Author: Yusuf Mahmood

listening to 2 years stranger Alexandra mixes the grandiose of classical music with the dark sounding synthesis to create beautiful sonic atmosphere that transport you to surreal realms. The blend of classical music – which is typically very raw and unsaturated with more saturated synthesis is something so unique and powerfully moving. Im enthralled by the way in which she strongly possesses the ability to both so well. her proficiency with both live instrumentation as well as Logic Pro X means she is able to bind both skills together well. Her album encapsulates the vibe of film sound so well without any sort of visual – it seems so natural.

Alexandra talks about the vague action off being influenced and how it doesn’t necessarily have to be something or someone specific. she refrences the sound of a washing machine as an example and uses it to describe how inspiration can come at any time from anything – I find this personally very interesting and relatable having been inspired by the drone sound of a fridge previously after being taught the difference between hearing and listening and the influences of deep listening. Alexandra also talks about the the background of influences and talks about how most children are drawn to either classical or popular music – not exploring niches. I feel like I somewhat disagree with this statement .I feel like teenagers – especially within this current age, with the explosion of more accessible technology – are being influenced by more niche and underground music.

She also talks about the versatility of being able to draw from anything and anyone and being able to put anything into your music without any boundaries – which I find very inspirational and think that it one of the most fantastic parts of making music. Alexandras influence from the snowman soundtrack – the power in a simple melody – how one or two notes can develop from something minuscule to something grand and how melody can sit with you are all very enthralling concepts that eventuate this idea of musical minimalism.

low progression of a melodic idea can be hypnotic and the detailed and subtle and small changes can draw a listener in. Alexandra refrences Micheal tippet who’s diversity and seamless blend of multiple genres seems like something that heavily influeced her own music.

“Tippett is now regarded as one of the most significant figures in British music of the twentieth century. His early music reveals Neo-Classical traits, and in the Concerto he achieved a seamless blend of contemporary European features, elements of folk music, jazz, and the sprung rhythms and polyphonic exuberance he admired in the English madrigals.”

-Michael Tippett Concerto for double string orchestra: movement I (For Unit 6: Further Musical Understanding), page 1

Ayres also references the matrix films and how they influence what she makes. I find the mix and representation humanity and machine found in the matrix soundtrack through diatonic and chromatic scales incredibly interesting and believe Ayres may have been influenced by it through her mix of electronic and orchestral music she blends together so well.

In her own experience of filmmaking she talks about how music for film can be used as a voice for certain characters – to reflects thoughts that are not being explicitly thought out. The scene from Do No Harm again features grand expressive orchestral stabs paired with crackling synthetic undertones that develop into larger whirring drones capturing this sense of deja vu and dramatic Neo noir mysticism. Ayres captures the surrealism being shown on screen pushing the music past the realms of the diagesis creating another entirely fantastical realm of sound that enhances the motifs of the character presented. The almost comic brass in the background create a slight comedic blend when paired with the grittiness pairing so well with the mood of the scene.

Response Piece:

I felt like the mix of electronic and orchestral sound was integral to the music Alexandra portrays. Her dynamism and flexibility to incorporate both into her work is for me what brings out the uniqueness, strength and vigour-filled character of each of her pieces, which is why I tried to do the same. I blended a buzzy synth brass over some orchestral strings. I used the song Bad Guy by Billie Eilish as a template for the piano and then re-arranged the MIDI notes to make it my own. I felt as if the ‘noir-ish’ electronic mysticism of the upbeat original would allow me to open up a more diversified and dynamic direction in terms of adding the orchestral layers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qsrgHTl9Cg

unnerving, hysteric, surreal – yet hopeful. The first thoughts that come to mind when I listen back to this piece. I remember showing this to people and being surprised at the response. People found this calming which very much surprised me. I do hear it though – the hypnagogic atmosphere of it definitely creates a calming sensation, yet my intention was to portray anxiety – to create an eerie mix of phobia and optimism.

Kwahy was an amalgamation of everything I have learnt and been inspired by so far – the use of soundscapes and synthesisers, tonal mixing to accentuate certain part of the piece and using smoother transitions. I feel like i was able to convey emotion better than I have ever previously been able to ever to whilst creating it – it all came very naturally. It was also a mix of everything I have felt since moving to London and starting the course. Im really surprised by how i portrayed the feeling so well – a lucid dream of surrealism – putting sonic emotion behind it so vividly.

Ive never really made anything like this before and I feel like the result was astonishing. Listening back to it is always so chilling. Personally, it always swells up the emotions i was trying to portray so well that the sound of it brings up every emotion. An amalgamation of the inspiration from all the visiting practitioners and everything I have learnt on the course so far.

Yasmins insight into the way in which we react to sound is incredibly fascinating. It shows us the enigmatic nature of the reaction we have to something that is already so mysterious, in particular the way in which music is perceived on an individual scale as well as an environmental scale. It brings me back to the idea of John Cage and the interaction of the audience to the sound piece itself as well as the etiquette of reacting to the sound we interact with. Yasmin explores the way in which listening has been contained within said etiquette and explains how people should explore new ways of listening. Why do people respond in the same way to certain types of music when we all ingest the music so differently?

Yasmin also explores the idea of a “safe circle” – an almost sonic environmental diagesis in which the narrative of the sound being played is contained in its own little habitat. Yasmin talks about the intrusive nature of cameras that remove the natural element of “being in the moment” – you are performing instead. It shows that the environment in which the sound piece being played heavily influences the nature of the music itself and the way it is received by the audience. The idea of the camera being a distracting from the piece itself is an interesting concept. The use of cameras and its impact of the dance space and the impact of the dances has almost become a natural part of the environment – very different to historical forms of listening where cameras and phones did not play a part in the atmosphere and environment of the piece being played.

