Julio Tlachi

[juliotlachi]

Horizontal Arrangement #1

Link: https://soundcloud.com/julio-tlachi/horizontal-arrangement-exercise-1/s-UMXQv

Just completed my FIRST Pro Tools session!!!! Official a sound artist ;)

[juliotlachi]

Still trying to figure out the perfect way of categorizing sound on Soundcloud :) If there is a better system for organization please let me know. Thanks

[juliotlachi]

Sound Art: Noise vs Music

Julio Tlachi

February 24, 2020

Sound Aesthetics & Production: Reading Response #2

           After reading both Labelle’s and Khan’s articles, it is interesting to read about the histories of sound. This type of contextualization is important to my understanding of the contemporary functions and roles that sound plays across all aspects of my life. In Khan’s article, it was interesting to read about ideologies like Dada, Bruitism, and the Italian Futurists which have had a great impact on avant-garde noise/sound art. It is crazy to imagine that at some point in Europe “noise music” was part of the mainstream culture. At one point, Europeans were fascinated with wartimes and the noises that came from wartime objects. Noise-making concerts were part of the culture making process. Thinking about this in the modern context, I cannot imagine a concert where an individual is only making noise from different objects as being popular. In the context of WWI, it is interesting to see how their version of “modernism” was about moving away from the representational form of sound as music to the more literal understanding of sound as “noise.”

           After reading Khan’s articles, there are many similarities in Labelle’s article on John Cage. Similarly, Cage was interested in moving away from sound in its musical representation. It was no longer about the rules that were put into place to create a new composition. For Cage sound became a singular moment that could be put in a certain order to create a new way of experiencing and hearing sound. For Cage, it was not as important to create a piece that was harmonious or pleasing to the ear. In a similar sense to Bruitism and the Italian Futurist, Cage became interested in sound as noise producing. As a result, to a contemporary listener like me, it is uncomfortable at times to sit through the piece.

What is most interesting about Cage’s sound art pieces is even though Cage is interested in exploring noises, the pieces he creates pull from the musical form of sound as seen in his  4’ 33” composition. This juxtaposition creates the sense that discerning between noise and music is complex. It is not so black-and-white or linear as Khan’s article presents sound history. Even for sound theorists and artists, it seems like it is hard to create clear boundaries of the different aesthetics of sound in different periods of time.

[juliotlachi]

Defining Sound

Julio Tlachi

February 11,2020

Sound Aesthetics & Production: Reading Response #1

           After having read the articles by Oliveros, Metz and Gurrieri, Grimshaw & Garner, etc., I realized that my experience with sound has been a given. I have never questioned the definition of sound like all these sound theorists do. When I am watching a video, I am usually concentrating on the visual imagery and narrative. Rarely, do I pay attention to sounds that are present in the video. Like I previously said, I have taken sound as a given. I do not question it. So, after reading these articles, the understanding of sound is expansive and complicated.

           In most of the articles especially by Oliveros and Grimshaw & Garner, they move beyond the acoustic definition of sound described as a wave. In Metz and Gurieri’s article, they describe this type of definition as on the antiquated and has its limitations. In contrast, Grimshaw & Garner highlight the different theories behind sound. For example, they describe sound as an event and as property of an object. They write about the complexity of locating sounds. Where does sound come from? Is the sound distal, medial, or proximal? These are some of the questions that the authors try to address. They also try to build upon the definition of sound by including in its definition the experiential aspect of sound. In the article, both authors discuss the importance that experience brings when we listen, hear, and/or experience sounds. In their eyes, this type of distinction is essential to describe how everyday people are experiencing sound and not just using the acoustic definition for the sake of defining the word.

           The Grimshaw & Garner article was the most interesting because it felt like a discussion of different sound theories building on each other and at the same time trying to distinguish themselves. The abundance of sound theories brought me back Oliveros’ article on deep listening. In order to get to these complex understandings, I have to practice deep listening. Like I previously said I do not “actively” listen for sound when I am watching a video. According to the article, deep listening provides the viewer with the opportunity to “expand consciousness of sound.” In addition, all these ideas go back to Metz and Gurrieri’s stance on perceptual objects as “socially constructed.” There is a fascination with providing a comprehensive explanation of the way sound functions in relation to our mind, body, and environment.