Introducing Movement: The Uranium Pieces
March 27th 2003
(revised March 29th 2004)
In my first ambient works I directly copied the
technique pioneered by Eno in 'Discreet Music' and 'Music for Airports'. I even
copied the types of sound he used - washes of delay, pianos, strings.
Eno once said of Steve Reich "I'm glad he didn't pursue his tape music 'cause it let me carry it on". Similarly I was glad Eno didn't pursue the original model he set out in 'Discreet Music'. I discovered in subsequent attempts to create new pieces within such tight boundaries I couldn't find anything new.
During the Christmas Holiday of 2002 I designed a new piece based on the idea of radioactive halflife. The basic concept was to record a large amount of loops, 10 or 12. Some loops would be notes, some chords and others melodies. All of these loops would start at once creating a cacophony of sound. The music would then decay, in accordance with a halflife. For example a halflife of 1 minute would mean that every minute half the loops would be taken away.
The resultant piece simply didn't work. The cacophony was simply irritating. I did however, retain the loops of guitar recorded for two experiments with the half life formula.
These loops spawned two new pieces: 'U-238' and 'U-235', described in detail below. The most satisfying thing about these pieces, for me was that they unified my 'old' post-rock guitar sound and my new ambient direction. I finally thought I had found my musical voice.
U-238
The base for U-238 is the notes of a chord set as individual loops that, on their own would make an ambient piece. There are two sets of loops making up the chord. One set is dry and one is 'processed'. They are 12th fret harmonics played on a £10 guitar in a tuning that I have now forgotten and is neither here nor there. The 'processed' notes have their attack chopped off and their decay amplified making them more like bells.
On top of this base 4 different loops, short melodies and chord shapes played on the same guitar, are introduced one after the other. Each loop goes on for around a minute and a half before fading out as the next fades in.
The climax of the piece comes as all for 'melody loops' fade in and the chord fades out. These loops continue for around three minutes making another piece within the piece.
U-235
The key concern with U-235 was to show how the loops can be used to create a web of sound. To achieve this the piece starts of with the notes of a chord and two more loops fading in. After a few minutes the next two loops are faded in over the top and then the next two and so on.
When all the loops have been introduced the piece is at its most complex. This complex web of notes is allowed to play for a minute or so and then the loops start to be taken away. Starting with the loops that have been playing the longest.
After this process is finished the listener finds themselves at a different place that they started with just the notes of a chord sounding.
Postscript - March 2004
U-238 was used for a video made by myself and Luke Barley and shown at the Germs 2003 festival. To accompany the 14 minutes of ambient audio an arrangement of ambient video was made. We filmed street lights flickering on the local boating lake and looped them. A couple of people walked out in disgust, but most stayed and thought and told me the combination of audio and video was very engaging. I'd love to work with a 'proper' video artist in the future.
Since creating these pieces I have done a few more ambient guitar works. Most are unreleased, as I began to concentrate on an album of shorter pieces called 'Blind Phase'. Three Lines appeared on the munkyfest 5 sampler - available through Keith Records. 'Drone Guitars 2 in G' was sent to Keith for a compilation - as far as I know it hasn't come out yet.