad base of composers. electronic sounds with a unique MIDI controller called “The Hands” built at STEIM in Am- Actually, there were not many electronic music composers in Denmark. The most serious sterdam. Numerous electronic music festivals and concerts were since held in Aarhus and ones tended to have their own studios, since they previously had no other options: Fuzzy, other cities in Denmark, culminating in the International Computer Music Conference Gunnar Møller Pedersen and Jørgen Plaetner immediately come to mind. Commissions for (ICMC) in 1994, where 400 practitioners of computer music from around the world met to instrumental works initiated by ensembles, orchestras and Danish Radio were plentiful in exchange research developments and present over 50 works involving various combina- the 80’s, and many Danish composers were busy with commissions. There was also a geo- tions of humans and machines, including performances by the Royal Danish Ballet and the graphical issue: most of the composers lived in Copenhagen, which was a five-hour train Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Research was also important at DIEM, with focus on human ride from Aarhus. I saw it as an important task to introduce Danish composers to the pow- computer interaction. The most notable research project was the DIEM Digital Dance erful artistic tools that technology could offer. A series of summer workshops was initiated project in the late 1990’s, which involved technical and artistic development in interactive in collaboration with the three Danish composers’ unions represented on DIEM’s board of music controlled by dancers. directors. Students often included well-established Danish composers. Additional courses were started in collaboration with other institutions such as the University of Aarhus Productions and the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. While teaching the first summer course, I Even so, the two electronic music production studios in the Aarhus Concert Hall were the remember quickly falling behind the course curriculum after discovering that most of my main focus at DIEM between 1987 and 2002. It was my ambition that DIEM should be a students did not know how to use a computer mouse. The first hour was spent practicing place where many different types of composers would feel welcome and comfortable. Since controlling the mouse and selecting pull-down menu options by clicking the mouse but- many of the composers who worked at DIEM did not live nearby, many productions took ton. Being a composer myself, I also found it important to produce my own music. It was a on the form of 1-2 week residencies. Here the technical staff was crucial in making com- luxury to work in my dream studio and it also provided an opportunity to remain familiar posers feel at home, helping them when they needed assistance, and becoming invisible with the software and hardware. when they wanted to work alone. In 1988 Claus Petersen was hired as DIEM’s audio engi- neer and in 1989 Steffen Brandorff joined the staff as software coordinator. Claus and Stef- Decline and Rebirth fen served faithfully as midwives for countless artistic productions. Naturally, with the joy In November 2001 a newly elected government in Denmark decided to cut cultural spend- of birth comes pain as well. I remember situations ranging from artists succumbing to de- ing by 15%. Forced to make some difficult decisions, the Danish Music Council decided to lirious laughter during a recording session to a composer breaking down in tears after los- close DIEM, resulting in a last minute reconstruction as an integrating part of the Royal ing a week’s tedious work due to a hard disc failure. I remember on one occasion having to Academy of Music in Aarhus in January 2003. I was appointed professor of electronic music calm an overly excited composer who had been interrupted in the middle of a production by the Academy’s principal and entrusted with the task of setting up a new degree program

10 11 at the Academy in electronic music composition. Focus naturally shifted from production and promotion to education and research and the name was changed from the Danish Institute of Electroacoustic Music to the Danish Institute of Electronic Music. In 2003 electronic music had become more popular and more widely accepted than I could have imagined in 1987, a brief 15 years earlier. Personal computers had become commonplace, and electronic music software was abundant and easily accessible. In a certain sense, institutional electronic music studios had been overtaken by home studios with personal computers and readily available software. Digital editing and signal process- ing techniques had become both sophisticated and commonplace. Impressive technical manifestations began to lose their impressive qualities, their virtuosity. A new generation of young people had grown up with computers and digital audio at their fingertips. Many of them rejected the idea of progress in music technology, using obsolete hardware and embracing the errors and glitches of audio technology as relevant building blocks for what might be called post-technological music. This is not only a historical phenomenon: the origins of glitch music date back to the late 80’s and early 90’s. It is also a cultural and so- cial phenomenon revealing a dichotomy between high art and street art. The tape hiss that we so desperately tried to eliminate using costly noise reduction systems in the early years of DIEM had become a welcome musical element used to add technological “warmth” in an age of digital perfection.

