Allow me first to introduce...

The most amazing earfulls may be had at::: SONUS.

(www.sonus.ca)

It is an online listening library that is home to electro accoustic musics from around the WORLD.

,,,created and managed by the communauté électroaccoustique canadienne (CEC),,,

(the Canadian Electro Accoustic Community)
"for the benefit of the greater electroacoustic /computer music/ sonic arts community."

anyone from anywhere may add to this library (within EA perimiters;)

give it a go!

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There was recently at Concordia Uni (in Montréal) a series of electro accoustic concerts. They were presented by the CEC and ÉuCuE. Attendance to these events was held at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall. I attendend the last concert in this series on October 1st @ 20h00.

For those of you who have never had the most extream experience of visiting this oh-so-well equiped space,,, it astonishes the mind's ear. The long room with raked seating, although large and imposing at first, becomes cosy once seated in the padded seats. Also once the concert begins the audience is told to move as closely to the centre of the seats, so that we may experience the fullness of the surround sound that is about to leap up from all corners.

The turn out was a reasonable sized crowd, not too few, nor too many. The audience consisted mostly of boys (age 19-24) and a few girls ,including myself (of same age range). The wheather was not yet too cold so people were wearing sweaters at the most. This variable lessened the factor of the sound's having to compromise, from being absorbed by clothing. We were centred in the accoustically wet space with pampered ears.

Possitioned in the hall, encircling the audience (360 degrees), were eight speakers on stands. There was also a subwoofer at ground level.

Fully comfortable and at home,,, the lights were dimed to near blackness and the shapes of sound were felt to cut through the room not stopping at us.

The first piece of the evening was "Ether" by Elizabeth Anderson. We were sonically emersed as each speaker housed a seperate sound. Each speaker was treated as if alone in the space; free to emit its own world. While each speaker was alive seperatly, there were layers of tracks that were flown above, in the same speakers. These layers presented a seperate stereo image that moved back and forth. The stereo motion avoided integration with the seperated internal components. However this movement aided in creating a conceptual space of dimention. The sound was alive with the dimentions crosshatching. They awoke subcounscious dreamstates that made me feel like I was alive in the Ethers. I wasn't in the hall, but travelling the night on Ether adventures, unbeknownst to the world. Surrounding the world, rather than being surrounded.

Second on the program; "Information" by Mathieu Marcoux. This piece demonstrated the beauty of feedback and softening of sharp highs. There were so many thought progressions in this peice. The sounds touched things of unreal states making them live and be real. The industirial presence of technology has breath and when closely examined and restructured holds life. The rooms abilities did well in projecting this.

The third piece by Aliocha Van Der Avoort made use of the individual speakers. The sounds had height passing through to floss our ears. As well, they went under our feet.

The fourth piece was by Adamek. In it were sounds that were delicate like cracking bones contrasted with the heaviness of the release of their tradgedy. Trains of bone crackers unlocking the pops, they slice you open, with the so fast track advance. wow.

The fifth piece was by Arne Egenfeidt, a west coast composer. I easily noticed the west coast influence by his use of organic samples, water flowering. This piece was, to me, like a sound walk through the process of a water travel. The travels of water through its space, like a train station. A mixturisation of oraganics transduced by the mechanics of itself.

Ben Wilson's piece "Sediment" was last, to burry us alive. Walls were built up around us with the sounds of unloaded matter,,,that grew in size from small sand to large boulders. The walls were interlaced with sounds of singing and crying. The space of orchestras tunning like construction sites in harmonization.

At the end of this lengthy experience I am left with the feeling of having passed into alternate worlds. I'm slightly amazed to be living to tell about it. We helped, through our delirium, pack up the speaker system and wrapped up some cords.

If I could I would see all the concerts. The german washing machine symphony perked my interest. I am glad there are more concerts to come. :)

Jasa Baka (K-M)
#5192358