Background Noise: an overview
Music is so passively consumed everywhere these days, it’s like wallpaper. It’s everywhere and nowhere at once. The idea of having a room that makes background music, but does it in a way in which you need to actively engage, forms the concept behind Background Noise.
Similar to how Flow, an Ableton Link-based collaborative performance first performed at QUT’s CreateX event, was able to deconstruct and demystify the music production process and show an audience how a piece is made up of a sum of component parts, Background Noise will be a space where all the sound is being made and manipulated in real time and where people are encouraged to interact with this process.
Background Noise builds on Brian Eno’s work on the parallels between music production approaches and societal structures. Similar to how the Orchestra preempted industrial models, with a flow of information that only went in one direction and a hierarchical system based around tiers of ownership and authority, our current society is structured in a way where people frequently feel that they have limited ability to act within their given environment.
In a 2017 interview, Eno states: “I’m interested in the idea of generative music as a sort of model for how society or politics could work. I’m working out the ideas I’m interested in, about how you make a working society rather than a dysfunctional one like the one we live in at the moment – by trying to make music in a new way.”
This project will use a generative patch as a starting point, and then invite the community of Yonder to collectively navigate musical possibilities, shapes and directions.
Background Noise will be an on-going, continuous piece that will run from 6pm-1am during Yonder. It will be collaborative, improvised music. I will set up a series of Reaktor patches that can be used as starting points; these software patches will then be sent to modular synth patches for sound generation and manipulation. See the video below for a demonstration. The space will include a combination of modular synthesizers, gestural instruments, home-made instruments, vocal processing and looping, and iOS devices. Audience members are invited to participate in the music making in several ways:
Drawing on the modular-on-the-spot events that are now being held across cities in Europe and North America, anyone in the Brisbane community interested live modular synth performance is welcome to participate. You can bring your own modular synth, or use what we have available. There will be a CV gate signal available, clocked to the master Link BPM. This should help keep all rhythmic elements in time throughout the day. If you don’t understand what any of that paragraph meant, please disregard it, don’t be intimidated, keep reading and watch the video at the bottom for an overview of what I mean.
Any music makers using Ableton Link enabled apps can join in. If you’ve ever played with a drum machine on your iPhone, there’s a good chance you could add these beats to the music on the day. A full list of Link enabled apps is available here. Headphones will be available for private jams and for working on ideas. If you want to add your drum beat or sequence to the overall mix you will be able to plug in to our mixing desk.
A camera tracking system that turns movement into modulation data will be setup in the room. You can see this in action here. Special thanks to John McCormick and Steph Hutchison for their work on this technology and their generosity in providing us with a working system. As you move, you will change the compositional and/or timbral aspects of the piece.
Tara Simmons will be working on a vocal loop system where vocalists will be welcome to add processed voice layers to the overall mix.
Craig Parry will be building a series of instruments out of common household items, using makey makeys, Mogees, wii remotes and the like. These instruments will be able to be played by anyone.
If you would like to be involved, or if you would like further information, please email me on [email protected]
More information will be made available over the next two weeks. While we want to keep Background Noise open to anyone who wants to get involved, we will need some simple rules to ensure the sonic environment does not degenerate into complete noise. A series of simple pointers will be published soon to help guide the process.
This video demonstrates my initial prototype patch for a generative system. I’ve captioned the video in an attempt to explain the process. While this is intended to be of use to both experienced and amateur electronic music makers, some concepts may need further explanation. Feel free offer suggestions or ask me questions here or via email.