Sound Propositions

It’s  been a tough year for New York. This episode we check in with Geng, the  man behind one of our favorite labels, Purple Tape Pedigree, and see  how these fine “purveyors of weaponized media and information” are  handling the pandemic and the uprisings. With live performance no longer  an option, the model of mutual support demonstrated by a crew like PTP  is all the more important. Geng tells us about the history of PTP, the  benefits of peer-support, community activism, and why it’s more  important now than ever to understand hip hop as spiritual music. Interview recorded between Montreal and Queens, May 2020 and January 2021 Produced and mixed in Montreal, February 2021 Read more at: http://acloserlisten.com/2021/02/19/sp-episode-17-before-the-internet-with-geng-ptp-podcast TRACKLIST ARTIST – “TITLE” (ALBUM, LABEL, YEAR) Milford Graves with Sunny Morgan ‎–  – “Nothing 19” (Percussion Ensemble, ESP Disk, 1965) INTRO Raekwon/RZA – “Ice Cream (instrumental)” (O

We have a new bonus episode coming up later this month, but until then check out some past episodes you may have missed. ROBOT, TEACH US TO GROOVE was first published in March 2019. This episode features Efraín Rozas,  Peruvian-born, Brooklyn-based  performer/composer and robotics/software  developer interested in new  paradigms of cognitive technologies and  mythologies. He leads the  psychedelic salsa group La Mecánica Popular, fusing groove-based Latin music with electronic and experimental  explorations. Rozas' Myth and  Prosthesis series utilizes software programming and robotics to produce sound installations and music, deploying Latin American influences and  modern technology to uproot Western concepts and mind/body duality. We discuss all these projects and more, including the role of NYC in the history of Salsa, and the future of electronic Latinx music to come. Sound  Propositions the podcast has the same mission statement as the written &

The podcast is still on hiatus, but here is a plunderphonic radio play originally presented as part of Disinformation Cultures (https://disinformationcultures.net/) On January 6, 2021, Americans learned what Italians have known since the  2001 G8 summit in Genoa: power is not a site to which one can lay  siege. It is past time to retire this Medieval fantasy of the sovereign  confined inside the walls of their castle.  Q. and not U. (or, Conspiracy Means To Breathe Together) is a plunderphonic exercise in free association. The length of this  radio play was determined by one solo match of the videogame Fortnite Battle Royale. Read more, including a complete transcript, at https://soundpropositions.com/2021/04/26/censor/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/soundpropositions/support

DeForrest Brown, Jr. is a media-theorist, curator, and self-described rhythm-analyst. He releases digital audio as Speaker Music and under his own name. While he’s been based in NYC for the better part of the last decade, he was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, which also happens to be where Sun Ra first landed on Earth.  Brown’s upcoming book, Assembling a Black Counter Culture, traces the cycles of American history through the Great Migrations from the Deep South to the industrial center of the north and back again. In this episode, he discusses his profound sense of future shock, the meaning of rhythm-analysis, and the making of Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry, his critically acclaimed 2020 album. As always, headphone listening recommended.  Read more at www.acloserlisten.com TRACKLIST Speaker Music – “Ex-American Blues (excerpt)” (Soul-Making Theodicy, Planet Mu, 2021) Drexciya – “Depressurization” (Deep Sea Dwellers, Shockwave, 1992) Speaker Music – “Amerikkka’s Bay (ft. Maia Sanaa)” (B

Max Alper is best known for La Meme Young, his popular Instagram account turning niche experimental music jokes into dank memes. But a deep interest in music pedagogy is at the heart of everything Alper does, including his non-profit Sonic Arts For All!, an organization that puts music technology directly into the hands of K-12 and special needs students. We talk about the importance of creativity, memes as pedagogy, the limits of traditional music education, and how to democratize music technology. Read more at www.acloserlisten.com TRACKLIST ARTIST – “TITLE” (ALBUM, LABEL, YEAR) Peretsky – “Pase que lo que” (Bandcamp, 2019) George Clinton (RBMA, 2015) Parliament – “Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication” (Mothership Connection, Casablanca, 1975) SP Intro Peretzky – “Cuarentena Canovanas (edit)” (Cuarentena Canovanas, Bandcamp, 2020) Konono N°1 – “Lufuala Ndonga” (Congotronics, Crammed Discs, 2004) Eddie Palmieri – “Bilongo” (El Lunatico / Bilongo, Tico, 1968) DJ Riobamba Latin LDN #2 (Boiler Room, 2019) Valent

