- Previous neighbors had two kids. New ones have small dog. In the morning, the quiet (cute, not annoying) scampering sounds the same. #
- Says something that when Robert Fripp uploads archival recordings from 1970s he singles out "non loop" ideas: http://is.gd/9jOXo #
- Morning sounds: hard drive, passing bus, passing car, distant siren, the latter barely a wisp but infused with drama. #
- Android users who write can rejoice. This Bluetooth HID support, BlueInput, looks for real. Will test this weekend: http://is.gd/9gCy2 #
- Had looked forward to album by CSI composer John Keane but it's all singer-songwriter stuff, not the techno-ambient scoring he's known for. #
- Got PR emails for 6 remix contests in last 24 hours. Much as I love the concept, has it mainstreamed smoothly, or jumped the shark? #
- Listening to new Autechre album, Oversteps. Has it only been two years since Quaristice? Feels like forever. #
- I don't go to 7-Eleven often, but every time I do, I look at the magazine rack & realize I'm hoping Scratch Magazine's been revived. #
- Most notable sound of the week: the tiny, tinny, fragile crackle of my dad's hearing aids after he removes them at the end of the day. #
- My father just showed me photos of a hawk he was stalking this morning. Not certain he has subject and object straight. #
- The helicopter passed the apartment, then veered right and continued into the distance slowly, seeming to hover but getting ever more quiet. #
- Will some future generation not know the life-pausing sensation inherent in the computer's status bar? #
Current Activities
Upcoming
• February 5, 2020: The first session of the 15-week course I teach at the Academy of Art about the role of sound in the media landscape.
• April 15, 2020: A chapter on the Disquiet Junto ("The Disquiet Junto as an Online Community of Practice," by Ethan Hein) appears in the forthcoming book The Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music Learning (Oxford University Press), edited by Stephanie Horsley, Janice Waldron, and Kari Veblen. (Details at oup.com.)
• December 13, 2020: This day marks the 24th anniversary of Disquiet.com.
• January 7, 2021: This day marks the 9th anniversary of the start of the Disquiet Junto music community.Dates TBA
• There are entries on the Disquiet Junto in the forthcoming book The Music Production Cookbook: Ready-made Recipes for the Classroom (Oxford University Press), edited by Adam Patrick Bell. Ethan Hein wrote one, and I did, too.
• At least two live group concerts by Disquiet Junto members in the San Francisco Bay Area are in the works for 2020.
• I have liner notes for a musician's solo album and an essay in a book about an art event due out. I'll announce as the release dates come into focus.Ongoing
• The Disquiet Junto series of weekly communal music projects explore constraints as a springboard for creativity and productivity. There is a new project each Thursday afternoon (California time), and it is due the following Monday at 11:59pm: disquiet.com/junto.
• My book on Aphex Twin's landmark 1994 album, Selected Ambient Works Vol. II, was published as part of the 33 1/3 series, an imprint of Bloomsbury. It has been translated into Japanese (2019) and Spanish (2018).
disquiet junto
Background
Since January 2012, the Disquiet Junto has been an ongoing weekly collaborative music-making community that employs creative constraints as a springboard for creativity. Subscribe to the announcement list (each Thursday), listen to tracks by participants from around the world, read the FAQ, and join in.Recent Projects
• 0459 / From a Distance / The Assignment: Make music intended to be heard from afar.
• 0458 / Phrase Shift / The Assignment: Make music in a sequence of parts with shared elements.
• 0457 / System Alert / The Assignment: Compose sounds for an OS.
• 0456 / Line Up / The Assignment: Interpret a painting by Agnes Martin as if it were a graphic score.
• 0455 / Inner Invertebrate / The Assignment: What does a moment (or a day) in the life of a jellyfish sound like to a jellyfish?Full Index
And there is a complete list of past projects, 459 consecutive weeks to date.