Flashforward The electronic music degree programs at the Royal Academy in Aarhus were designed to accommodate a new artistic and technological reality. The first students were admitted in 2004. Today there are over 30 students working on degrees in electronic music on all levels: bachelor, masters, PhD and an advanced soloist program. DIEM, now the electronic music department at the Royal Academy, moved out of the Aarhus Concert Hall in 2004 to make way for a new addition to the Aarhus Concert Hall that later would house not only DIEM with three new electronic music studios but the entire Academy of Music as well as DIEM studio I 1989, Yamaha TX816 FM Module, Yamaha DX7 FM synethsizer, the National Opera, the Aarhus Symphony, a new symphony hall, a new rock venue and Kurzweil Expander sampling synthesizer, Oberheim Xpander hybrid synthesizer a chamber music hall. In 2007 DIEM moved forward into these new facilities by moving back to the Aarhus Concert Hall. Production and concerts continue to play an important

13 role after DIEM was incorporated into the Royal Academy. The list of guest artists who have lectured and performed at DIEM since 2002 is long and impressive. Much has changed in 25 years, but the lively artistic environment at DIEM in 2012 exceeds my wildest dreams of what might be achieved when the institution opened in 1987. Wayne Siegel, 2012

DIEM 1987-2012 by Morten Riis

The story of DIEM is the story of 25 years of believing that the newest technology can move existing musical boundaries, create new sounds, new structures, and pioneer the develop- ment of the music of the future. The story begins at a time when people were still waiting for the computer to do calculations; a time when you thought that anything was possible through digital technology. It was just a matter of imagining it. Four thousand tone genera- tors that move in different directions, increasing and decreasing within a micro-tonal scale, human voices transformed into running water, ultra-deep tones almost inaudible but still affecting the body in a strange way. At the same time, the story of DIEM takes place in a time of change and restructuring on a political level but also on a more fundamental level, i.e. the technological development, which is the starting point for creating electronic music. The story of DIEM tells the story of the end of the great electronic music studios, the transition from large government-funded institutions to small home studio in the bedroom. This development took place because the technology became more available, both financially and in terms of user friendliness. When DIEM first opened its doors in 1987 there were no ­prefabricated drum loops, no multi-touch screens or MP3 files. On the other hand, numerous formats and media existed that you needed to be updated on as a composer and artist. ADAT, DAT, Zip disc, SDII, SCSI, 5 1/4”, and 3½” floppy discs, sysex, CD-ROM, Dolby-A, and a number of other digital stand- ards and formats were developed and tested in those years. These formats are outdated DIEM studio I in 1992 today. It was a time of unrest and upheaval where analogue equipment was replaced with the digital counterpart of the future.

14 This double CD presents a broad selection of works produced at DIEM from 1987 to 2012; many of them have never been released. They have been collected to give insight into the many different types of artistic productions that have been completed over the years at this institution for electronic music. The works are seen as historical documents presented in the original form and with the original expression. They have not been optimized with the newest technological possibilities in order to bring these historical recordings into the aesthetic loudness ideal of today. The story of DIEM is ambiguous, extremely loud but still at the edge of the audible; a story about meeting with the conception of the sublime.

DIEM’s original logo from 1987 Students at DIEM hard at work at a workshop with Kim Cascone in 2007

