Hear work from American composer and software developer Brian Baumbusch and his tech-leaning gamelan-infused VR album, London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Akusmi, and Montreal-based sax player and composer Colin Stetson.
Listen to work by American composer, instrument inventor, and software developer Brian Baumusch, which draws on the instrumental colors of gamelan, the propulsive rhythms of and stable harmonies of minimalism, all with a nod to the rhythmic explorations of American-Mexican composer Colin Nancarrow. The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players take on Baumbusch’s work, Polytempo Music, where multiple instruments play variations of the same melody simultaneously. Not content with an audio work, “Baumbusch has taken his vision beyond the sonic realm, designing VR and mobile apps that bring Polytempo Music’s intricate metrical relationships to life via dazzling 3D animations “choreographed” by the composer””, (dotdotdotpress.net).
There’s music from the contemporary music quintet fivebyfive’s program of works celebrating the total solar eclipse visible in North American in 2024. Hear a piece by Chicago-based composer and educator Marc Mellits from this collection, now album, built for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, bass, piano which points out contours and lines, shadow and shine, called “Eclipse”,
Then, hear work from the French-born London-based producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Akusmi (aka Pascal Bideau). His work blends electronic music with the churning rhythms of minimalism with the sounds of jazz and, occasionally, the gamelan music of Indonesia. Mostly he plays sax and piano, but in a pinch he’ll play bass guitar, flute, synthesizer or percussion too. There’s also music by Montreal-based sax player Colin Stetson who can produce an entire ensemble’s worth of sound in real time. It’s from his 2024 album, The love it took to leave you. That, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4936, Postminimalist Works With Winds (First aired 10/15/2024)
ARTIST: Akusmi
WORK: Oblique [1:11]
RECORDING: Lines
SOURCE: Tonal Union
INFO: https://akusmi.bfan.link/lines
ARTIST: fivebyfive
WORK: Marc Mellits: Eclipse [15:18]
RECORDING: Eclipse
SOURCE: Bright Shiny Things, due out Nov. 8
INFO: https://fivebyfivemusic.bandcamp.com/album/eclipse
ARTIST: San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
WORK: Clockwise [5:18]
RECORDING: Brian Baumbusch: Polytempo Music
SOURCE: Other Minds
INFO: https://www.otherminds.org/recording/polytempo-music | https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/polytempo-music
ARTIST: Akusmi
WORK: Oblique [8:49]
RECORDING: Lines
SOURCE: Tonal Union
INFO: https://akusmi.bfan.link/lines
ARTIST: San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
WORK: Counterclockwise [5:06]
RECORDING: Brian Baumbusch: Polytempo Music
SOURCE: Other Minds
INFO: https://www.otherminds.org/recording/polytempo-music | https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/polytempo-music
ARTIST: Colin Stetson
WORK: Malediction [9:23]
RECORDING: The love it took to leave you
SOURCE: Envision Records
INFO: https://colinstetson.bandcamp.com/album/the-love-it-took-to-leave-you
ARTIST: Wim Mertens
WORK: Struggle for Pleasure [:41]
RECORDING: Close Cover
SOURCE: Windham Hill #1056
INFO: Out of print, but try auction sites or Discogs.com