One question i have is: How does the presence of phones/cameras affect the responce/etiquette to the piece? I wonder if the introduction of filming has created environments where in which the expectation to dance/act is ‘expected’ – and if so how it effects the musical narrative of 21s century music.

I feel as if to a certain degree, the introduction of filming and specifically filming for the purpose of re-sharing has created sonic environments in which the people in the environment may act/perform/look differently to how they would if said cameras were not there. They may create the environment and play the music for the sake of appealing to the camera rather than playing ‘for the sake of the music’. This is interesting because it creates the template for sonic environment of the music being presented for the time period.

Yasmin talks about music, the dance and the context for black people – with it being a volatile and hostile situation and having to build as a community to find somewhere in which they can produce and enjoy sound in an environment wherein they feel safe. I think this is incredibly important because this small entity/environment also represents the culture surrounding day to day activities – living as a person of colour in an environment where you are prescribed colour, an environment that places upon you their own culture removing any idea of not only safety and security but the way in which your should enjoy things. The removal of self identity and culture acts as a defining factor in the narrative of the people trying to find a safe space.

” To the American public, dancing, above all else, was supposed to be pretty and entertaining. The iconoclasts from Denishawn did not seek to be decorative or to pander to the audience. Rather, they sought to engage their audience, to make people think, to be thoroughly modern and direct in their approach. “

Thomas, Helen. Dance, Modernity and Culture : Explorations in the Sociology of Dan, Taylor & Francis Group, 1995. ProQuest Ebook Central,

This idea of an expectation of a certain type of dance within a certain type of culture is also incredibly interesting and makes the idea of a safe space for a community one that may be vital to an entire communities livelihood. I feel as if culture differences within the realm of dance may create this idea of a hierarchy – as if one cultures way of doing things is ‘better’ – and if so the creation of safe space, a place where there is no sort of intrusion is something that can definitely be seen as comforting. But I also believe that If the idea behind art is to make people question normality then it should be exposed and expressed without apology – without being contained in a ‘safe space’.

An interesting interaction with an outdoor xylophone I found at a park. I found the combination of the background surrounding sound mixed with the quick experimentation i had with the xylophone and interesting “soundscape-esque” mix. I felt like the amalgamation of the two sounds together – the sounds of the children playing in the background with the very juvenile sound of the xylophone creates a very interesting log of the entire environment without even needing a visual element. I was having such a generally fun time that i completely forgot to take a photo of the instrument and the immediate environment but thinking about it later its interesting to see how the audio on its own presents its own picture – without the need for any other element. It is own little ecosystem of sound and i personally find that incredibly liberating.

Listening acousmatically is still a very unfamiliar and almost ‘alien’ concept to me.The act of describing sound without using the origin of said sound is an incredibly new and fascinating experience that continues to intrigue me – throwing away the basic concepts of how we describe sound can be incredibly daunting, but paves the way for a new sonic perspective on sound itself – overall an interesting introduction.

Using various different types of microphones, we recorded sounds around the London eye area. I made use of a contact microphone, placing it on coregated steel mesh floor and whilst stamping allowing the microphone to catch the reverberations which i have used in my piece. I also used an electromagnetic mic that picked up the electromagnetic microphone that allowed me to pick up electromagnetic signals in electrical objects. I made sure to pick up more metallic sounding sounds for my peice as that is what it is based on. I found it interesting the way in which different microphones interacted with different environments and how some where better for picking up some sounds that others.

The experience of wholy digesting sound – listening rather than hearing seems so juvenile yet is at the same time so artistically critical and completely overlooked. Having the chance to experience a situation in which we were in motion whilst also fully concentrating on the sound was a very interesting and unique dynamic. It reminded me of mindfulness exercises – focusing on something important – truly experiences sound as as an important sense as sight. By removing vision from the equation it puts another level of perspective on the effectiveness and solidity of sound itself. I found, when listening an environment was created – 1) a foreground : the sounds closest to you 2) a middle-ground: the sound a bit further away still within a few metres of you 3) the background: the sounds furthest away from you. By dividing these sounds into these categories in it allowed me to create a better understanding of the listening environment in my mind, almost creating an entirely new perspective environment – one in which where the was environmentally played a vital role in the nature of its solidity in my mind. By the end of the session I had a firm grasp of the nature of sound as well as listening as well as a heightened awareness of the sounds around me

“Hidden stories is a monthly radio show which links hidden, obscure or untold stories to postcolonial narratives and music. “

An almost documentary like compilation of audio recordings and music that bring to light untold environments. It is very interesting to see the perspective Osman takes in presenting the stories that seamlessly transition into interviews to music that represents the narrative of the story being told. I wonder how Osman presents the work without a subconscious artistic bias? How does one present a political issue truthfully and unbiasedly whilst also having their own perspectives, ideas and history implemented into the work? does that dilute the reality of the situation being presented? How do you present politically important perspectives whilst being an artist with no political and activist experience , without creating something that feels untrue?

Personally, I find the idea of creating your own narrative from the ends of a political situation a bit misinformative – however the same can be said for any peice of art that stems from a political situation or event. It can be argued the perspective of the artist is just as important as the information they use – and that their perspective is what makes the piece unique. An important representation of the artists ideas and view on the topic is also necessary for the narrative of the work, especially for someone like this. Who you interveiw, what type of music you add and the dialogue presented in the work all matter in presenting the socio-political issues being faced.

“to become an active listener, you have to shut up first, which begs the question of whose voice is always being heard and whose isn’t. Having different layers of sound allows us to unpick these multi-layered stories, and also to play with perspective – through sound, you can have notions of past, present and future, and left and right all happening at once. “

– Pollard, Madeleine, 2019,The sounds of activism: Shanti Suki Osman, Exberliner