16 17 Program Notes Jonas R. Kirkegaard (b. 1982) has worked in the field between installation art, sound art, and electronic music since 2000. Has studied at DIEM since 2006 and continued on the Anker Fjeld Simonsen – Oktav III (1988) newly established 3rd-level soloist study program for electronic composers in 2011 follow- Oktav III (Octave III) is a part of a larger work Mimesis tragedie (The Tragedy of Mimesis) ing the completion of his master’s degree in electronic music. Furthermore, Kirkegaard performed on Yamaha TX FM modules. The work investigates the overtone series through works with sound design, both acoustic and electronic. He is also affiliated with the Sonic the classical Pythagorean distinction between even and odd overtones. The pre-planned College in Haderslev, Denmark, as a teacher. durations develop in shorter and shorter periods and movement lengths and create a new synthesis, a new foundation and a new starting point for the triad. In the octave, the higher Daniel Rothman – Southwest Sky (1988) level, the pianist discovers that the fourth movement breaks down during the rediscovery Artist in residence at DIEM in 1988, Daniel Rothman was very fascinated by the flatness of of the first tones of the main theme from the first movement of the classical sonata. The the Danish landscape that left him in great awe of his own place between the earth and sky. tragedy of Mimesis rings out as it began but now in new ­electronic overtones. Feeling the relativity of human scale, which is not that of mountain ranges, grand canyons, Previously unreleased. or Sequoia trees, Rothman looked southwesterly toward the horizon, where the refraction of light became both more intense and diffuse as they narrowed. Rothman collaborated Anker Fjeld Simonsen (b. 1944). Studied piano and music teaching at the Royal Danish with oboist Merete Hoffmann from the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra to record the source Academy in Copenhagen and worked eagerly as a classical musician and music teacher material for Southwest sky. The oboe’s unique spectra, processed by a chamber, like Alvin from 1966 to 1979. His artistic production consists of poetry, short stories, electronic mu- Lucier’s iconic I Am Sitting in a Room, produced wonderful sonic arcs, much like visual ones sic, tape theatre, chamber music, and most recently philosophical essays. when looking into Aarhus’ horizon. Previously unreleased. Jonas R. Kirkegaard – 802 (2012) One of the technological highlights of the eighties was the launch of the Yamaha DX series Daniel Rothman is a composer loosely associated with the Lovely Music and New World – synthesizers based on a certain type of FM synthesis. The popularity was largely due to record labels. He lives in Los Angeles and teaches music theory at the California Institute the fact that the DX series was able to emulate acoustic instruments, such as brass instru- for the Arts. Rothman has received commissions from many contemporary music festivals ments, pianos and strings in a way never seen before. The DX series also became popular and awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Composer ­Fellowship in 1996. in electroacoustic circles due to the endless sound and modulation possibilities in the architecture of the synthesizers. The Yamaha FM synthesizers have thus always been a part Band Ane – Hyper Motel (2011) of the DIEM studios and the piece “802” is a small retrospective piece of music that shows How the work is made is not that important, Band Ane says. If it is not important to her, a not often used side of the FM synthesizer: the rhythm section and basslines. The piece is it cannot be important to others. But there was a blizzard outside and the wood-burning produced on a Yamaha TX802 (a multi-timbral rack version of DX7 MKII) from 1988 and is stove was burning. A mouse gnawed inside the wall. Music for a movie was to be created in recorded directly to tape without the use of effects, equalizing, or panning. this room: a room at the secret motel where Ane had her own room until 11 o’clock. Hyper Previously unreleased. is as Ane, hypermobile, to a certain degree. Motel is a commission that she once received

18 19 and which you have to turn down if you don’t get your own room. The collaboration these. The raw sound material has undergone a series of digital processing sessions, where was discontinued. long concert sessions were edited down to the length of a few seconds. The piece reveals Previously unreleased. itself for the attentive and mindful listener as a delicate quiet endeavor in investigating the relationship between silence and noise, between the audible and the inaudible, between Ane Østergaard (b. 1983) has performed at numerous festivals in Scandinavia, and form and detail. These sonic and aesthetic experiments that use the entire dynamic and released two well-received albums. Østergaard holds a Master’s degree in Electronic Music frequency range of human perception make Prim x a welcome alternative to the digital Composition from DIEM / Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. over-consumption that defines the current reality of music listening. Previously released on BIN Records. Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen – Omdrejninger II (1989) Stereo mix by Morten Riis (2011) Jonas Olesen (b. 1979) and Morten Riis (b. 1980) both graduated from The Royal Acad- Omdrejninger (Rotations) was originally commissioned in 1989 by AUT for an outdoor for- emy of Music where they studied Electronic Music Composition. As a duo they have played est concert at Moesgaard Museum. The piece was for 4 channel tape and 4 percussionists. numerous concerts and make audiovisual installations in both Denmark and ­Europe. They The piece was originally divided into two parts, of which the second part is found on this both share a passion for investigating myriad errors that arise when working with analogue CD without acoustic instruments. Omdrejninger II (Rotations II) is a voyage into pure over- and digital systems. tone intervals. The piece consists of seven sections, each with its own four-note chord with inner movements. All intervals are different in the overtone series. The stacking of these in- Fuzzy – Electric Gardens and Their Surroundings (1989) tervals continuously decreases: 8/7, 9/8, etc. until 12/11. Custom-made software was used, Electric Gardens and Their Surroundings (1989) was commissioned by DIEM for the Aarhus in order to make these intervals ring with enough precision. Computer Music Festival and realized at DIEM. The following poem is associated with the Previously unreleased. piece:

Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen (b. 1951) has composed for variable ensemble with different Suddenly they lay there, The surroundings seemed dangerous. types of openness in notation and room for improvisation in addition to electronic/elec- unreal and almost repulsive It was unclear troacoustic music. He participated in the Group for Alternative Music 1971-77 and worked in their merciless mixture whether one still had at the Electronic Music Studio in Holstebro, Denmark, in 1971 and 1975. He holds a Cand. of glass and neon. a chance to turn back. phil. degree in music from the University of Copenhagen in 1984. Previously released on Dacapo Records Jonas Olesen / Morten Riis – Prim x (2010) The music consists of edited versions of excerpts from live performances 2005-2010 when Fuzzy (Jens Wilhelm Pedersen), composer and musician, was born in 1939. He studied with Jonas Olesen and Morten Riis played a series of improvisational concerts primarily with an- Finn Høffding and Per Nørgård at the Royal Academies of Music in Copenhagen and Aarhus alogue instruments, such as modular synthesizers and home-made electronic devices. The and later with Ligeti, Stockhausen, and Jan Bark. Between 1966 and 1980 he was Assistant piece as such is not a documentation of these concerts, rather a radically edited versions of Professor at the Royal Academy in Aarhus. Besides a few chamber works, choral composi-

20 21 tions, and orchestral works, he has mainly concentrated on music associated with other ranging from dripping, wind, and voice to bell sounds. The interval relations of the winter media of expression, such as music theatre, ballet, film, and television and radio drama. section are micro tonal, expanding from half tones at midsummer to quarter tones (as minimum) at the autumn equinox. The tempo peaks at midsummer and is slowest at the Puzzleweasel vs. Richard Devine – Mad Bonce (2008) autumn equinox. Mad Bonce started as collaboration between Puzzleweasel and Richard Devine in 2008 Previously unreleased. over the Internet. Files were sent back and forth and incorporated into various software environments. The sound sources used in the piece are taken from Ricard Devine’s huge Per Nørgård (b. 1932) With his original works, his teaching, and his theoretical innova- collection of analogue and digital synthesizers, together with various computer-generated tions, Per Nørgård has been the most striking Nordic musical personality for over thirty sounds. Later, as part of Richard Devine’s visit to Aarhus, the piece was finished in DIEM’s years. Nørgård has written works of all sizes, from operas to simple choral songs, and is studio, where further recordings and digital manipulations were performed. recognized as the modern Danish composer par excellence. Previously unreleased. Halfdan E / Dan Turèll – Team Trash (1993) Puzzleweasel is the sonic output of Peter Dahlgren (b. 1980). Originally Swedish, the The track is taken from the Grammy winning album Pas På Pengene (Mind the Money) Puzzleweasel was brought up around Europe in Zürich, Amsterdam, and Stockholm and where the author Dan Turèll and the musician Halfdan E created a groundbreaking spoken now resides in Berlin. Dahlgren holds a Master in Electronic Music Composition from the word album. It was also one of Turèll’s last projects before his death and it was the musical Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. Richard Devine (b. 1977) is an Atlanta-based electronic breakthrough for Halfdan E alongside Glad i åbningstiden (Happy During Opening Hours) musician who has designed sound patches for leading software and hardware music com- from 1996. panies. He has also scored commercials for Nike, Touchstone Pictures and engineered and Previously released on Mega Records. Thanks to Playground Music. performed his own music worldwide. Halfdan E. (Halfdan E. Nielsen) b. 1965, Danish rock musician, composer and producer. Per Nørgård – Årsfrise-91 (1991) (excerpt) Halfdan E was bass player in the group Dieters Lieder 1984-88 and later on in Laid Back Excerpt edited by Wayne Siegel 2011 and Gangway. Halfdan E has also worked closely with the rock group TV-2 and produced for Årsfrise-91 (Annual Frieze 1991) is the title of the revised version of Kalendermusik Østkyst Hustlers and Den Gale Pose (both rap/hip hop) among others. Dan Turèll (1946- (­Calendar Music) by Nørgård, a work that was originally commissioned by Danish TV 1993) was a highly prolific author. He has contributed to numerous anthologies in his time, as an interval signal between television broadcasts. The original version gained much written a vast number of articles and essays for newspapers and various magazines on coverage, mainly negative, in the beginning of the 1970s. The revision has maintained the countless subjects, and collections of his works are still being published to this day. global organization of tonal range and durations but was realized with sampled sounds as opposed to sounds produced by electronic tone generators employed in the 70’s version. Wayne Siegel – Tunnel Vision (1995) Furthermore, the total duration has been reduced from 8 hours to 1 hour, making it pos- The piece was originally commissioned by the American choreographer Warren Spears to sible to listen to 12 months of music as 5 minutes for each month. The 8 layers comprise be used in the ballet CMXCV. Tunnel Vision consists of a single, uninterrupted pitch: always 8 rhythmic layers that fit within each other like Chinese boxes, with sound characteristics the same yet constantly changing. In making the piece, various sound sources, such as

