Monday, April 30, 2012

In the days that pass and continually bring me nearer to Sorcery Music, a two day mini festival of experimental, music, noise, video, and performance art, I can't help but think about the project's conception. Sorcery Music's origins begin nearly imperceptibly, as all artists' projects do-- at least the ones that occur organically.

To track it's beginning would take a long time, but Aleks comes to mind right off the bat. Aleks, also known as Stick Ball Man, also known as Marlo-- Aleks, the grand creator and fellow magician who weaves intricate webs, and conducts master plans-- since we've met we have orbited each other.

After both going through insanely challenging times in our lives simultaneously and coming out victorious, Aleks came up with the idea of a collaborative EP called "spells" in which we both would create pieces of music that would tell the narrative of being caught "under a spell" and then casting it off, or shedding it, and emerging from the spell which narrowed our micro and macro cosmic vantage point, only to see a much different world!

The EP never happened (or hasn't happened yet) due to us both being busy with other project (Alek's multi-media play/production which will be performed some time next year and my various noise/sound projects.) But I couldn't stop thinking of the concept-- music or songs as spells. I started to think it could be much more than just an EP but a way of performing live in general (or at least calling it what it is! Most musicians feel they are conducting a spell in some way or another when they perform, either on themselves or the audience, or both??!!!) And this is how I got the idea of putting on a 2 day show of noise, experimental musicians, video artists, performance artists, and dancers. There will be no songs, only spells. An experiment in expression and collaboration between artist and audience. I'm sure it has been done before--and it will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun--only the collective flow that only the individual (silver?) surfer can ride.

So ride we will!



Long Live Sorcery Music!!!!

--mascara

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Today I worked on a DIY (very limited release of 5 cassettes) called "Portraits," a rap tape of beats and remixes that function as sound paintings, each painting-- a portrait of a rap artist. It features Missy Elliot, Gza, Jay Z, Tu Pac, Nas, Slug, my girl Mandy, from Akwarian Sea Rebel, and self portrait (mascara)..plus some others. I've always been fascinated with portraits and right now I'm working a lot with home mixing and low fi recording. I will always remain true to the warm, fuzzy, compressed sound of tapes and love how spirits get caught on tape--makes me think of The Ghost in the Shell. When I make a tape, each individual cassette has a bit of my soul in it, as well as whatever else it picks up and absorbs on the molecular level during the recording process. The sound may not be as clean as some other forms of recording, but it's got soul. A shit load of soul. As I sit and record, and then record again from the master copy, my studio and living room actually transform. The warmth in the tape is the warmth of my room. I can actually feel my circulation improve. 








Saturday, April 28, 2012

Welcome to my blog, the Wizard and the Philosopher..

It is a new blog and therefore, a young blog, and like all young things-- not fully formed. This is a beautiful thing because this blog will chronicle the beast it will, itself become! All I know is this: I like to ponder, and I like to create, and I like to share with others.