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Electronic Music That Has Rhythm

by Peretsky

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about

“Electronic Music That Has Rhythm”, simply put, is what it is. While much of my work revolves around the use of single-take, live improvised electronic recordings produced from my home, it often falls under the umbrella of “arrhythmic” electronic music: electro-acoustic, concréte, noise, ambient, etc. Too often we see rhythm and tonality seen as a weakness in the eyes of the snooty electro-acoustic elite in academia, as well as the edgelord “kvlt” purists of underground harsh noise circles, and why wouldn’t they think this in 2020? The separation of “high” and “low” art, of club music and concert hall music, of noise and techno, of academic and popular styles of electronic music has continued to widen despite our ability to study the similarities between these categories. We live in divided times, and musical sectionality is no different. When we put art practices into individual, stylistic categories, we’re often burning bridges across the “scenes”. Just as John Cage refused to acknowledge the similarities between his highly academicized and astonishingly white Chance and aleatoric practices and those of his New York contemporaries in the predominantly black avant-garde improvisation and free jazz scenes, the same mindset of separation exists between the academy, the noise basements, and the clubs. Why, in our age of information, do we continue to build walls between scenes and sounds?

For me personally, my artistic process barely changes regardless of the type of sounds I am producing. Above all else, I am an improviser who uses a variety of electronic and acoustic devices to create live performances for recorded media. No ifs, ands, or buts: the signal chain remains the same, and the mindset remains spontaneous regardless of whether one can actually dance to the sound. To call this music techno, however, would be overstepping my own boundaries as an artist. As much as I enjoy studying and listening to the very black American roots of electronic dance music such as techno, house, etc., this is not my scene and not my music. What I may be inspired by is not the same as what I produce as a result. To call this record “live techno” is to insert myself into a global circle of musicians and producers that are already dealing with the erasure of their Black American roots. I want this series of recordings to serve first and foremost as an appreciation of these roots without it becoming an appropriation.

My usage of phasing is intentional, I would rather you not search for a downbeat, I want you to remain focused on individual pulse and remain in the moment. The overarching structures of durational sequences phasing in-between themselves through a variety of numerical values are too large, too long in time to keep track of where they begin and where they restart. All that we can cling to is the clock, the singular determining factor, the tempo alone. To try to focus on the wider phrasing beyond the individual clicks is to distract yourself from the rhythmic nowness of each track. We aren’t in 4/4 over 5/4 over 6/8, but rather, we remain in 1/1 at all times. Stay in the nowness, enjoy it.

Humor is also important to recognize as a major influence in the production of these recordings. Each of the track titles vary in relevance to their correlating songs, many having nothing to do with the instrumental materials but rather capturing my personal mood at the time of improvised production. Some may be politically charged and in the moment (Pwning Jared Kushner’s Dumb Face in GTA Online), others self-depricating and highly self-aware of where my music identity lies between academic electro-acoustic, underground noise, and club driven dance music (No Dyani I Don’t Make Techno Cuz I Am Noise Boi). Regardless, it’s important to remind listeners that humor is serious business, especially in the humorless worlds of academia, noise, and “true” dance music. If something makes you laugh, all the more reason for it to be taken seriously. Smile, goddamnit.

The technical process for these recordings was simple: route a selection of devices into a single mixing console, and record the stereo output of the console. All recordings were made in a single take without the use of multi-tracking or overdubs, all processes and changes were made in the moment and set in stone for you to hear now. The devices used to create these recordings were as follows:


Korg Volca Sample sequencer x2
Automatonism modular synthesizer environment for Puredata software
Korg Gadget sequencer software for iOS
Electro-Harmonix 16-second Digital Delay pedal
Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run v2 delay and reverb pedal
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb pedal
TC Electronic M350 multi-effects processor rack
ART TPS II tube pre-amplifier
Yamaha MG-10 portable mixing console


Thanks for listening,

Max Alper (Peretsky)

credits

released December 25, 2019

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Peretsky Puerto Rico

do what makes you happy right fucking now.

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