After following the enigmatic whooshes, dangling creaks, and scene-stealing clunks around the evocative sonic space of Okno, I was not surprised to learn that its composer, Rocío Cano Valiño, has a background in interior design—a talent she employs in the various collaborative, multidisciplinary projects she’s pursuing in Lyon, France, where she is based. “Space isContinue reading “Rocío Cano Valiño’s Okno wins first place in Musicworks’ 2020 Electronic Music Composition Contest”
Genre Archives
Musicworks’ 2021 Electronic Music Composition Contest closes Dec. 20, 11:59 p.m. PST!
Ready to submit to our eleventh annual Electronic Music Composition Contest? Read the rules below and ENTER here. Please share this announcement with your friends, audiences, and communities. Musicworks’ annual juried contest spotlights new musical talent from around the world and offers cash prizes and opportunities to be published and heard. PRIZES First prize is CAD$500, aContinue reading “Musicworks’ 2021 Electronic Music Composition Contest closes Dec. 20, 11:59 p.m. PST!”
Musicworks Announces 2020 Electronic Music Composition Contest Winners
TORONTO, CANADA, August 30, 2021. For immediate release: After a four-month delay due to challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, Musicworks is thrilled to announce the winners of its 2020 Electronic Music Composition Contest. We thank the 2020 entrants for their patience. Argentinian composer Rocío Cano Valiño (left) has won first prize with her composition Okno. TheContinue reading “Musicworks Announces 2020 Electronic Music Composition Contest Winners”
Patricia Martinez: Del cuadro a la postergación
Listen to Del cuadro a la postergación (1994, acousmatic, stereo) Composed by Patricia Martinez Composer notes Del cuadro a la postergación was part of the diptych Espejos de tiempo / Mirrors of time. It is based on a work by the German artist Günther Uecker called The nail on the paint. The work is aContinue reading “Patricia Martinez: Del cuadro a la postergación”
The Underflow. Instant Opaque Evening.
An evocatively named trio, the Underflow brings together three stars of the global experimental music scene, all with long-running ties to the city of Chicago: guitarist David Grubbs, saxophone virtuoso Mats Gustafsson, and cornetist Rob Mazurek. One senses the presence of the undertow in the “underflow,” and memories surface of swimming in the Atlantic OceanContinue reading “The Underflow. Instant Opaque Evening.”
Dániel Péter Biró. Mishpatim (Laws).
“You must not carry false rumours.” These words from the Book of Exodus are the first to be heard in Dániel Péter Biró’s large-scale cycle of works, Mishpatim (Laws), composed between 2003 and 2016 and released on two CDs on the German new-music label NEOS. Of course, rumours means noise and might thereby be understoodContinue reading “Dániel Péter Biró. Mishpatim (Laws).”
Silent Season: Intrinsically Connected to Nature
While living in Union Bay in 2007, Jamie McCue spent his downtime hiking, camping, and fishing in Vancouver Island’s abundant forests and rivers. Deeply moved by the symphonic rhythms of wildlife, blowing winds, and flowing water, he imagined meditative soundtracks that complemented his lush surroundings. That year he launched the electronic-music label Silent Season, whichContinue reading “Silent Season: Intrinsically Connected to Nature”
Future Perfect. Drone On.
Montreal-based interdisciplinary artists Julia Dyck and Amanda Harvey join forces as Future Perfect on Drone On, a live recording that functions as a sonic treatise on ecoacoustics and the phenomenology of sound. The piece, originally performed by the duo in 2019 as part of a month-long residency at the Mitchell Art Gallery in Edmonton, hasContinue reading “Future Perfect. Drone On.”
DEBBY FRIDAY’S ENERGY POTENTIAL
Across the first few minutes of Bare Bones, the short-film debut by Vancouver artist Debby Friday, a growing, skittering sound unsettles an otherwise pastoral scene. In the film, Friday, a splash of presence in a white tulle dress, kneels riverside amid a verdant landscape. This moment might feel serene were it not for its soundtrack:Continue reading “DEBBY FRIDAY’S ENERGY POTENTIAL”
Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti. u,i.
If you were asked to choose a record to capture the spirit of 2020, you might make a compelling case for u,i, a new album by composers Olivier Alary (Montreal) and Johannes Malfatti (Berlin). The collaboration is an emotive and yearning exploration of distance, recorded using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. When Alary andContinue reading “Olivier Alary and Johannes Malfatti. u,i.”