Presque Là

These pieces are the result of an experiment in automating virtually every facet of the "form" of a piece of Electronic Music by way of 12 randomly generated control voltages multiplied & applied to 38 discrete parameters. The idea at work here is the implementation of a complete system which allows, via a simple algorithmic approach utilizing core Analogue Computer concepts, the piece to police itself, eschewing the predictive, emotionally manipulative aspects of traditional build-release dynamics in Electronic, popular, and in fact the majority of Western music.

Adhering to the time-honored bassline / chord-melody / drum triumvirate, I rendered three hours of music during a single day-long session that breaks free from traditional, logical progressions. The individual pieces gradually build in intensity, only to evaporate at perhaps the least likely moments; or in any case a point in which the forward momentum implanted into the listener would be best left to accrue. Most would interpret this as a series of frustrations; the sensation of having to sneeze but being unable to.

This experiment has a clear precedent in my "Generator”, “Nadra Phalanx”, & "Jardin Electronique" pieces, although considerably more complex & lending far more control to the system itself. The idea is to remove the composer completely, which is largely what's happening here; large sections of this music were captured as I wandered the streets of the nearby Passy neighborhood overlooking the France Bleu building, eventually settling on lunch at Crèperie Chez Yannick followed by the neighboring Aux Merveilleux de Fred, both of which I recommend wholeheartedly, in that order, without hesitation. Only the slightest of tweaks were made while these were being executed, and in most cases only at the very beginning or end of a "take". A one-second 1khz tone with one second of silence surrounding it delineates the takes from each other.

I've long sought to execute this experiment, and I feel this is getting closer & closer to what I had originally intended. To perhaps subvert the linearity of the experience - the individual takes are presented in order, edited to exactly 30 minutes per side - I recommend starting with the third, "Blue" tape.


The key elements here are:

Three-Voice "Melody"

Range of Note Generation
Speed of Note Generation
Wave-Shape of Note Generation
Offset of Note Generation
Octave Offset of Oscillator 2
Octave Offset of Oscillator 3
Attack / Decay of Melody Envelope
Division / Multiplication of the Timing of Melody Envelope
Division / Multiplication of the Note Generation of Melody Envelope
Transposition of Melody
Wave-Shape of Oscillator 1
Wave-Shape of Oscillator 2
Wave-Shape of Oscillator 3

One-Voice "Bassline"

Range of Note Generation
Offset of Note Generation
Declay of Bassline Envelope
Division / Multiplication of Bassline Timing
Transposition of Bassline / Tonality
Wave Shape of Bassline Oscillator

Three-part Drum Pattern
Kick Drum
Stutter Factor
Timing Division / Multiplier
Closed / Open Hat
Stutter Factor
Timing Division / Multiplier
Snare Drum
Sequence / Sub-Division
Timing Division / Multiplier

Effects Layer

Delay Channel A Send
Delay Channel A Time
Delay Channel A Range
Delay Channel A Feedback

Delay Channel B Send
Delay Channel B Time
Delay Channel B Range
Delay Channel B Feedback

Reverb Send
Reverb Decay
Reverb Absorption
Reverb Size
Reverb Tilt

Mastering Layer

Side-chain compression of Master Reverb via Kick-Drum