This episode features a wide-ranging conversation with Montreal’s Roger Tellier-Craig, known for his work with Fly Pan Am, Godspeed, Le Révélateur and others. In 2019, Fly Pan Am released C'est ça, their first record in 15 years, but their 2020 tour plans were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tellier-Craig discusses his fascination with music as a studio art, the unexpected creative opportunities presented by quarantine, and the hyperreality of our present in which our fragile sense of reality seems poised to collapse at any moment. Interview recorded in Montreal, May 2020 Produced and mixed in Montreal, March 2021 "la réalité qui bascule dans le néant" - Roger Tellier-Craig  Read more at : https://acloserlisten.com/2021/03/14/sp-episode-18-into-the-uncanny-valley-with-roger-tellier-craig-podcast/ ---- Sound Propositions is written, recorded, mixed, and produced by Joseph Sannicandro.

It’s been a tough year for New York. This episode we check in with Geng, the man behind one of our favorite labels, Purple Tape Pedigree, and see how these fine “purveyors of weaponized media and information” are handling the pandemic and the uprisings. With live performance no longer an option, the model of mutual support demonstrated by a crew like PTP is all the more important. Geng tells us about the history of PTP, the benefits of peer-support, community activism, and why it’s more important now than ever to understand hip hop as spiritual music.  Interview recorded between Montreal and Queens, May 2020 and January 2021 Produced and mixed in Montreal, February 2021 Read more at: http://acloserlisten.com/2021/02/19/sp-episode-17-before-the-internet-with-geng-ptp-podcast TRACKLIST ARTIST – “TITLE” (ALBUM, LABEL, YEAR) Milford Graves with Sunny Morgan ‎–  – “Nothing 19” (Percussion Ensemble, ESP Disk, 1965) INTRO Raekwon/RZA – “Ice Cream (instrumental)” (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, Loud, 1995) Amani

Esther Bourdages is an art critic, radio journalist, independent curator, and musician based in Montréal. She is an improviser of extraordinary sensitivity, bringing a playfulness to her tactile manipulation of vinyl records, sometimes outright mishandling them. This freedom to destroy is indicative of a resistance to structure and formalism, but Esther’s work can’t be easily dismissed as some sort of exercise in catharsis. Instead her approach to live improvisation is raw and expressive, and cultivated over decades of ongoing exploration. Much of her recent studio work is for radiophonic diffusion, often based on field-recordings and with a politicized context. We discuss her unique approach to vinyl, the history of Canadian artist-run centres, and the intersection of art and sound from multiple perspectives. Interview recorded in Montreal, October 2020 Produced and mixed in Montreal, January 2021 Read more at: http://acloserlisten.com/2021/01/21/sp-episode-16-freedom-to-destroy-with-esther-b-podcast/ TRACKL

Dedicated to George Floyd .... I. every precinct an autozone II. a new world from the ashes of the old  III. fuck12  IV. minnesota nice V. this aint a riot  VI. 8'46"  ---- I lived in South Minneapolis for 4 years, most of that time in an apartment building on Chicago Avenue and 39th St, just a block from the intersection where police murdered George Floyd.  Music for Insurrection is a sound collage, blending field-recordings I made in South Minneapolis, livestream audio from the Uprising in May 2020, samples, and improvised instrumentation (flute, practice soprano sax, sampler, fx). Livestream samples from Unicorn Riot, friends' Instagram stories, and Youtube, including a sample of Mel Reeves speaking to protesters. Excerpt from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (1993) read by me. Big Floyd samples from DJ Screw. Any proceeds will be donated to South Minneapolis-based community charities, including a community library we have been supporting at the George Floyd Memorial Intersec

