Material Prosody by mHz
Put together by Mo H. Zareei (aka mHz), "Material Prosody" brings together a number of artists whose work concerns materiality of sound and sonority of matter. The series presents six new works composed for different editions of his sound-sculpture "Material Sequencer": a custom-designed 8-step electromechanical sequencer aimed at emphasising the physical materiality of sound and sound production.
In "Material Prosody," mHz invites Nicolas Bernier, Loscil, Matmos, Zimoun, and Alba Triana to develop new works for different editions of "Material Sequencer." This series showcases each artist's unique approach to utilizing the sound-sculpture and the concepts behind its development. While Loscil and Matmos apply their distinct compositional styles and signature sound processing techniques to the sequencer's output, Nicolas Bernier and Zimoun embrace its instrumental nature in almost improvised pieces—an approach pushed to its extremity in Alba Triana's radically stripped-back contribution, both in form and material. Referencing Rayner Banham's principles of Brutalist architecture, mHz's own contribution leverages sound-based brutalism as the conceptual underpinning for the project as a whole.
MATERIAL SEQUENCER | millihertz.net/material-sequencer
A simple USB-powered sound-sculpture, "Material Sequencer" re-investigates one of the most elemental tools of electronic music production –– an 8-step rhythmic sequence, by taking the sequencing process outside the black box and into the acoustic realm, flaunting its materiality and physicality. All the interface components are presented on a custom-designed circuit board that is fully exposed, and the sound-generating mechanism is reduced to solenoid percussion in its most basic form. Different rhythmic patterns can be entered using a small 8-position DIP switch and an on-board dial can be used to change the tempo. Using a microcontroller, the patterns are converted into a series of electrical impulses that are then used to actuate the solenoid, which in turn strikes a block of solid matter, generating sound.
This project stems from Zareei's ongoing body of work with the aim of realizing principles of brutalist architecture through sound art. Zareei's interest in brutalism – an often misunderstood movement which originated in a drive for material honesty, structural clarity, and a sculptural approach to architecture – dates back to his upbringing in Ekbatan: an apartment complex in Tehran. During his PhD research, he employed brutalism as a frame of reference for sound-based art practices that embrace the materiality of their "anti-beautiful" raw materials through a highly organized mode of expression.
A bare-bones realization of this sound-based brutalism, "Material Sequencer" presents an upfront celebration of its austere sonic and physical material. The project is a response to the over-philosophized discourse on sonic materialism which almost ironically overleaps the very essence of what it is concerned with, i.e. matter. To counter this, the work underscores the very physicality and tactility of the sound object and the technological medium that enables it.
Tracklist
| 1. | Aluminium (Nicolas Bernier) | 9:28 |
| 2. | Brass (Loscil) | 7:24 |
| 3. | Concrete (mHz) | 5:17 |
| 4. | Copper (Matmos) | 3:44 |
| 5. | Steel (Zimoun) | 5:36 |
| 6. | Wood (Alba Triana) | 10:14 |
Credits
Compositions and productions by Nicolas Bernier, Loscil, mHz, Matmos, Zimoun, Alba Triana
Artwork + physical edition design by Mo H. Zareei
Photography by Ted Whittaker
Mastering by Lawrence English at Negative Space
Limited editions of Material Sequencer available via leerraum.net
More info: millihertz.net/material-sequencer
License
All rights reserved.
Mo H. Zareei / mHz is an Iranian sound artist based in Wellington, New Zealand.
His work focuses on highlighting the beauty in basic sound and audiovisual objects through reductionist structures.
He was the recipient of 1st prize in the latest iteration of the Sonic Arts Award in 2015, and has published his work on Important Records (US), LINE (US), leerraum(CH), and Kasuga Records (DE).