“Avant-garde” (Used 93 times)

One hell of a sexy title, am I right? 

Well, the fact of the matter is this: I have a lot of good news and not a lot of tippity tappity in my fingers to waste on pleasantries, so let's get down to the proverbial metal fasteners. DRAM has been one busy mug over the last year and, as these things sometimes happen, everything we've been working on has come to fruition at one time. 

First of all, DRAM is very pleased to announce that you can FINALLY get an individual subscription to the database.  After years of only being available to universities and public libraries, we've finally figured out a way to allow the average joe or josie get their hands on 3, 6, or 12 months of unlimited streaming music by composers like Robert Ashley, Morton Feldman, Michael Pisaro, and James Tenney (and many more on our over 3,000 recordings and counting).

How?  Well, right, that's a good question.  And, it leads me to the next portion of our good news.  DRAM has started a brand new website and quarterly online journal called Sound American.  On this site, we will be featuring streaming audio interviews and archival material available only in DRAM (and in some cases specifically made only for Sound American) as well as essays and visual art.  All of this is geared toward being a more relaxed, casual companion piece to all of the research new music engines out there. 

Sound American is a place to gain context on new and experimental music and to discover that new and experimental does not in any way equal difficult and inscrutable.  Upcoming topics will include the new additions to Ben Hall's amazing collection of Southern Gospel 45s, interviews with electronic music and computer networking pioneers John Bischoff and Tim Perkis of the League of Automatic Music Composers, as well as a discussion between Nate Wooley and electro-acoustic composer Chris Brown.  Later in the year, we'll be doing a feature on John Cage in conjunction with the massive Bowerbird Cage festival in Philadelphia.

For the time being, Sound American is celebrating the inclusion of the first wave of recordings from Phill Niblock's Experimental Intermedia Archive.  The first 31 pieces are up now in DRAM and feature live performances by and interviews with such artists as Eliane Radigue, George Lewis, Alvin Curran, Pauline Oliveros, Lois V. Vierk, Carl Stone, and many more....including multi-instrumentalist Ned Rothenberg, whose program we feature for download here at FMA.

So, three pieces of good news, three times to beat our breasts with pride.  It's a rare occurence and we are excited to share it with you.  Please stop by Sound American, linger, enjoy, maybe make a tax-free donation to DRAM and get the fantastic premium in return of 3, 6, or 12 months of access to the site.  Drop Nate a line and tell him he done good.....he's so fragile.

Some best music and songs of December on a netlabel Clinical Archives.

01 - Ak-47 Big band - Good Bait (ca483) - 7:02
02 - Evgeny Makarov - Non Segreto Vol.1 (ca481) - 4:54
03 - Vulcan Sessions - La Cuna (Second) (ca482) - 5:48
04 - Evgeny Makarov - Duo - (ca481) 7:17
05 - Ak-47 Big band - In a Sentimental Mood - (ca483) - 12:34

Total time: 37:33

Artists: Ak-47 Big band (Argentina), Evgeny Makarov (Russia/Belgium), Vulcan Sessions (Spain)

Long time no talk, friends.  We've been a bit busy! I just started law school and Tom's band just put out an EP! That doesn't mean we haven't been rockin' you out on the Music Manumit Podcast though! We've been interviewing some of the best Creative Commons bands out there too. Thanks to Craig of the Open Metalcast for filling in a couple shows while I moved!

To show our appreciation for sticking with us during the lean months, we'd like to give you the chance to be a guest DJ! In order to be a guest DJ what you need to do is put together 20-30 minutes worth of music and get us the tracks like this:

"Song" by Artist (genre) - license - Website.

Make sure we have a link to download the song and a link to the bad website. As you can see in the tracks I've selected anything goes as far as length, genre and subject matter (assuming you don't break the 30 min rule).

If you don't want to be a DJ, but want us to hear your music (or just have a suggestion), put some tracks in our SoundCloud dropbox. If you are not the artist and you put something in our Dropbox, make sure we have all the information we need to attribute the artist properly! Also, note that we play only remixable music.  No -ND or All Rights Reserved stuff!

If you're in a band and are interested in being on the show, let us know.  We are always interested in hearing new music and learning about novel ways to distribute, collaborate and create music. The interview invitation is open to curators, netlabels and podcasters as well. Just make sure you are passionate about remixable Creative Commons music!

We look forward to getting back on track and uploading great music from David Rovics, The Freak Fandango Orchestra, Amity in Fame and tons of other artists!

Oh, and since I'm all lawyery* now:

We reserve the right to revoke the offer for an interview at any time. Music on the music only show will be played at the sole discretion of the Music Manumit Podcast. This is not a contract.  The podcast and any posts here are not legal advice.

*term of art, you wouldn't understand

Some best music and songs of April on a netlabel Clinical Archives.

01 - pandoras.box - Severn Suzuki - 4:44 (ca436)
02 - Stefano Ferrian's dE-NOIZE Project - Chapter #01 Amphetamine - 10:38 (ca435)
03 - HALStER - drawer no.1 (cricedidae) - 5:21 (ca438)
04 - Trío Antimanierista - fcarregols - 5:09 (ca439)
05 - Nice Wings, Icarus! - Journey Back Home - 4:07 (ca437)
06 - Claudio Nuñez - folkdance vii - 3:25 (ca433)
07 - Joxfield ProjeX - Majestic Pattern City Revisited Evolution I - 5:20 (ca432)
08 - Count Portmon - RCL-290 (excerpt) - 4:56 (ca434)
09 - pandoras.box - Echoes (Rampue Remix) - 8:00 (ca436)

Total time: 51:38

Artists: pandoras.box (Germany), Stefano Ferrian's dE-NOIZE Project (Italy), HALStER (Sweden), Trío Antimanierista (Spain), Nice Wings, Icarus! (Ukraine), Claudio Nuñez (Argentina), Joxfield ProjeX (Sweden), Count Portmon (Czech Republic)

As soon as one really starts listening to Ryan T. Dunn's sonic creations as Instinct Control, one realizes that as much as they are improvised, the project name is no accident, as the end result is very much an experiential journey with the composer/performer as guide, "intent" unfolding as it happens. I envision Ryan a bit lost in a pyramid, but far from panicking, he's gradually mastering the texture of the glyphs along the wall, patiently and deliberately finding his way. It's good chaos, like that scene in Tarkovsky's The Mirror, all shaken-out hair and falling plaster rendered in slow motion.

Ryan is a real-time composer, who really knows his instrument, and where you could say this about many in the circuit-bending crowd, when listening to Instinct Control, one really feels the journey—every corner the music turns, every choice the player takes, is an exploration of feeling, a joyous journey, and lucky you get to ride along.

These two sets were rendered absolutely live, on the My Castle of Quiet program of February 18, Ryan seated on the floor, thus somewhat hidden from view to engineer Bob Bellerue and myself. Seemingly very lucid, quiet and confident, Ryan sat before his instrument and found his way, for as long as the journey made sense. And though by the common standard, this is raucous, intense music, to me these are soul-stirring trips—the more I explore these sets, the more I appreciate their energizing quality, their sure power and uplifting vibrance.

Thanks to Bob Bellerue for exposing me to Ryan's music and setting up the meet, as well as engineering the live session. Thanks as always to Tracy Widdess of Brutal Knitting for stomping colorful life into my iPhone capture of the artist at work; buy a radical balaclava from her today—reasonably priced original Canadian folk art it is. And thanks most of all to Ryan T. Dunn for these ever-more-uplifting performances. Hallelujah!