Kassel Jaeger, once little more than a mysterious German moniker producing captivating music for our favorite boutique labels, has since been revealed to be François J. Bonnet, composer, philosopher, and now director Ina-GRM, France’s legendary center for electroacoustic research. No longer shrouded in mystery, his prolific output has lost none of its power. In the last year he’s released some of the best records of his career, including collaborations with Jim O’Rourke and Stephen O’Malley. Having grown accustomed to hearing Bonnet’s voice as host ofFrance Musique’s L'Expérimentale, it was a trip to have the opportunity to sit down with him while he was in Montreal for 2019’s AKOUSMA festival. In this episode, Bonnet speaks with us about the development of his music, various acousmatic diffusion techniques, the privilege of composing for the acousmonium, and balancing the legacy of the GRM with the music to come. Interview recorded at Usine-C, Montreal, October 2019 Produced and mixed in Montreal, November 2

This mix accompanies the LISTENING THROUGH MIMAROĞLU episode,  featuring director Serdar Kökçeoğlu discussing his work and the  Mimaroglu project in particular. I originally had in mind a second  episode with interviews with other musicians I met while in Istanbul,  but for a variety of reasons not everyone was comfortable speaking for  audio, or we were otherwise unable to find an opportunity to record. Of  course there are also linguistic barriers. Save polished corporate  aesthetics for the professionals, this podcast is more interested in  something else. So instead I present İSTANBUL EKSPRES, a bonus mix of  music from Istanbul artists old and new. You can also read my interview with Ipek Gorgun. at www.acloserlisten.com We  spoke about some of her favorite Anatolian psychedelic bands, among  other things. Since the 1990s, international music publications like the  Wire have become hip to Turkish rock from the 60s and 70s. Artists from  tha

We sit down with director Serdar Kökçeoğlu in Istanbul to discuss the 2013 Gezi Park protests, how the sounds of the city have inspired his work as a film maker, and how composer İlhan Mimaroglu was inspired by the activism of his wife, Güngör. Kökçeoğlu has recently completed his first full-length feature film, Mimaroğlu. Going beyond a biography of Turkey’s most famous composer, the film explores İlhan and Güngör’s relationship and the cross-pollination between avant-garde music and radical politics. Plus an Istanbul scene report, a special mix, and an interview with Touch artist Ipek Gorgun. Read more at www.acloserlisten.com This episode is accompanied by the İSTANBUL EKSPRES [mix]

After a longer delay than intended, the Sound Propositions podcast is back. I’m very pleased to finally share this conversation with Bruno Stucchi, graphic designer and co-founder of the Die Schachtel label. Stucchi reflects upon the evolution of the label, the suppressed history of Italian experimental music, and the continued importance of big ideas. Die Schachtel is a partnership between Bruno Stucchi and Fabio Carboni, who met online in the peak of eBay record collecting, before Discogs and social media convinced us that there is nothing new under the sun. They exchanged records and, more importantly, they exchanged ideas, culminating in an ambitious excavation of the lost history of Italian experimentalism. The label debuted in 2003, and has since built a strong reputation for as their meticulous editions, unquestionably one of the guiding lights of the current flourishing of experimental music in Milan and Italy more broadly. Read more at www.soundpropositions.com https://www.patreon.com/soundpropositi

And now for the big finale. Alvin Curran has been at the forefront of challenging musical convention for over half a century. His work has pushed back against the institutional stranglehold on culture, encouraging anybody to make music, anywhere and with anybody. A dominant tendency in his oeuvre has been finding new ways to activate spaces and cultivate active listening and music making. His recent sound installation Omnia Flumina Romam Ducunt  serves as an entry point into a wide-ranging discussion encompassing many aspects of his long career. This episode features mainly compositions by Alvin Curran. A large portion is built upon binaural field-recordings made during the finissage of Omnia Flumina Romam Ducunt at the Terme di Caracalla, ancient Roman bathes which served as the location for this stunning work. Headphone listening recommended. Find more, including tracklist, at www.acloserlisten.com. Sound   Propositions should be available wherever you get your   podcasts, so  

The Liminaria festival ran for five editions between 2014 and 2018, culminating with a collateral event in Palermo as part of Manifesta 12.  Based in the rural micro-region of Fortore, the frontier between Campania, Molise, and Puglia, Liminaria offered residencies and public presentations in which visiting artists worked with local residents to apply sound art methodologies to the unique geographies of this territory. Curators Beatrice Ferrara and Leandro Pisano take this period to reflect upon the successes and challenges of working in the rural south of Italy with virtually no budget, the important solidarities between the south of Italy and the Global South, and their recently published "Manifesto of Rural Futurism." This episode features a selection of sound art and musical compositions which resulted from the five editions of Liminaria.  I visited the Fortore region which Leandro Pisano in 2017, during Philip Samartzis' residency in San Marco dei Cavoti. Included in the episode are field-recor

