Experimental music competition’s quiet, however sensational finale
Arts editor HELEN MUSA experiences from the ultimate units of the weekend’s SoundOut experimental music competition.
UNLIKE sturdy photographer Peter Hislop, who attended each session of the SoundOut experimental music competition over the weekend on the ANU Drill Corridor Gallery, I popped in for simply the previous couple of units.
“CityNews” music reviewer Rob Kennedy had already coated the opening of this difficult music occasion, which founder Richard Johnson has made an annual function of the Canberra summer time arts calendar.
Extra energy to him, for there is no such thing as a different such occasion in Australia, exploring because it does the extremities of music. Within the finale, as an illustration, individuals not already on stage slowly emerged from the background to show something at hand into music a percussive instrument – even a typical lamp.
Let’s be frank, this isn’t simple music. It requires persistence and focus, though when the sound is ambient it’s attainable to only sit again and let it wash over you, as many devoted SoundOut aficionados have been clearly doing.
The ultimate two units ran the gamut of potentialities. Within the first, Nicki Heywood, utilizing her voice as a musical instrument, blended inarticulate utterances, growls and low-register sustained vocals with some suggestion of phrases. However double bass participant Mark Cauvin just about stole the set, performing out the instrument together with his entire physique as Joe Talia’s drums kicked in dramatically. Later the ensemble introduced a brief encore, which was much more explosive.
The finale of SoundOut was a unprecedented efficiency, based mostly round Clinton Inexperienced’s electronics, and a musical nod to the Australian lyrebird’s capability for mimicry.
Inexperienced, Elizabeth Jigalin, Jamie Lambert and MP Hopkins recreated the wonderful cacophonies of nature – the effervescent of creeks and sounds of bugs – earlier than the sound of chainsaws intruded.
Regularly the entire SoundOut collective joined in, creating results on metallic bowls across the room as the sax gamers and violins got here in, with Cauvin reprising his work on bass.
All of it ended not with a bang however a whimper, with a voice intoning, “Hiya child, wanna kiss?”
It was a quiet, however sensational, finale to a competition we may be fairly certain, rain hail or shine, will return this time subsequent 12 months.
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Thanks,
Ian Meikle, editor
