![]() ![]() ![]() GAIA UNDERPASS GENERATORHere, Whitman builds on the odd metallic train drone of the original with a harmonium-like resonance, washing everything out with a beautiful haze of generator buzz, becoming the thick air of the underpass itself, completely saturated in humid humming. Whitman's response piece runs nearly the same length as the centerpiece, and is remixed in real time, combining these elements along with some of the life sounds from where he was doing the remixing, on his front porch. What separates this material from the field recordings on the old Folkways label is that the raw sound taped by Whitman is conversely used to create a new piece, almost a reflection of the original sounds which are now bent and refracted through his eyes and ears. About five minutes in, this mechanized drone of the trains disappearing down the tunnel coalesces into a heavy constant undertow of sound, swallowing up the guitar, passengers, and the approach of other trains, sustaining the snippet beyond its apparent qualities. As the piece moves on, an odd sound phenomenon begins to envelop the daily proceedings. We have utility doors banging, footsteps on a catwalk, some lost guitar reverberating down the walkways, the arrivals and departures of three trains, and all the percussive accompaniment of people running to make their transfers. In the Dartmouth Street tunnel that runs from Back Bay Station in Boston to Copley Plaza, a cavernous walkway lined with glass brick walls reflects the sounds of passengers and trains in such a way as to sound like music to his ears. Apparently, Keith Fullerton Whitman feels a similarly procreant urge to capture these brief moments of life that seem to be outside of ordinary reality. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |