Lab: sound, body and rhythm

This week saw the premier of the ongoing lab to explore sound, body and rhythm. Two hours devoted to come together and experience and share that Jennie Zimmermann and me will offer twice a month from now on.

Working together as a duo, we both realised that many of our musical ideas go beyond the constellation of two people and are aimed towards a group of people.

This is our invitation:

We are creating a space to focus on sound and body, dance and sensual experience.

Inbetween minimalist cyclic musical structures, delicate dissonances, harmonies and grooves which combine monotony and variety we like to find listening and communication that unites us as a group while offering a space to express individuality through music and dance.

For the lab we offer structures and ideas and a warm up based on voice work, overtone singing and contact improvisation techniques.

We have a longing for experiences of communal sensual intensity and are looking forward to open-minded, critical and enthusiastic folks to share with us.


The open minded, critical and enthusiastic folks have graced us with their presence and together we explored some very basic aspects of rhythm:

Rhythm is based on a series of impulses, that are perceived as seperated entities, but for these impulses to form a rhythm they must be grouped together to one continuous entity. So there is a paradox mixture of discontinuity and continuity that is essential to the nature of rhythmic phenomena. Operational modes of the mind that are normally exclusive to another must be combined for the perception and execution of rhythm. German philosopher Simone Mahrenholz elaborates these aspects in her essay 'Oszillation zwischen Inkomensurablem' (Geteilte Zeit. Zur Kritik des Rhythmus in den Künsten, Hrsg.: Patrick Primavesi und Simone Mahrenholz).

We examined these ideas by using different modes of bodily movement, stepping on the wooden floor or causing clearly audible distict impulses, or rolling around in a fluid movement, while using these different qualities as an inspiration for vocal sounds and singing.

I already knew very well that I like rhythmical situations that create tension and friction and that I love to improvise with performers with whom that is possible, yet it was very interesting to focus on the social aspect of this: coming together with differing positions and withstand and cherish the friction these differences are causing.

I´m looking forward to the next lab, which will be on August the 1st.

Gogokokoroko sung by Genia Mascara

Another version of my composition Gogokoroko, sung mainly by Genia Mascara. This was done in a rush and without much editing but I feel that adds to the charme of it. I like the contrast of this version to the Para Hybrid-version of Gogokokoroko.

New version of 'Gogokokoroko'

Gogokokoroko is one of my 'Fake african memories' compositions, I already recorded a powerful version with the 'Kargyraa Krew" Kolja Simon, Felix Mönnich and Martin Pässler (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN8s7lMUCJk). The Para Hybrid-Version I uploaded on soundcloud emphasizes the polyrhythm and polyphony I originally had in mind when composing the track. For now I tried to make it sound like taking the bus in india - I guess I will do other versions that have less nervous energy. Like with Fek Ber, I designed the overall shape of the composition, but let the random mechanisms of the ableton live software execute the actual combinations.

Fek Ber

This is a composition of mine that belongs to my "Fake african memories" works. In these works I am mixing polyrhythms inspired by Pygmy and west-african music with the techniques of overtone singing and throat singing.
Starting with song-type structures, after a while I realized that I wanted something less clear - I love the "always the same/always different"-impression when listening to pygmy music. So here I tried to organize the musical material in a similar manner, mimicking a group of people gathering and singing always the same phrases, but in a loose way, without discipline.
To achieve this I heavily related on ableton live´s options to include chance in what is played next. I recorded all the phrases and then the software did the actual combinations within the rhythmic frame. Playing the set again would result in a different version of the composition, so, as I read just today, it is a form of 'generative music', as Brian Eno names it. I am looking forward to perform this live with a group of singers and musicians...

Aka Music Workshop

I attended a workshop given by Aka pygmies at the Klangfestival Naturstimmen in Alt St. Johann in the Swiss Alps. I loved singing this wonderfull music! The workshop was held in a church and the reverb of this space made it not easy to distinguish all the different parts but still it gave an impression of the rhythmic interweaving of the voices of this great music. The Aka who gave the workshop recorded a CD as 'Le groupe Ndima' and can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/ndima

Advert vor overtone singing and polyrhythm

Togehter with Christina Bähne I am offering a workshop on overtone singing and polyrhythm. The advert for this event shows waves of the river Main flowing through Würzburg - the do it in a very artsy way...

Pygmy Melodies reconstructed in Ableton Live

I imported a piece of Pygmy Song (the track `'Midnight Yelli Part 3' from the CD 'Baka Forest People' - it´s a great CD, buy it!) into ableton live to get a grip on the different melodies. I´m not sure if I got it right and of course the original sounds way better but for analytical purposes it´s quite helpful.

Kalimba! Spryh and Mascara with Lothar Berger

Lothar Berger and me trying out combinations of guitar, kalimba and 2 voices on the patterns of Spryh. Lothar is a teacher of the ta-ke-ti-na method and overtone singer. Unlike me, he often changes the fundamental note while singing overtones. The pattern he sings here reminds me of the xhosa women´s overtone singing.



A cozy evening version of Mascara - it´s full of mistakes, I am messing up chords, the intonation is sloppy but still it conveys a certain warmth. I guess I am more after such qualities than to achieve a perfect performance. In the end, Lothar tries a pattern that overlaps my overtone pattern. It still has to be worked out, but the idea is already there.

Gogokokoroko and Mascara with looper and percussion

A rehearsal of my composition Gogokokoroko, the looper of Ableton live substitutes the other singers. It´s not as lively but you get an impression of the sound. I´m looking forward to doing this with three singers and drums and percussion next week.



