#in general a lot of vocal synthesis preferences is like what engine noise do you like most

[bmpmp3]

i dont mean this as like some kind of gotcha or whatever im a big fan of both concatenative and AI vocal synths pretty equally but i am curious if in like 5-10 years we're gonna get like some sort of nostalgia for the vaguely underwater sounding cevio AI 1.0 early vocoder-esque engine noise. whats that quote about like cd skipping and tape grain. the thing that we hated the most in old tech is the first thing we try to recreate for nostalgia or something like that

[doomedandstoned]

Doomed Discoveries: An Interview with Italian Doomers HAUNTED

~By Mari Knox Knox~

(Doomed & Stoned Italy)

We've been wanting to get to know Italian doomers HAUNTED since they emerged from relative obscurity to release an excellent eponymous debut on Twin Earth Records last fall. Today, we present Mari's interview with the members of Haunted (Mari put together our recent compilation 'Italy Strikes Back!' available here). Coming from various bands and varying backgrounds, and drawing upon a rich heritage of epic Italian doom, Haunted demonstrate a passion for downtuned dirges and the esoteric world of magick. (Billy)

Haunted are a newly formed band. Would you tell us how you met and how the project was born? Introduce yourself to the Doomed & Stoned readers, if you will.

Cristina Chimirri: We only joined a year ago, but were always interconnected before then. A fortuitous series of meetings, a flame and a flare sparked in Frank and Bauso, then spread to me and Orlando. We are all made of that self-same fire. We have found ourselves all wired in a tight knot -- a knot made of heavy sounds and low frequencies, of underwater worlds and psychedelic spirals.

Francesco Bauso: I knew just Frank at the time, as we played together with our previous band Pestem. Ever since we first met we both nourished a passion for a certain kind of sound, both past and present. It wasn’t too hard to see immediately what stylistic direction to take. We wanted a slow and heavy sound and so we contacted Valerio for the drums, already addicted to this kind of sound with his sludge band Torpore. What we wanted strongly from the beginning was a singer in a position to know how to give that magic touch and guide our heavier “sound carpet.” Then Cristina came out of nowhere. She wasn’t overshadowed by the intention of having another guitar, and consequently a fuller sound and dynamic. After some auditions, we found ourselves with Francesco Orlando, an old friend and companion of Frank in their previous grunge band, Hog Truck.. Thus was born Haunted.

Haunted by Haunted

Your debut received great reviews from a panorama of international blogs, magazines, and music sites. Are you satisfied by the feedback obtained? Also, how do you feel about working with Twin Earth Records?

Francesco Bauso: We had put a few clips of our songs online, recorded live in the rehearsal room and we were contacted by Ric Bennett, who proved quite interested in our project. We are extremely pleased by the work done by Ric with his Twin Earth Records, which apart from the release of the album, has managed to usher us into the world of doom by supporting our music very well.

Cristina Chimirri: Twin Earth Records is essentially Mr. Ric Bennett. We are proud to have met a person and a professional of such capabilities. It gave us confidence to work with someone who cares about our music, we couldn’t have wished for better. We are excited and amazed by the rogue waves of positive feedbacks. We got what we wanted: to communicate who we are with the world and share the music we love so dearly with fans of heavy music.

Francesco Orlando: It was really a nice surprise for us, we were not expecting much and we are happy. Working with Twin Earth Records proved to be a good thing, we found in Ric the one who fit the bill -- a reliable, serious, professional person -- and we also found in him a good friend.

Your music has many influences, but you able to keep a distinct personality as a band. Are all the members involved in the writing of your compositions and the birth of new songs?

Cristina Chimirri: A composition is the combination of all our suggestions, a kind of osmotic process. Usually, it finds its roots in the guitar riffs, then the trunk forms from bass and drums, and finally the fronds are the vocal lines. Our songs are the product of insights and improvisation in a semiconscious state, which manifest in structure and dynamics, standing over a free atmosphere of pure air.

Francesco Orlando: Naturally, everyone has his influences that determine the way he plays his instrument. The best thing is that each one of us affects the other in some way, with a riff, a rhythmic pattern, a vocal line, and so forth. In that way, each band member is involved in the composition. We always start from an initial idea and develop it together over and over again. Finally, Cristina enriches everything with her melodies. We always enter the creative process in a state of openness and empathy, and all flows quite naturally from there.

Francesco Bauso: We all come from other bands, listen to different genres, and have different tastes and influences. Having right now clear ideas about what to do, it wasn’t too complicated. We just scramble and merge all of these diverse influences through heavy and monolithic riffs. The creation of our songs takes place in the most obvious and simple way: it always starts from the riffs then begins to form into a song. Each of us plays a vital role in adding a personal ingredient to the soup, so we are all involved 100% in the creative process.

Is this a concept album? What are the lyrics talking about and what do you want communicate through your songs?

Cristina Chimirri: It’s not properly a concept album, but throughout the record there is an epiphany that a spirit haunted us during the creation of the album. The lyrics reflect the idea of a man immersed in Nature, because he is Nature himself -- part of a cosmic order. Lyrics are the synthesis of dichotomies: sleep/wake, life/death, night/day. The lyrics are everything and are one.

Francesco Bauso: We're not going to touch one particular theme, though there is a strong magical component to Haunted. Esotericism and occultism have found a place in the song "Watchtower," for example. We are inspired by everything that can be described as aberrant, claustrophobic, and whatever takes your breath away. All this is filtered from the soul poetry of Cristina, who can be vague, mysterious, and sometimes not so easy to understand. This is my idea of magick. She’s very protective of her lyrics. In fact, at this time we decided not to publish them within the LP.

Francesco Orlando: There is not a main theme in the album, at least not intentionally. Our songs talk about the human condition and our fears, all surrounded by the fairly perceptible veil of occultism. I think that everything is meant to be interpreted very personally by our listeners.

The album was recorded in your hometown of Catania, at the NuevArte Studio, while for the mastering you have chosen a super professional, James Plotkin. How did you get in contact with him and how was it was working with such talent? And, speaking about the artwork by Sadro Di Girolamo, did you give him the initiative to create the concept or develop it collaboratively with the artist?

Frank Tudisco: Our idea is that everyone should take care of what he does best. We chose Carlo Longo because he was and currently is the best sound engineer I've worked with so far. We had the pleasure and good fortune to be assisted by Davide Oliveri of Uzeda as a drum technician, as well. And then as far as the mastering, we rely upon another great expert. We've kept an eye on James Plotkin for quite some time, as he's worked with like-minded bands such as Conan and Electric Wizard, to name a few. At first, we left him free to work as he knew now, then with some more information dictated by our feelings we gave input on the final master. We believe he has done a magnificent job and also we found him incredibly easy to work with and very personable.

Francesco Bauso: As for the artwork, we entrusted Sandro Di Girolamo to create the kind of cover evoked by the sound of the album. The image depicts a coven of witches who rule over a helpless body, intent to perform a ritual. The skull that emerges from nothing lends itself to interpretations of all kinds, as indeed the larger image in general. In addition, a more careful eye can find a small gem that could give pleasure to many fans of the genre.

Cristina, your vocals play a very important role in the band's sound. It's central to all five songs. How did you develop your singing skills? Had you other projects before Haunted?

Cristina Chimirri: Actually, I never took singing lessons. All that I have is the result of years of listening. For year, my voice was confined within the four walls of my room, and then about a decade ago came the invitation to join a cover band, and it all began.

In recent years, the Italian scene has grown exponentially. Are there other bands from Italy that you like? What are your musical tastes, overall?

Francesco Orlando: Uzeda in the first place. Besides being our fellow citizens, Uzeda have been for me a keystone. Through them I realized the importance of carefully crafting one's sound as a band. As a child, I used to listen to Morricone and Pink Floyd records. I think these have affected my musical preferences, leading me to this day to appreciate genres such as drone, ambient, noise, and of course doom.

Frank Tudisco: I really like a lot of stuff and I’m always looking for new music to discover. In recent years especially, several things sparked my curiosity and finally in Italy things seem to have changed for the better. Apart from the already established trio Ufomammut, that deserve due attention, I really dig Calibro 35, Naga, and the debut album by Messa -- who we’ll have the pleasure to share the stage soon.

Are you planning some gigs soon to perform your new songs live?

Frank Tudisco: We are doing our best to bring Haunted's music to the public. We've made some lifestyle choices that will enable us to stay away from home for long periods, so we're trying to do it in the safest possible way. Fortunately, in recent months we have received the support of some promoters and organizers interested in working with us. So to properly answer your question I would say, yes we are!

Cristina Chimirri: One date that can be announced regards our participation at Into The Void Fest in The Netherlands in October.

Finally, one last question: what are your plans for the future? Another album in the works, perhaps?

Cristina Chimirri: Tour and promotion, first. A split album with Witchhelm from Ohio is in the works, then a second full-length album. We don't even know if the future holds enough time for all we have planned! Lastly, we would like to thank you Mari, and all the Doomed & Stoned staff, for the attention and support. This has been one crazy ride and we consider it a privilege.

