1 00:00:20,220 --> 00:00:27,340 today we are in the studio Nashville and 2 00:00:24,460 --> 00:00:30,250 we're recording a one of many symphonic 3 00:00:27,340 --> 00:00:33,010 movements for a sound installation that 4 00:00:30,250 --> 00:00:37,260 I'm preparing for the nasher and show 5 00:00:33,010 --> 00:00:37,260 that's titled the record 6 00:00:49,380 --> 00:00:56,130 I first saw the work of David McConnell 7 00:00:54,210 --> 00:00:58,260 in the small gallery in Raleigh North 8 00:00:56,130 --> 00:01:01,230 Carolina he created this sound 9 00:00:58,260 --> 00:01:03,360 installation out of old photographs 10 00:01:01,230 --> 00:01:06,690 using old photographs almost as 11 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:08,610 instruments in a symphony and each one 12 00:01:06,690 --> 00:01:12,870 had a different component of the sound 13 00:01:08,610 --> 00:01:14,790 installation and based on that I met him 14 00:01:12,870 --> 00:01:17,970 and talked to him and I found out that 15 00:01:14,790 --> 00:01:19,770 he had this great musical background he 16 00:01:17,970 --> 00:01:21,360 was first a musician and a producer and 17 00:01:19,770 --> 00:01:24,479 sort of moving into the visual arts 18 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:27,900 assertive leaving music I take the 19 00:01:24,479 --> 00:01:29,660 opposite approach to composition and 20 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:35,150 probably the majority of composers 21 00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:37,259 instead of a premeditated piece of music 22 00:01:35,150 --> 00:01:42,090 instead of sitting down and writing a 23 00:01:37,259 --> 00:01:44,850 piece of music I'd like to let the piece 24 00:01:42,090 --> 00:01:49,380 of music right itself when I'm in the 25 00:01:44,850 --> 00:01:51,000 studio all booked studio time and go 26 00:01:49,380 --> 00:01:55,500 into the studio without even having 27 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:58,220 written any music at all and I will 28 00:01:55,500 --> 00:02:03,660 proceed to plug in the microphones and 29 00:01:58,220 --> 00:02:05,640 the compressors and the eqs and I'll set 30 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:08,110 everything up on different instruments 31 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:11,230 in the studio 32 00:02:08,110 --> 00:02:17,080 and I'll just begin planning and 33 00:02:11,230 --> 00:02:22,150 whatever comes out is what I've got and 34 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:26,710 hopefully I like it or a part of it and 35 00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:28,420 then that will lead to the next part on 36 00:02:26,710 --> 00:02:31,510 a different instrument and then the next 37 00:02:28,420 --> 00:02:33,550 part and then hopefully after several 38 00:02:31,510 --> 00:02:42,190 hours of doing this process I have a 39 00:02:33,550 --> 00:02:45,340 piece of music that I enjoy now I'm 40 00:02:42,190 --> 00:02:48,640 getting ready to start recording a piece 41 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:51,610 tentatively titled the movements 42 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:55,950 probably going to be called out of tune 43 00:02:51,610 --> 00:03:00,130 and basically I'm just exploring the 44 00:02:55,950 --> 00:03:03,550 musical space of tuning instruments when 45 00:03:00,130 --> 00:03:07,870 I go to the symphony often my favorite 46 00:03:03,550 --> 00:03:12,090 part is the tuning of the orchestra to 47 00:03:07,870 --> 00:03:12,090 me that's often the most beautiful part 48 00:03:22,350 --> 00:03:27,130 the piece itself is like these old 49 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,630 photographs from the 60s and he sort of 50 00:03:27,130 --> 00:03:31,660 turned up right and he has a great sense 51 00:03:28,630 --> 00:03:34,410 of color like I like the do-it-yourself 52 00:03:31,660 --> 00:03:37,000 sort of approach to it just you know 53 00:03:34,410 --> 00:03:40,540 find these old photographs these 54 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:42,250 alternate Abel's you know change the 55 00:03:40,540 --> 00:03:45,670 color in some way and live in them with 56 00:03:42,250 --> 00:03:48,790 with color just own but only very subtly 57 00:03:45,670 --> 00:03:50,080 around you know exactly where the record 58 00:03:48,790 --> 00:03:52,060 would be placed so they almost look like 59 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,370 targets and it sort of Jasper Johns kind 60 00:03:52,060 --> 00:03:57,220 of way but then they have a feeling that 61 00:03:54,370 --> 00:03:59,980 almost plays on John Cage and his you 62 00:03:57,220 --> 00:04:04,560 know 33 and a third performance set 63 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:07,390 sound artifacts tell a story that is 64 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:11,080 