Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Experiment: August 2009

To be inside the mind of history's most brilliant classical composers would be a interesting experience indeed, if not a terrying one! For some say that the temperament to produce some of these most unearthly masterpieces took a special kind of a mind. Indeed some of these minds were sent through torment by sheer examination of mathematical and musical thought, sometimes for long periods becoming broken or bent by the pressures of such a strict discipline. Just as the intensity of music can produce these cases, we also have several mathematicians that have the same experiences when pushed to the outer rim of their logicial and mathematical thought - music and mathematics so closely linked and both so very demanding disciplines.

We may not have Einstein, Godel or Cantor or even Mozart, Beethoven or Berlioz in this month's podcast but we do have some very individual modern composers who in their own right express and compose to the same intensity of their forebearers. I am not saying that this new bunch of composers are verging on the edge of insanity - but living on the edge as always has a lot to do with the avant-garde and as we know here at THE EXPERIMENT the avant-garde is an ever expanding frontier!

First up we have Helen Bellringer a student and disciplinarian of Musique Concrete, the presentation here of her works for the pod focus on her studies of sampling and resampling field recording and found sound sources. Helen's composition express a real link to the works of Perrie Henry, where she keeps a real warmth and depth in her sounds to add a extra sense of movement and realness.

Robe is a newly christened artist on the ever increasingly exciting Brooklyn based label 'Little Fury Things' - Robe's debut album 'the dying light' is a dytopic on rich dark tome and tones of vibrating drones. Do not be frightened as it is a very inviting set of brooding works - where the more you listen the more detailed subtle sound you can hear.

My cell phone is better than your cell phone is a very recent modern statement which can be heard by the kids up and down the country but this is a statement in this case is the name of an artist from the equally cleverly named record label - frequent sea records. MCPIBTYCP is a deliciously minimal lo-fi outfit hailing from Ontario Canada and he has produced extra-wonderful named ep called - What Doesn't Kill Us Still Brings Us Closer To Death - Great stuff.

Finally we have the multi talented Colin Sanderson and his solo compositions. Colin sound conjures up a crazy world of colour and performance where the music can and does fly off in any direction and as Colin says - i would like to be the first Post-Modern Ventriloquial Deconstructivist and i am sure mister Sanderson will be - if he isnt there already...

Keep Listening!

The Experiment is a monthly podcast commissioned by the ICA and presented and produced by Kevin Quigley.