Interactive Poll - Field Recordings

 Mila:  Karlheinz Stockhausen “Kontakte”  Lots of whings, blings, and clonks here.  A conglomerate of different sounds, for me, I am missing a sense of cohesion, but that could be my ignorance of electronica.  This one is not my cup of tea, I sense a coldness in it that just doesn’t appeal to me.  Thylacine “Versailles”  This one I prefer much from the start.  It is also very electronic, obviously, but the sound of the organ at the beginning added more of a human touch that I crave in music.  I like that it has a more discernable rhythm as well, and a feeling of completion, reprising the beginning at the end. TY ft. Mpho “Brixton Baby”  Now THIS hits more notes that appeal to me.  The city sounds, the street performers.  There are synths added and the vocals are very soulful, until the rap part anyway. The rap is of interest also, as commentary of the passersby and culture.   Snippets of steel drums (?) then intersperse with city sounds and conversations and finally back to music overlying everything.  As you probably can tell, this is my favourite of yours here.  

Christian:  Sohrab “Zarrin”  Slow builder here, not sure what the opening sounds are, but a nice washy thing enters and swells.  There are subtle little wriggles show up under the repeating washy part.  Just lovely and contemplative, soothing yet kept my interest up.  Fred Frith “Same Old Me”  Funny start with sneezing!  Love the messing around on the stringed thing and the Farfisa type organ.  Sarcastic spoken vocal, there is certainly a sense of anxiety and hopelessness here.  Some ironically jolly little horns peep in, probably done on synth.  Fun!  Lewian “Distant by Funex”  Sounds almost like a typewriter type keyboard at the start, a repeating chord on piano and little tinkly sounds (teaspoons in cups?).  Little whirlies join in and some more kind of stirring, swishing sounds.  Sometimes serene, sometimes a little disturbing, with some discordant sounds peppered into the mix.  Intriguing!  And congrats on doing your own music.  I actually enjoyed all of yours, as I often do.  You’ve opened my ears to a lot in this genre over the polls. 

George:  Tyondai Braxton “Casine Trem”  Fun romp with whomps and whiddleys (clarinets?).  Sounds like most is on synths, as far as keyboards, although there are some strings that sound like violin and or cello.  Little percussive stick things going on.  Makes me think of cartoons, not that it’s laughable, but deliberately done with some humour.  It also get dramatic in parts, with dissonance.  Paula Matthusen “The Ontology of an Echo”  Drips and odd bowed sounds, plinks and plonks and whizzies.  This one becomes more contemplative as it moves along, ending with bowed cello.  Lovely.   Renė Lussier “Nocturnal”  Some quiet moments at first, then some bangs and wongly brass and electric guitar, mostly discordant.  Ominous.  A jazzy kind of section commences, with drums and piano and clarinet (?).  Deep breaths and snoring sounds, kinda (on cello). More slippy slideys.  Christian Marclay “Fade to Slide”  Industrial start this off, and some water and clicky-clackies, strings again (which are really great for staccato sounds, creating tension).  Very discordant and jumpy.  Oooh, a harp!  Bagpipes and accordions being tortured!  Probably obvious that my favourite here is “The Ontology of an Echo.”