hertmitage – hermitage by Fractal
I made some techno, based on a few videos that I took last summer in Berlin. It’s lush and Detroit and has, I feel, some level of purity associated with it.
and another week
Did I mention that this Friday my second string quartet is being played, my computer music project for violinst and heartbeat sensor is being played?
And that my partners in crime, Alex Jang & Nathan Friedman, are having their colossal graduating pieces played on Saturday night?
AND, that I’m DJing at the Computer Music Course Union party at Felicita’s on Monday?
It just, as they say, don’t stop.
weeks
That was a week, let me tell you. Orchestra readings, string quartet readings, the premier of my setting of The Walrus & The Carpenter, narrating for another composer’s piece, DJing at Crush v.5, and getting abused by the time change.
With that said, Crush was rad, the readings went well, and my piece was a spectacular success. Recordings of the quartet and the orchestra readings follow:
Thor Kell – String Quartet No. 3
This is what happens when you put a Morton Feldman shaped bomb under Brahms’ Lullaby. Many, many thanks to the Bozzinis for doing a wonderful job reading this. Also featuring Mrs. Tubby the teddy bear on music box duty.
Thor Kell – The Chandrasekhar Limit (Excerpt 1)
Thor Kell – The Chandrasekhar Limit (Excerpt 2)
A piece based on stellar evolution, the periodic table, and nuclear fusion. Sounds like me. The first excerpt is the first half of the main section, the second is the development and coda, as it were.
the chandrasekhar limit
The UVic orchestra is reading my piece on Monday. It is called The Chandrasekhar Limit, and it is about stellar evolution. I have never been more afraid in my entire life. (Well, that’s a lie…but I am filled with trepidation.)
It is 16 minutes long; each player has their own part; my former composition teacher called it ‘he singularly most unusual orchestral composition I have ever seen in my life’. I will post a recording as soon as I have one.
crush v. 5
It’s that time again:
The CRUSH original four return for another all-night tag set, covering deep house to heavy techno to everything in between. We’d love to see you out.
common ground
I’ll be helping out Natron at Common Ground at Whitebird this Saturday, from 10 to midnight. Except deeeeeep haaaauuus, lots of Detroit vibes, and hints of Chicago.
bartok bela
It’s a little know fact that Hungary’s greatest composer was actually really into glitch-hop:
Bela Bartok – String Quartet No.1 (Fractal Remix) by Fractal
(Alright, he wasn’t, but he did love dance music.)
jams, jams, jams, jams
So: The Virgo repress is fucking amazing. Jacques Green is fucking amazing. Bibio’s album teaser is fucking amazing. Hybrid’s orchestral / ambient stuff is really good. The Luke Abbott B-side is rad. The We Love tune from the new Bpitch Collection is so so so clever.
jams jams jams jams
I gotta say that Get Low, by Justin Martin, on Dirty Bird, has been the ass-shaker of the past month, give or take. Thanks to Kenzie Clarke for the tipoff.
Also should be mentioned that Egyptrixx is lots of fun live: warped, dub-ish tech/house with lots of snap in the drums.