Follow The Band.

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[felinevomitus]

The Future Is Female: Electric Indigo Interviewed

Electric Indigo photo by Markus Gradwohl.

Susanne Kirchmayr aka Electric Indigo began her career in 1989 as a techno DJ in Vienna, before moving to Berlin to produce work that “oscillates between experimental club music and electro-acoustic listening music”. On Thursday 18 May, Electric Indigo will return to the UK stage – after a twenty-year absence – to perform an immersive granular synthesis piece called 109.47 degrees. This work uses “the ideal tetrahedral angle in foam” as a metaphor to describe “a multifocal society of individuals” who live in an interdependent globalised world.

Indigo is perhaps best known in the UK as the founder of the international online database Female Pressure. After having published two widely-received and quoted surveys on female roles within the music industry, Indigo and her colleagues are planning to publish a “more systematic, more extensive” report in August 2017, “with a survey of evolvement and tendencies” in music festivals across the world.

While Indigo admits that early utopian ideals within electronic music have conceded to more neutral or objective views, she also argues that progressive platforms, such as Female Pressure, open up spaces of resistance, protest and solidarity for global political causes.

In this interview, conducted over Skype, Indigo talks to Ilia Rogatchevski about the philosophy and technology behind granular synthesis, her work with Female Pressure as well as the politics surrounding the use of sampled female voices in electronic music.

Ilia Rogatchevski: You started off your career as a DJ before developing an electro-acoustic avant-garde voice. When did this transition occur?

Electric Indigo: I think it was 2002 or 2001. I was invited to play at a festival and the curator of the festival had a vision to combine two people who had never met before, who came from different musical backgrounds. I developed a concert with Mia Zabelka, an avant-garde musician. We were combining my drum machines and synthesisers with her violin and live electronics. That was kind of wild. From there, I slowly started getting to know the improvisation scene in Vienna.

Are you still improvising now?

No, not really. I do that in the course of composition, when I try out things, but the amount of improvisation has been rather reduced during live concerts. This has to do with my means of sound generation. I work a lot with granular synthesis and the tools for this are high on CPU use, so I can’t incorporate all the software synthesisers in a live set. I have to pre-record. There is a part of improvisation to every live concert, of course, but that is more about working with the sound and, to a certain degree, with effects.

What is granular synthesis?

Granular synthesis is a way to synthesise sound from pre-existing audio recordings or so-called wave tables. You have an audio wave and you use that to generate new sounds by taking a very short piece of it. These short pieces are called grains. A grain by itself is so short that the human ear cannot really recognise it as music.

The trick is that you take a lot of grains and, by multiplying and overlapping them and playing them back in various forms, you create a new sound. On top of that new sound you can apply all the normal parameters for synthesis. So you have an amplitude envelope, for example, or you can apply all sorts of filters and EQs. In this process you create a new sound that does not sound in any way like the source material.

I understand that you’ve used this method in pieces like Morpheme, which samples a quote from Sadie Plant. Do you have a political motivation for pulling apart sound sources?

I’ve been struggling with conveying a political attitude in my artistic work, because my music is very abstract and I definitely prefer abstract ways of expression. At the same time, I think it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times we live in. I’m very often questioning myself: “How can I react?” And I have not found any satisfying answers yet.

I think, yes, one way is to use voices, but process them. I’m not too much into vocal music. Using a sentence like Sadie Plant talking about noise and cybernetics (“To let noise into the system is a kind of fine art in both cybernetic terms and in terms of making music, too.”) is just very inspiring. Having the conceptual constriction of only using this [quote], as basic raw material to develop a whole piece with, is an artistic challenge.

On the other hand, a piece like Chiffre, used 21 languages and dialects to reflect a rather pluralistic world. The problems we are facing are so complex that any sort of explicit message would seem inappropriate to me. I haven’t yet found a solution for that general problem of how to be political in my art.

Are you aware of the strand within sound theory that suggests there is an overwhelming tendency amongst male producers to cut up female voices?

I don’t know much about this issue, I must confess. What I know comes from friends who are actually singers and vocalists. For example, Caroline Churchill has had this experience with male sound engineers who would low cut [take away the bass from] female voices at 500Hz, or even higher.

I think this is a very interesting subject, but I’m not really an expert in it. I just find that the typical role of the female singer or the woman as the deliverer of some additional musical material is pretty annoying.

I’m conducting quite an interesting project about exactly this point, together with Antye Greie aka AGF, for a publication due out later this year. We started a discussion with me saying: “I have a problem with vocals in music. I like instrumental versions.” and she replied that she totally admires that each human voice is an absolutely unique instrument and that it cannot be replaced with anything else.

Maybe this is a good opportunity to ask about Female Pressure. What is it, how did it begin and why?

Female Pressure is an online database of women, non-binary and transgender artists who work in the electronic music scene, club culture and digital arts. It is a network that has been growing over 19 years and comprises of over 1,900 people from, I think, 72 countries at the moment.

I started it because, whilst touring, I was confronted with remarks regarding the exceptionality of being a woman DJ. In the beginning, I found this quite astonishing, because when I started as a DJ, I did not think about my sex or my gender. I was usually confronted with this ignorance in the middle of the night – shortly before a set at 3am, or shortly after, with 100dB or so in the room. Not ideal circumstances to adequately talk about this subject.

Usually my answer was: “Yes, it’s true. There are more guys than girls, but you must not forget…” and then I would start to list other female DJs and producers. At some point, in the mid-90s – when it was also clear that the internet was going to be a very important medium in the near future – I thought that I needed to systematise this.

It was quite clear to me that it should be a database that can be searched and could be accessible independent of time and place. Parallel to this, I also saw the necessity of communication within this network. We have been creating a mailing list and this mailing list is still our main tool for communication.

It’s hard to define what Female Pressure really is, because it’s not a collective. It’s way too big and diverse to be a collective. I rather see it as a swarm of like-minded people from many different countries. There is, of course, also potential for political action. For example, Our Rojava compilation that we did in 2016.

Have you had much involvement with the Rojava project?

Yes and no. It was Antye Greie’s idea to do something about the conflict in Syria and the Middle East, because she found out about this movement in Rojava with direct democracy and equality of women and men. Coming from that region is, of course, very exceptional and it seems to be a utopia growing in the middle of a heavy war zone. We wanted to show our solidarity and respect to the women there, holding up so strongly and fighting for the better.

I actually wanted to contribute a track, but I couldn’t for the political reasons that I talked about before. These problems are overwhelmingly severe and I could not find an appropriate artistic form to react to it.

But everything on Female Pressure is my work. I administer it and help by compiling texts and links. I had a supportive role, but not an active role with this project.

One of the things you do with Female Pressure is publish reports of women working in the music industry. The last one was published in 2015. How well was this report received and is there scope to do more work of this nature?

We are actually working on a new survey. The original plan was to release it again on International Women’s Day this year, to make it a regular biannual report. We couldn’t manage, so we decided to make the next one more systematic, more extensive and release it in August 2017, with a survey of evolvement and tendencies. We’re going to compare various festivals over the years from 2013 to 2017. We’re still in the process of collecting data and we will decide which scope we can achieve.

I think the survey of 2013 was really important, because we created huge media attention with that. It’s crazy and I can’t believe it, but we were actually the first to publish numbers about gender balance at festivals. Obviously that hit a nerve. A lot of people started to talk about this issue. The media presence and awareness is quite large, but the actual facts have not changed much. The pure commercial [festivals], they just don’t care. They have other priorities rather than making society better.

You’re coming to London soon to be perform 109.47 degrees at IKLECTIK. What is that piece? Can you talk about that?

It is a listening piece that explores how traditional instruments can be transformed. It reminds one of a trip into outer space. Every time I play this piece, it creates associations of spaceships, planets and uncanny atmospheres.

I created the music from recordings of a Baroque organ, played by myself, and recordings of the inside of a piano, played by my friend and colleague Angelina Yershova. I just found this raw material really inspiring, especially the organ, which was completely mechanical. The registers pulled only half way and sounded like breathing organisms.

The title came from a tetrahedral angle, which is the ideal angle to make foam as stable as possible. You can see it as an analogy to granular synthesis. You have little units, or bubbles, in the foam and together they form to make a completely different shape.

The reason why this came about, was an invitation to a festival called Dunkle Zeiten. The theme of the festival was membranes. Thinking about membranes, I thought about these bubbles. I also had to think about [Peter] Sloterdijk and his Spheres trilogy. Sloterdijk thinks about foam as a whole society. There are all these little social bubbles, but together they are a bigger structure, a bigger society.

Electric Indigo will perform ‘109.47 degrees’ at IKLECTIK on Thursday 18 May. Click here to buy tickets. For more information about Electric Indigo and her work, please visit her website. Ilia Rogatchevski Originally published by IKLECTIK, 27 March 2017