Another rehearsal of Mascara, this time combining the solo version and the choir version. Ableton live´s looper substitutes the other singers. I´m looking forward to doing this with three singers and drums and percussion next week!

Different combinations of "Void"-material

Here we are working on my composition Void, this is also taken from the first rehearsal with Peter Halves (percussion) and Florian Dietz (drums). At 1:06 you can watch me losing the beat for a few seconds. I guess that was due to Florian shiftung the accents towards a binary feel. Can be tricky, still, I love this ambiguity. At 2:42 starts another version of Transit. While in the first version you see here, the guitar and singing part share the accents of the drums and percussion, in the second version, my parts are superimposed in a 3:2 relation to the drums/perc. parts. I think it will be interesting to mix both ways of playing Void.

Polyrhythmic rehearsals

Since I´ve fallen in love with the tension of polyrhythmic ambiguity I was looking forward to performing my compositions from the"Fake African Memories" with more than one drummer/percussionist. I am happy that this has finally happened and turned out to be just as great as I imagined it to be.

This version of Mascara is taken from the first rehearsal with Peter Halves on percussion and Florian Dietz on drums, it´s the first time the two play together. I wanted the rhythmic feel to be shifting between a 12/8 and a 4/4 and I think it works out fine.


Another composition of the "Fake African Memories", Transit:

Gogokokoroko choir version

This is a short sketch for a choir version of my composition Gogokokoroko, part of the Fake African Memories.

Guitar patterns in two layers in 2:3 ratio

Here is an example of varying a tune by layering it´s pattern in two different tempos in the ratio of 2:3. I play them succesively into the looper of ableton live. The looper is set to record 12 bars. When the pattern is played slowly, it is 4 bars long, so I play it 3 times. Played fast, it is two bars long and thus played 4 times until the looper repeats both.
I love the floating quality created by these layers with their differing accents.


Here is a mash up of two patterns of different compositions of the Fake African Memories - Mascara and Void. Like in the example before, their tempos are in a 2:3 ratio.



My goal is to build an ensemble that is capable to play different layers like this simultaniously. To me, this totally kicks ass.

Experimenting on the Mascara Choir Version

Here you see me trying different techniques for the 4-5 voices of the choir-version of Mascara. I´m playing around with different combinations of kargyraa, khöömi and jodeling.

The score for this version can be found here:

http://community.tuxguitar.com.ar/file/827/Mascara+Choir+Version/

Transcending song

Some of my compositions share the same rhythmic feel, which is inspired by african music. I´ve never been to africa so I label these compositions as my "Fake African Memories".

I´ve performed them live with guitar and voice (and sometimes a percussionist) as songs without words: the different parts of a given composition are played successively, just like verse, bridge and chorus in the conventional structure of songs usually are.

Now, I take my Fake African Memories to make something new, that transcends their boundaries in three different ways:

- rhythmical structure

- song structure

- combining material from different songs


Rhythmical structure:
All the Fake African Memories are based on the triplet feel of a 12/8 measure.



Now I combine the 12/8 ternary feel with a binary 4/4 feel by adding a second drum part that superimposes a simple 4/4 beat on the 12/8.



The result is an ambiguity, the patterns can now be perceived from the ternary and the binary perspective, each with a different set of stressed and unstressed notes. This ambiguity adds tension to any of the parts of the Fake African Memories.
I found this mechanism by myself but by now I learned that this is a central feature of central african music (Simha Arom: African Polyphony and Polyrythm).
I love how this procedure broadens the possible interpretations of a single figure and I´m looking forward to play with two drummers, after working on it with ableton live.

Song structure:
Songs usually feature one main voice providing the centre of attention. This voice is usually structured in successive events: either you have the verse, or the chorus. One main focus of attention, one thing at a time - this structure provides that the song can be perceived easily, and it is also the structure I use for the individual tunes of the Fake African Memories.



I wish to create a music that offers a wider perspective to any listener and the means to transform my existing songs is simple: instead of a succession of different parts by one voice, these different parts are to be sung simultaneously by different voices. Now It´s the listener´s choice which voice he considers the most important at a given moment. Instead of a succession of discriminable events this structure implies that everything happens simultaneously all the time - it´s up to the listener to go through different phases of perceiving the music and concentrate on different parts.



I was inspired to try out this way of structuring my Fake African Memories song material by listening to and reading on Pygmy music and I am delighted how perfectly this method fits the material.

There are different possibilities to perform such versions of the material. At the moment I´m experimenting with electronics e.g. the Looper in Ableton live and also video clip-loops, and I´m planning performances with instrumentalists and/or a group of vocalists. If you are intereted in taking part in performing this stuff, live or via video or audio clip please contact me!

Combining material from different songs will follow in the next post.

Fake Afro-mongolian Fusion

I´m currently working on a combination of overtone singing and central african polyphony. I discovered Pygmy music on a CD my brother gave me and where it is combined with works of György Ligeti and Steve Reich. What fascinates me is the high complexity of rythm - the voices seem so free, so independend, still they are connected. And secondly the collective nature of this music, the co-existence of many interdependent(does this word exist?) voices.

I bought "African Polyphony & Polyrythm" by Simha Arom and apply the principles he describes - well, those principles I consider interesting - to my musical background.
At the moment I am recording demo-versions of my ideas of this fusion in Ableton live and I´m rehearsing with percussion player Peter Halves. The next step will be to bring in drummer Florian Dietz (those who know my youtube videos have seen him play) - to emphasize rythmic ambiguity and the tension this builds.

This is the starting point to build an ensemble that is capable to bring this music to life on stage and make a real show of it - including costumes, electronics and projected interactive video - and I´m quiet enthusiastic about this new project.