22 23 water, fire, crowds and children at play, were processed by custom software. This software manipulated to larger or smaller degrees beyond recognition with the help of a number was used to extract the same pitch from these very different sound sources, a technique of different computer programs. Nyvang writes: “In a way it was like working with an that can be compared to a tube or tunnel, which colors any sound passing through it. The orchestra, except that I was able to start with broad brushstrokes and work my way down to ballet CMXCV premiered in Copenhagen in September 1995. the details. I could even move large resonant blocks of sound back and forth as I pleased, Previously unreleased. an experience quite different from the tedious task of writing endless notes in a score to produce an orchestral sound that in my imagination may seem ever so simple ... hence the Wayne Siegel (b. 1953) Leading international artists, including the Kronos Quartet, title Music for Virtual Orchestra.” Singcircle, Safri Duo and Harry Sparnaay, have commissioned works from Siegel, and his Previously released at Dacapo Records. music has been performed widely throughout Europe, the Americas, and Japan. In 1986, he became director of DIEM, and in 2003 Siegel was appointed Professor of Electronic Michael Nyvang (b. 1963) received his composition diploma from the Royal Academy Music at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. of Music in Aarhus in 1995 and continued his studies in the Academy’s soloist class for composers. The same year he was awarded a three-year working grant from the Danish Arts Bjørn Svin – 7 cirkler i 1 matrix (2002) Foundation. Nyvang’s music covers a large palette of expressions and styles, from an hour 7 cirkler i 1 matrix (7 Circles in 1 Matrix) was a part of a remix project initiated by DIEM in long solo piece for piano, to symphonic orchestral scores and electroacoustic music. the spring of 2002 where five young Danish composers were asked to remix the first Danish electronic music piece Syv cirkler (Seven Circles) by Else Marie Pade from 1958. Bjørn Svin’s Vectral – AC-3 (2008) contribution is primarily created using old analogue and specially designed machines. The AC-3 is a line of works from 2008 under the common name Anti-Climax that all arise from seven tones from the original work formed the basis for several improvisation sessions a very simple basic material in the form of one or a few short samples. The samples have conducted on these machines and later manipulated and mixed using DIEM’s computers, been manipulated live during concerts on several occasions and the work was then put resulting in a piece of techno music that passes on the mood of the original work. together from recordings from these concerts. The composition is built around a repeating Previously released at Resonance.dk theme that develops and is brought into a full-spectrum sound image. A certain amount of noise characterizes the electronically processed material, and the composition draws one’s Bjørn Svin (Bjørn Christiansen, b. 1975) has released music since 1995. In addition to attention to forces of nature and elements such as wind and waves. his releases, Bjørn Svin was a host at the radio program U-land from 1996 to 1999 where he Previously unreleased. helped spread knowledge of electronic music to a broader Danish audience. Bjørn Svin is ac- knowledged as one of Denmark’s leading live performers of experimental electronic music. Søren Lyngsø Knudsen (b. 1983) has played numerous concerts in China, England, France, Germany and Denmark under the alias “Vectral”. Furthermore, Knudsen har Michael Nyvang – Collage IV, Corona (1996) worked with film music for feature film, dance performance and animated features. Søren Corona is part of a larger work with the title Musik for virtuelt orkester (Music for Virtual Or- Lyngsø Knudsen won the competition Danish Championship for Digital Media in 2008 and chestra) commissioned for the Boxiganga Performance Theatre’s show Kinematograf. Most has a Master’s degree in Electronic Music Composition from the Royal Academy of Music of the sound material stems from the strings and sounding board of a piano that have been in Aarhus.

