Port Navas Sessions
This collection of compositions were recorded at the Dyski Sound Maps residency in Cornwall, 13-18 April 2024.
Album 1. Sine Wave Portraits
“You’re only allowed one sine wave and the volume knob. Use that to draw a picture”
1: Each participant draws a 60 second blind contour pencil sketch of three other participants, inspired by Kimon Nicolaïdes ‘The Natural Way to Draw’. They don’t look at the paper while drawing, and turn the paper over when they’ve finished.
2: Sketches are shuffled, and each participant is given one sketch. They don’t know who drew it, or who it represents.
3: Participants use a sine wave generator to re-create the sketch as audio, limited to just frequency and volume. They do this several times, listening back each time.
4. They can layer multiple recordings to create a more intricate representation.
5. No effects or other sound sources can be used.
The only sound source is the hand-controlled sine wave generator on a Music Thing Modular Workshop System, a portable modular synthesiser.
Bandcamp link:
1: Each participant draws a 60 second blind contour pencil sketch of three other participants, inspired by Kimon Nicolaïdes ‘The Natural Way to Draw’. They don’t look at the paper while drawing, and turn the paper over when they’ve finished.
2: Sketches are shuffled, and each participant is given one sketch. They don’t know who drew it, or who it represents.
3: Participants use a sine wave generator to re-create the sketch as audio, limited to just frequency and volume. They do this several times, listening back each time.
4. They can layer multiple recordings to create a more intricate representation.
5. No effects or other sound sources can be used.
The only sound source is the hand-controlled sine wave generator on a Music Thing Modular Workshop System, a portable modular synthesiser.
Bandcamp link:
Album 2. Sound Maps
“Make an album in a day with a computer-generated Graphic Score and a tiny modular synth”
1: A simple computer script creates a pseudorandom set of marks and shapes, and generates track names and coded descriptions.
2: A computer-controlled pen plotter draws these shapes onto a map of the Helford River Estuary surrounding the residency site.
3. Individuals and small ensembles can use a wide range of musical techniques to interpret these scores, including field recordings, singing, tape loops, modular synths and hand-made instruments.
4: They work outside the studio, recording in locations specified by the score.
5: They have just over 24 hours to record up to six tracks per ensemble.
These compositions were recorded at the Dyski Sound Maps residency at Calamansac in Cornwall, 13-18 April 2024. Scores are generated by a 200-line Python script and drawn on an AxiDraw plotter. Sound sources include the Music Thing Modular Workshop System, a portable modular synthesiser.
Players:
Calamansac
Alisa Chekh
Douglas Murray
James Robinson
Sanav Torp
Bruce Magill
Intersection
Paul Hadfield
Sara Wolff
Aidan O’Brian
Jess Borders
Joaquin Freccia
Duolian
David Miller
Traversing
Paul Ridout
INAT
Aleksandra Peljin
Bandcamp link:
Album 3. Dyski Orchestra
“A fifteen-piece improvised sine wave orchestra, playing together on two ping-pong tables”
1: Each musician is controlling the pitch of a sine wave generator in the Music Thing Modular Workshop System, and a volume control.
2: The systems are amplified by a variety of small amplifiers scattered around the room.
3: The orchestra is conducted by a variety of participants, using simple text scores.
Players:
James Robinson
Aleksandra Peljin
Sara Wolff
Jess Borders
Alisa Chekh
Douglas Murray
Paul Hadfield
Aidan O’Brian
Joaquin Freccia
Bruce Magill
David Miller
Paul Ridout
Tom Whitwell
Dion Star
Hannah de Oliveira Whitlock
Florence Sinnett
About
Dyski: Pronounced [dɪski], a Cornish Verb which means to learn, or to teach.
Creative residential workshops in Cornwall with a focus on immersive, experimental & place-based learning.
Dyski: Pronounced [dɪski], a Cornish Verb which means to learn, or to teach.
Creative residential workshops in Cornwall with a focus on immersive, experimental & place-based learning.
Grants
We offer cutting-edge immersive workshops that nurture creativity, emphasising community support and giving back. Each Dyski workshop includes two grants, designed to assist those who may need financial support to attend. One grant is available to Cornwall residents, and the other is open to anyone else.
We offer cutting-edge immersive workshops that nurture creativity, emphasising community support and giving back. Each Dyski workshop includes two grants, designed to assist those who may need financial support to attend. One grant is available to Cornwall residents, and the other is open to anyone else.