Wednesday 25 February 2009

please vote for 'autumn leaves'


Please vote:


The Gruenrekorder compilation "Autumn Leaves" is nominated for the Qwartz Electronic Music Award in the category "Compilation".


You can support "Autumn Leaves" by voting online between December and March 16th 2009. Please vote here.


If the voting system does not work please use this way:


Paste the text below in the comment space"I vote for: Autumn Leaves by Gruenrekorder, Germany in the category compilation."


for those of you who haven't yet downloaded 'Autum leaves' I strongly suggest you follow the link above.


'Autumn Leaves is an audio compilation that emerges out of a collaboration between Gruenrekorder and Angus Carlyle. The inspiration for the compilation derived from the book "Autumn Leaves: Sound and the Environment in Artistic Practice" - published by Double Entendre - which Angus Carlyle edited and Gruenrekorder contributed to.


The compilation presents an extremely wide-ranging exploration of the theme of sound and environment. You can hear everything from carefully crafted spoken word pieces, through compelling electro-acoustic compositions, to the purest forms of unedited and unsequenced phonography'

Lasse-Marc Riek - 'Das Teilen Der Flugel'


(from the and/aor website):


and.p35 artist:


LASSE-MARC RIEK


'Das Teilen Der Flügel'

2009


The next online release from the main division of and/OAR features one composed work
of unprocessed field recordings and one straight field recording. Just as
the image for this release appears to have been derived by a lot of
processing, it only features a simple overlay of two photographs, much
like the first track of this release, so sometimes even simple things are
not what they seem!


Anyway, and/OAR is happy to feature a release by this German sound
artist (and founder of the recording label Gruenrekorder)!


Lasse has not only been a very active recordist, but he's also been very active in the
global field recording community over the past few years, and has done
a lot in helping raise awareness about environmental sound and field
recording as an artistic pursuit. We owe a lot to his continued efforts
and enthusiasm. It's very impressive.

Paulo Raposo & Joao Silva - 'book of hours'


Paulo & Joao's project 'Book of Hours' is now published by Touch and available online here


Book of Hours
Paulo Raposo João Silva

w/guest: Carlos Santos

Recorded 12.12.08Dome of the National Pantheon, Lisbon


João Silva: crystal bowlPaulo Raposo: space multi-channel diffusion and real-time processingCarlos Santos: glass and bell


"Book of Hours" was recorded in the remarkable baroque central dome of the National Pantheon in Lisbon.


The musicians (and the audience) were 40 meters above ground level on a narrow circular balcony looking out over the abyss. The main sound source was a crystal bowl, played by João Silva, which was struck and resonated with a stick. Paulo Raposo processed these sounds and diffused them throughout the space via 6 channels, 4 of which were small self-powered speakers, arranged symetrically around the circumference of the dome. Carlos Santos also moved throughout the space and the audience with a small glass and a Tibetan bell.


The sonic interactions in "Book of Hours" aimed to reveal the inherently active qualities of the space, itself a performer in this acoustic dialog.

compost & height compilations


for those of you who don't already know, Patrick Farmer & Sarah Hughes have been busy running the excellent 'compost & height' blog & label - which can be found by clicking here - on the blog you will find tons of downloads covering field recording, sound art and contemporary improvisation. There is also a limited edition split cdr series (releases tend to sell out in advance of publication - so take a look at the forthcoming schedule & get an email to them asap).


Back in early February they arranged a great 1st birthday event at Cafe Oto in London - a review can be found here & the first few people through the doors recieved one of three very limted edition cdr's (all with individual hand drawn sleeves by Sarah).


The line-up on these was quite remarkable & for those who couldn't be at the event the whole 3 cd set is now available as a free download here


Those reading this who are interested only in field recordings will find plenty of pieces on there (do listen to everything though, as open ears are essential for the enjoyment of field recording as a pastime & a listening experience if you ask me !)


Wednesday 18 February 2009

new release of note: Michael Peters - 'field recordings from Barbados'


Field Recordings from Barbados Michael Peters Gr 063 (gruenrekorder)


1. Whistling Tree Frogs (25:23)


Recorded in Bathsheba on the wild east coast of Barbados. Every nightfall is celebrated by a chorus of a million whistling tree frogs (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei), singing over a background of palm trees rustling in the wind, and the distant drone of the Atlantic Ocean. These tree frogs are tiny - on one night, I crawled around on a field with a flashlight, trying to find the frog that I heard whistling directly in front of me, but without success. The incessant, almost static, quite loud sound tapestry woven from ocean, wind, cicadas, and the pointillist tone cluster of the whistling frogs, going on for hours every night, conveyed to me a strong sense of timelessness.


2. Giant Bamboo (25:21)


Very large specimen of these magnificent bamboo trees can be found in many places on Barbados. Even on a moderately windy day, such a bamboo produces a wide range of sounds, from piano (leaving space for the occasional birdsong or frog whistling) to a sudden fortissimo, turning the bamboo stems into a clattering, rustling, squeaking percussion orchestra. This one was recorded in a magical tropical garden called “Flower Forest”. During the recording, I was drinking coffee while watching green monkeys having lunch in the top branches of a giant breadfruit tree.