In the concert the following works were presented:

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OPTIC NERVE.

Tonalli Rufino Nakamura (Mexico)

Additional performance in Mexico

The optic nerve is the second of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves and is technically part of the central nervous system, rather than the peripheral nervous system, as it is derived from an evagination of the diencephalon (optic stems) during embryonic development. In humans, the optic nerve extends from the optic disc to the optic chiasm and continues as the optic tract to the lateral geniculate nucleus, pretectal nucleus, and superior colliculus.

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TOPOPHILIA.

Nikos Stravopoulos (Greece)

 Aditional performance in Mexico

Is a multichannel acousmatic composition which deals with the attraction or affinity to place. The work is an attempt to construct an autonomous, meaningful, intimate aural space, where texture and spatially defined figures have a broader capacity for action due to their multichannel nature. The recordings of source materials form the beginning of an investigation into capturing and working with spatiality in micro space using bespoke hardware.

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ALONG THE EAVES.

Benjamin O'Brien (United Kingdom)

 Aditional performance in Mexico

Is part of a series that focuses on my interest in translational procedures and machine listening. It takes its name from the following line in Franz Kafka’s “A Crossbreed [A Sport]” (1931, trans. 1933): “On the moonlight nights its favorite promenade is along the eaves.” To compose the work, I developed custom software written in the programming languages of C and SuperCollider. I used these programs in different ways to process and sequence my source materials, which, in this case, included audio recordings of water, babies, and string instruments. Like other works in the series, I am interested in fabricating sonic regions of coincidence, where my coordinated mix of carefully selected sounds suggests relationships between the sounds and the illusions they foster.

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INSIDE AND OUT... AGAIN.

Adrian Moore (United Kingdom).

Debut in Mexico

Is a concert work stemming from the 'How Many Sounds' project. This project set about investigating the use of multi-channel audio to manage musical complexity through the creation of plausible environments. As I began to create more intricate sonic environments I noticed that increased complexity often led to the sensation of one environment, one that could be ‘explored’

-  a polyphony of sources coalescing to form a monophony of environment. Inside and out...again

draws heavily upon Bernard Parmegiani’s ‘Dedans Dehors’ and the metaphor of inside / outside,

within / without, unreal (unknown, interior), real (known, exterior). I began with environmental sounds; typical recordings that have we have heard before (Cars, birds, bees, water - most recorded inside and outside). And we have transformations: The buzz of bees becomes a drone; their angular flight becomes exaggerated spatialisation. The birds in flight become an exaggerated sweep that drives momentum; a single flutter gets mechanised. Real and virtual environments with reverberation become anecdotes or reminiscences. The bees grow to a swarm that literally shakes the room. Pitch is used to bind sections together. Repetition of material is used to solidify structure. By taking us from real to unreal within a virtual environment, both are allowed to exist at the same time. It is this construction of environment that continues to fascinate me. Premiere, 28th May 2016, Lisbon.

Musica Viva.

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MATERA

Augusto Meijer (Netherlands)

World Premiere

Is a sonic experimentation project which focuses on new approaches to electronic sound creation. It is clear that this piece has been developed by using similar techniques from previous works. Additional experimentation in sound creation has resulted into a blooming world of sound structures, often referring to natural and cosmic aesthetics.

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KÖRPER

Antonio D'Amato (Italy)

Debut in Mexico

Is an acousmatic piece entirely based on the elaboration of an acoustic pulse sequence which was produced in the course of a MRI diagnostic test. The aesthetic idea implied in the composition refers to the topical and controversial theme known as "global control and censorship”. Through the examination of the constant and continuous information now, which is either consciously or unconsciously produced by everyone, it is possible to accomplish a condition of control; that condition ought to benefit the national and global security.

The question is: How deep or intrusive should the control on individuals be in order guarantee global well-being and security?
At the moment, there is no univocal answer. Control is not only coercive - it can take the pleasant and subtle appearance of a custom-tailored set of information, directly injected into the communication nows usually employed by individuals. As the occasional intrusion into the personal communication now is barely noticeable, could the large mass of information, imposed to the users of digital devices, produce a sort of control on the behavior and habits of the individuals? Has that sort of control only a commercial intention?

If nowadays cameras and sensors constantly watch movements of the individuals in cities and buildings, can we assume that in the future cells and chemical reactions in our bodies will be scanned and examined in order to gather information to be collected, stored and processed?

Technically speaking the composition uses exclusively a short audio recording of a MRI test.
A large number of processes and signal elaboration modules are applied in order to subdue the crude audio sample to the compositional requirements.
Spectral editing and resonant filters are chained in order to isolate restricted areas in the whole sound object. The foundation material is clearly revealed only at the very end of the piece. The piece was composed at ZKM studios in Karlsruhe.

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