more related to chance or circumstance 65 00:04:07,390 --> 00:04:12,540 or chaos whereas instruments are usually 66 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:18,609 telling a story that has been written 67 00:04:12,540 --> 00:04:21,609 mathematically by the composer in the 68 00:04:18,609 --> 00:04:25,260 studio you can you can color and texture 69 00:04:21,609 --> 00:04:28,030 the sound with any combination of 70 00:04:25,260 --> 00:04:31,090 equipment or tools that here that you're 71 00:04:28,030 --> 00:04:32,860 using in the studio I prefer old 72 00:04:31,090 --> 00:04:36,400 equipment because when you put sound 73 00:04:32,860 --> 00:04:38,740 through it it's kind of like time travel 74 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:41,740 it takes you back to a different period 75 00:04:38,740 --> 00:04:45,250 a different era the sound is transformed 76 00:04:41,740 --> 00:04:47,650 as though it's from another time because 77 00:04:45,250 --> 00:04:51,190 you're simply using equipment 78 00:04:47,650 --> 00:04:55,000 microphones or or sound equipment that 79 00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:58,580 is maybe 40 or 50 years old 80 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:02,780 and so it puts its own unique thumbprint 81 00:04:58,580 --> 00:05:05,420 on the sound colors it in a way that may 82 00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:11,320 be a painter would use a certain kind of 83 00:05:05,420 --> 00:05:11,320 brush as I think of the studio tools 84 00:05:12,650 --> 00:05:25,669 I like that era of equipment and I also 85 00:05:21,620 --> 00:05:27,500 like the way that music was played back 86 00:05:25,669 --> 00:05:32,350 in that in that time which was which was 87 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:35,240 vinyl I like the way that vinyl sounds 88 00:05:32,350 --> 00:05:38,810 that's to me that's a very pleasing 89 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:42,979 format to my ear now it's mostly digital 90 00:05:38,810 --> 00:05:46,250 media that people listen to and digital 91 00:05:42,979 --> 00:05:49,580 media translates sound with the use of 92 00:05:46,250 --> 00:05:53,030 code which consists of millions of ones 93 00:05:49,580 --> 00:05:58,240 and zeros inside of tiny microchips 94 00:05:53,030 --> 00:06:01,070 before it reaches the human ear so I 95 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:03,830 would just rather those sounds reach my 96 00:06:01,070 --> 00:06:11,020 ear through a different a different 97 00:06:03,830 --> 00:06:11,020 process than a tiny piece of plastic yes 98 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:20,990 what's on a record preserves not only 99 00:06:17,570 --> 00:06:24,260 ideas or compositions but you're 100 00:06:20,990 --> 00:06:26,960 actually just preserving a sound which 101 00:06:24,260 --> 00:06:30,080 probably will never be created again in 102 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,580 the same way if nothing ever sounds the 103 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,160 same twice unless you're dealing with a 104 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:36,410 mechanical device that was built to 105 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:44,510 repeat the same exact sound over and 106 00:06:36,410 --> 00:06:47,630 over again it doesn't have to be 107 00:06:44,510 --> 00:06:51,290 difficult the process of recording and 108 00:06:47,630 --> 00:06:54,500 writing music to me can be as simple as 109 00:06:51,290 --> 00:06:58,670 you know cooking dinner sometimes I just 110 00:06:54,500 --> 00:07:00,020 choose the nearest instrument physically 111 00:06:58,670 --> 00:07:02,720 toward me and that's going to be the 112 00:07:00,020 --> 00:07:08,540 next track because it was closer to me 113 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:13,760 to pick up but you know it's just music 114 00:07:08,540 --> 00:07:15,820 it's not brain surgery you know I feel 115 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:21,530 like music should be allowed to flow 116 00:07:15,820 --> 00:07:23,120 naturally and without difficulty a lot 117 00:07:21,530 --> 00:07:27,050 of people look at music is a complex 118 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:32,120 organism but to me it's not it can be if 119 00:07:27,050 --> 00:07:36,050 you choose to go that route and often my 120 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:40,240 work ends up sounding you know complex 121 00:07:36,050 --> 00:07:40,240 but it's to me it's not it's just 122 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:50,590 it's a document of being in the studio 123 00:07:43,389 --> 00:07:55,689 for hours on end the sounds become 124 00:07:50,590 --> 00:07:58,199 immortal they become permanent when you 125 00:07:55,689 --> 00:07:58,199 recorded