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zip.disk [musik]

Today I was experimenting with some old zip drives I discovered inside a box in my studio. Rather than getting rid of them I wanted to see if I could use the drive as a  industrial/data instrument.

The resulting experiment was beyond anything I was expecting. By simply soldering two piezo elements to the head of the drive and boosting the signal with a four channel preamp [which also allows for multiple line outs] the drive, when engaged, sounded rather amazing. I connected it to the computer, inserted a disc then waited for it to mount. I soon noticed that opening various file types directly from the discs would result in a variety of sonic output. Video files for example would create a slightly different texture than a static .jpg file. Media files also allowed the drive to be engaged for a longer period of time as the information was being transcribed.

I sent the audio output from the zip drive to a loop pedal to allow layering and then recorded the experiment/performance. What resulted was a slowly building, dark ambient/industrial soundscape  composed entirely in the moment from three different zip discs and a loop pedal.

Raw recording 7m.36s
[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl=”https://www.jasonsloan.com/audio/ZIP_DEMO.mp3″]

Over the next few weeks I’m excited to begin experimenting with both 5¼-inch and 3½-inch floppy drives. Who knows, there may even be a release in the future of just “disc.MUSIC.” Maybe I could call it “Funeral Hymns for Dead Technology.” Okay… maybe not.

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documentation CD

The limited edition CD that documents the north avenue: NOISE + vibrating.AIR installation and performance from the 2010 Megapolis Audio Art Festival will be available in the next couple weeks. The package will be limited to just 30 signed and numbered copies via the store section of this site. north avenue: NOISE + vibrating.AIR is a handmade digipak design and includes a piezo disc attached to the back of the sleeve. The cd runs 61 minutes.

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north avenue: noise + vibrating.AIR documentation

Jason Sloan & Steve Bradley

North Avenue: NOISE + vibrating.AIR was an installation and live performance created for the MEGAPOLIS AUDIO FESTIVAL in Baltimore on May 14-16. Below is a slightly modified text taken from the press release.

“Bradley’s North Avenue: NOISE, a sound art installation, used the windows of the Windup Space gallery as a large tympanum that picked up the vibrations, via multiple contact mics, from the street and transmitted the audio through a series of multiple FM transmitters and receivers. Each low powered mini radio station rebroadcasts the signal to the next transmitter at 4 different frequencies over the FM dial. The final transmission is remixed into the original sound from the street windows creating a slightly off synch or “double image.” Periodically, beat frequencies will emerge from the broadcast air depending on the amplitude from the streets. The final transmission saturated the airwaves on the corner of North Avenue and Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland, with a sonic checkerboard pattern. Sound artist Jason Sloan built a live streaming web interface for the North Avenue: NOISE installation that allowed a global audience to experience the work live regardless of their geography.

On Saturday May 15th, Bradley and Sloan employed a variety of RF receivers, radios, scanners, and the live web stream from the North Avenue: Noise installation to produce a 30 minute multi-textural carpet of undulating radio-phonic sound. Through the various layers emerged radio transmissions of live and fragmented voices, glitches and hisses from the Baltimore city streets and airwaves. “

All the sounds used to create the vibrating.AIR composition were extracted live from the airwaves and processed or edited on the fly. For example, the rhythm that emerges around the 10 minute mark of the piece was created from scanner radio static. One of my favorite moments was locking into someone’s home baby monitor who’s dialogue became the underlying narrative for the work. I also incorporated a live NOAA transmission towards the end of the performance which acted as a unique geotag and time stamp for the work.

Steve and I plan on releasing a hi-resolution audio and specially packaged limited edition CD documenting the North Avenue: NOISE + vibrating.AIR project in the near future. The CD will include interviews, various excerpts from the North Avenue: Noise web stream, plus a stereo and surround mix of the vibrating.AIR performance.  More information will be made available soon.

vibrating.AIR performance. May 15, 2010.
vibratingAIR.mp3

Jason.Sloan and Steve Bradley discuss North Avenue: NOISE + vibrating.AIR on Maryland Morning.
Maryland_Morning.mp3

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the vigil event: Mandala of the Four Directions


This past Saturday, DJ Dubble8 [Erik Spangler] and I went into the studio for the first time to “practice” our live set for the upcoming “Vigil” all night music festival on April 1, 2010. Erik and I come from very different backgrounds in our approach to music and sound so we were both excited while a bit curious how our styles would mesh. Coming to the rehearsal with some gear but no plans or sound map we simply plugged in and began to play. The result were three amazing 20 minute sessions, two of which were unfortunately not recorded. I was so pleased with how this final session turned out I decided to post it and make it available below. If you’re into the spaced out, fractal groove dronescape, this will probably something you’ll like.  Erik and I plan to do some “official” recording over the summer.

Hope you enjoy the track.

*Please keep in mind this was recorded to a solid state Marantz field recorder directly from the board so the fidelity should not be compared to conventional studio recordings.

FOURdirections 20:27 [DOWNLOAD 320kbps mp3]
FOURdirections.mp3

• Facebook group for the Vigil: All Night Music Festival, April 1, 2010.
• Mobtown Modern at The Contemporary Museum: Info on The Vigil

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MUSICfor.one [byTEN] documentation

MUSICfor.one [byTEN]MUSICfor.one [byTEN] was a live “concert” improvisation created for the Chatroulette social network. Audio in the performance was generated from screen grabs taken of the first 10 people that appeared during a previous visit to the website. These pictures in turn became the graphic notation that loosely scores the work. Through this process I become the conductor while the anonymous Chatroulette users become the unaware orchestra. Below is documentation of the performance in two parts from the March 20th performance. The first movement resulted in a composition that was more “symphonic” than I had expected while the second movement was more textural.

In the virtual “wild west” of Chatroulette, there are few if any governing rules.  Knowing this it still came as a surprise that  I was “flagged and banned” from interacting for 10 minutes during Movement 2. Apparently, someone deemed what I was doing “inappropriate” behavior.

movement.1

movement.2

[http://chatroulette.com]