24 25 Line Tjørnhøj-Thomsen – Lauria (Part II of Triff) (1998) tion and exhibition formats where space is in play at different levels. The scope of Hans Lauria is part two of a three-movement piece entitled Triff, in which Tjørnhøj’s own voice is Hansen’s activities also includes the collaboration with the singer Majbrit Ørtz Petersen in used as research material. All musical elements are based on the specific musicality of Tjørn- the duo Örtz. He received The Danish Arts Foundation’s three-year grant in 2008. høj’s own voice and the possibilities that digital technology offers for manipulating the voice. The artistic process has been a matter of learning by doing, which has inspired a playful, Jørgen Teller – Sparklings – the adventure of a spark in a world intuitive, and slightly naïve approach to technology. The piece can be regarded as a hybrid of of spatialisation (2005) personal music and high technological acoustic art. For Tjørnhøj it is essential that the mu- A spark on an adventure in a world of spatialisation. The work was composed in 2005 in an sic has a personal, tender, and sensuous expression, where the question of genre becomes 8-speaker version for the Ghettoblaster Ensemble and is based on his own recordings of unimportant, and where the audience can connect personally and directly to the expression. a classic American muscle car at the square in Svendborg, Denmark. The audio record- Previously released on Tjørnhøj’s own label. ings were processed on an Ensoniq EPS 16+. The work was presented at the international electroacoustic festival in Bourges, France in 2005. Line Tjørnhøj-Thomsen (b. 1960) has worked with a broad variety of singers from jazz, Previously unreleased. ethno, opera, Bulgarian women, throat singers, and Roy Hart trained singers, as well as musicians, choreographers, and visual artists from the contemporary experimental per- Jørgen Teller (b. 1958) is a composer and musician and has created soundtracks for formance scene. Her works are praised for originality, beauty, extraordinary extended vocal international dance and performance events, theatre, poetry, video, film, architecture and techniques, and personal expression. radio. His works have been presented at numerous concerts and in theatre/performance productions and intermedia events in Europe, Japan, and North America. In 1999 he took Hans Hansen – Passaics Monumenter (1999) the initiative for SSSHHHHH ..., the first Sound Biennale in Copenhagen. Passaics Monumenter (The Monuments of Passaic) was written for the The Danish Arts Foundation’s competition for electroacoustic music in 1999 and is based on the text Birgitte Alsted – Zu versuchen, die Fragen (2002) The Monuments of Passaic by American artist Robert Smithson. He describes a trip through The title of this work is a fragment from Rainer Maria Rilke’s letter to a young poet: an industrial area: an “overexposed panorama of ruins with the opposite sign”. A strange planet with constructions (monuments) that begin as ruins before they were built: an “… zu versuchen, die Fragen selbst liebzuhaben wie verschlossene Stuben ­image of the future lost in the trash of the non-historical past. The work is a live recording und wie Bücher, die in einer sehr fremden Sprache geschrieben sind ”. in real time with very few edits: an attempt to play with space, scale, half-finished struc- tures, and physicality. “… try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that Previously released as contribution for Dansk Musik Tidsskrift (Danish Music Journal), are written in a very foreign tongue” 1999-2000, no. 5, vol. 74. This spoken quote is included as raw material in the work along with recorded sounds The composer Hans Hansen (b. 1969) is also a trained architect. This has not only given such as slamming doors and tapping on a brass banister. Many of the sounds were re- him a number of fruitful working methods and mind tools but also led him into installa- corded at DIEM in the Concert Hall in Aarhus, where the work was created. This work was

26 27 commissioned by DIEM with support from The Danish Arts Foundation and premiered at Danish, but the piece is not centered around the understanding of the words as much as the Cinema for the Ear in Copenhagen in 2001. Lunding’s interpretation of the meaning of these words. Lunding’s father has always been Previously unreleased. a strong-willed and fearless pacifist. The piece was commissioned by DIEM for the concert series Cinema for the Ear, and was world-premiered in Montreal on September 11, 2002. Birgitte Alsted’s (b. 1942) productions include chamber music, orchestral works, vocal Previously unreleased. music, works involving collective improvisation, and theater music. In recent years she has been involved in several collaborative efforts combining music with poetry, dance, and Rasmus Lunding (b. 1961) started out on the punk and experimental music scene in the image projection. She has received numerous grants and prizes for her lifelong work as a 1980s in Aarhus, Denmark. Originally a guitarist and bass player, his focus has gradually composer and artist. shifted towards working with computer and software. In the 1990s Lunding released two solo CDs in Denmark with highly acclaimed material, and he has presented his work all Sofus Forsberg – Homework (2005) over the world. Sofus Forsberg’s compositions are often tonal, melodic, and beat oriented. His material Morten Riis, 2012 often consists of chopped-up, fragmented real sounds that may be used for both rhythmic patterns and processed surfaces. In Homework Sofus Forsberg explores new territory, i.e. the classical electroacoustic music tradition, where the sound material is investigated down to the smallest detail, processed, restructured, and shaped from the innermost components of the sound. Previously unreleased.

Sofus Forsberg (b. 1970) started out in 1975 by putting a sewing-needle through a pick- up housing on an old record player. Later in his musical career, he has released albums, played many concerts in Denmark and abroad, created film scores, music for theatre and taught at several educational institutions.

Rasmus Lunding – On Learning How to Kill (2002) The piece is based on statements and words spoken by Lunding’s father who is Danish- born Jew with German roots. Despite being Jewish, he managed to stay in Germany during World War II from 1940-44, doing two things: smuggling German Jews and other Germans via Denmark to Sweden and studying architecture in Weimar. This piece is not about his experiences during that period, but about how these experiences shaped his understand- ing of and very clear view on the phenomena of war. The language spoken in the piece is

28 29 d Engineering: Claus Pedersen (CD1: tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11. CD2: tracks 2, 4) The following tracks were produced at DIEM: CD1: tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. CD2: tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 Producer: Wayne Siegel (CD1: track 9) All other tracks produced by the composers Mastering: Henrik Winther Hansen Compiled by Wayne Siegel, Jonas Olesen and Morten Riis & © 2012 Dacapo Records, Copenhagen Image selection: Jonas Olesen Text editor: Morten Riis English translation: Sara Adel Rasmussen and Wayne Siegel Proofreader: Svend Ravnkilde Graphic design: Denise Burt, www.elevator-design.dk Dacapo Records acknowledge, with gratitude, the financial support of The Danish Composers’ Society, The Department of Culture of the City of Aarhus, and The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus

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Dacapo Records, Denmark’s national record label, was founded in 1986 with the purpose of releasing the best of Danish music past and present. The majority of our recordings are world premieres, and we are dedicated to producing music of the highest international standards.

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