“Loadbang” (Used 3 times)

ISSUE Project Room's annual Darmstadt Institute — which borrows the name (if not polemic) of the famous incubator of post-WWII difficult music — runs throughout the month of June, with imports like John Moran & Saori, Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles), and Jennifer Walshe; Darmstadt stalwarts like TILT Brass, Claire Chase & Rebekeh Heller, and the Wet Ink Ensemble; and some revivals of underrepresented American artists such as David Borden's Mother Mallard Portable Masterpiece Co. and Larry Austin. Almost all of these artists are represented in the mix directly to the right of these words, in works ranging from late-70s pieces by Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. – one of the first-ever synthesizer ensembles, counting Robert Moog and David Tudor among its members – to an improvisation by inimitable pianist Thollem McDonas, recorded last year in the Can Factory.

We'll continue adding to this mix, as we excavate more recordings from the seemingly endless ISSUE archive, and feature tracks from artists once or twice a week. For now, though, check out the full Institute schedule and, if you're in town, check us out.

"This moment is the reason that I write programs to write my music." The composer Nick Didkovsky said this one evening, right before he hit a button and his computer spit out a thirty-second, fully-notated composition. Naturally, it was mostly pretty bad and he rejected about all but four measures, and even that bit needed some tuning up. That little segment of music, though, was pretty remarkably weird, which somehow makes it all worthwhile.

The ensemble loadbang performs some of Didkovsky's very, very short algorithmic compositions, with aphoristic texts by Charles O'Meara like "If you look over your shoulder and you see clouds, you are a giant," or "Sweat like a pig, smell like a sow," or "Scream for help in the forest and the monkeys will only laugh." (Many of these are at their site). Loadbang plays these deadpan, solemnly reading each text before playing the piece.

Unlike many of Didkovsky's pieces where the computer's advice is mixed freely with his own inclinations, every note of these pieces is entirely computer-composed. His software JMSL, which uses the Java programming language, takes parameters like "harmonic complexity" and many others to determine the outcome of a piece. The best part is that if it's totally unlikable, all you have to do is hit a button and you get another.

Loadbang will perform some of these pieces (and others, by John Cage, Quinn Collins, and members of the ensemble) this Thursday at The Tank, on 354 W. 45th St. in Manhattan. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for everyone else.