Many of our readers responded enthusiastically to the Anthology of Electroacoustic Lebanese music compiled by the Unexplained Sounds Group in 2018. Earlier this year, I reached out to label founder Raffaele Pezzella (Sonolygyst) to discuss his label, his radio show, his solo work, and why he keeps digging for unheard artists. We had a great chat, discussing his interest in dark ambient, conspiracy theories, and the technical pursuit of sound. I am also really into this playlist, if I don't say so myself. (You can hear the mix without the interview and vocal fades if you support this project on our Patreon.) Find more, including tracklist, at www.acloserlisten.com. Sound   Propositions should be available wherever you get your podcasts, so   please keep an eye out and subscribe (and rate and review, it helps   others who might be interested find us).  New episodes will be  published  every two weeks (more or less). You can support Sound  Propositions on Patreon

Andrew Khedoori of the Preservation label talks about his latest series, Longform Editions, featuring compositions designed to encourage deep listening. Very much organized against the prevailing streaming ecosystem which encourages short tracks and distracted listening, Longform Editions has released 32 works and counting. The interview is set entirely against selection from the series, often playing out for much longer than I usually would give a single track. The final selection is the sole exception, a meditative piece from Deep Magic released on Preservation. Longform Editions isn't necessarily interested in being overly prescriptive, dictating how we should or should not listen. Khedoori never makes a moral argument that things should be one way or another. But for those who feel increasingly overwhelmed and are looking for an escape, subscribe to the Longform series for your regular dose of music that encourages deep listening. Sound  Propositions should be available wherever you get your podcasts

Greyfade is a New York based label founded by Joseph Branciforte, dedicated to releasing high-quality physical and digital album length works of art. Greyfade's inaugural release is the aptly titled LP1, a collaboration between Branciforte and the acclaimed vocalist Theo Bleckmann. In this episode, Branciforte discusses why Greyfade is emphasizing HQ downloads via their own web store and eschewing streaming services, why he regards launching a label as an extension of composition, collaborating with Theo Bleckmann, and working with max/msp as a performative tool. For fans of improvised music, lush textures, heavenly vocal harmonies, sub-bass frequencies, electroacoustic experimentation, and ambient excursions.  Sound Propositions should be available wherever you get your podcasts, so please keep an eye out and subscribe (and rate and review, it helps others who might be interested find us).  New episodes will be published every two weeks (more or less). You can support Sound Propositions on Patreon

This episode features a deep conversation with Toni Cutrone (best known as Mai Mai Mai) delving into all the various facets of his career. On the occasion of the release of his latest LP, Nel Sud, we met to discuss his southern Italian and Mediterranean roots, the rediscovery of Italian music from the 70s, and the difficulties (and joys) of running clubs and a cultural association in Italy's capital. Cutrone draws an implicit link between the same eclecticism that is on display in the Roma Est neighborhood he calls home with the ancient links of circulation which unite diverse Mediterranean identities.   Nel Sud departs from where his Mediterranean Trilogy left off, exploring "the interrelation between pagan rituals and Catholicism, lives shaped by arduous labour and working-class dignity, the fragility of man subdued by nature, divinity and magic." It stands as his most ambitious, and best, album yet and shouldn't be missed. Amidst rising nationalism and right-wing populism, a work such as this all

Sound Propositions features conversations with artists exploring their creative practices and individual aesthetics, conceived of as a counter-narrative to a dominant trend in music journalism which fetishizes equipment and new technologies. This series tries to take the emphasis away from the ‘what’ and shine light on the ‘how’ and ‘why.’ Each episode combines interviews with music, field-recordings, and experimental sound design. MUSIC SELDOM HEARD explores the intersection of the production and dissemination of music, probing questions of media, form, and feedback from the perspective of a musician and organizer. Earlier this month I attended the final event of the third edition of the Napoli-based festival La Digestion, held at the incredible Maschio Angioino, a 13th century castle on the water front. This was also the first of three Musica Sanae events, exploring the intersection of sound and medicine in consecutive concerts in Napoli, Sokolowsko, and Berlin. This episode features a wide-ranging discussi