MIGRATION ROUTES EP - FREE DOWNLOAD

GHERAT - MIGRATION ROUTES EP is Convex Collective's second release (CNVX002) as Convex Records we could not be more pleased with the dedication of our artists, pumping out some of the most fascinating and innovative music for us all to hear.

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Migration Routes EP has been crafted by our number one European artist. Gherat, a producer/visual artist from Amsterdam, he has a promising year ahead. The production of this EP is undeniably intricate and with echoes of sound reminiscent of Flying Lotus and early Rephlex material, Migration Routes contains some of the most rich, intelligent and colourful sounds we have heard to date.

 

Artwork: Graphic Surgery 

"With every track on this EP being a memorable and enjoyable experience it will take you on a journey of weighty bass lines, intricate melodies and unbeatable production. All around this is a great listen and one you will constantly have on repeat for years to come!"

soundcloud.com/gherat

 

Migration Routes EP

Convex Records CNVX002

 

Released by: Convex Records 

Release Catalogue Number: CNVX002

Release date: May 7th, 2012

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CNVX002 RELEASE DATE 07/05/2012

FUN IN THE SUN!

F E L I X  T H O R N: I N T E R V I E W  2012

BIOGRAPHY

Felix Thorn was born on 23rd December 1985 in Brighton, UK. At an early age he attended Brighton Steiner School where his affinity for the arts gave rise to a preoccupation with drawing, a passion that later developed into oil painting. Then at the age of 7 he was formally introduced to music as he began studying the piano. His lack of inclination towards reading music preempted an obsession with jazz improvisation in his teenage years. 

At college, Felix developed this sensibility into a new media of music creation when he discovered a keen interest in electronic music production via computer software. He had a love for making music with computer synthesizers and an ability to create in a range of styles, something that often derived from his organic means of creation that lacked preconception. His continued passion for art saw him continuing sculptural and painting work during his art foundation course at Brighton City College in 2003. 

In this time of music-making and painting Felix was primarily concerned with finding ways in which the two media could be united. Whilst a focus upon the theme of synaesthesia dominated the theoretical side of his work, he continued to exercise the more traditional types of art such as life drawing. The visual side was seemingly interrupted when he chose to study Sound Art at The London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London, however this did not stop the artist from finding ways to incorporate drawing and sculpture into his sound projects. In order to achieve the effect, Felix began to teach himself electronics. 

All the while, Felix’s Machines have been in development and were most notably upgraded for a live collaboration with Warp’s Plaid for a live show in Bordeaux. Beside involvement with the arts, Felix was selected to lecture to an exclusive audience at TED in the summer resulting in worldwide recognition. 2009 ended with a performance at the Barbican Center in London. 2010 has included exhibitions in Berlin, Paris and a placement as artist in residency at during Ether Festival at SouthBank Center.

INTERVIEW

1) How much do you value the visual aesthetic in relation to the function of your machines?

"I find that making something work usually leads to something that looks good. As the machines are made up of lots of similar mechanisms, I tend to spend time on their visual arrangement to maintain a sculptural effect even while they’re not playing."

2) Was it your intention to compose music specifically for the sculpture itself?

"Yes, the machines are my set work area. Making adjustments or adding new sections takes too much time to do mid composition. Once they’re at a certain stage I have to accept it and make a piece within its limits as a musical instrument. Although this is usually difficult - as certain sounds may not work properly, limitation is a useful compositional tool. It means you have to make the most of what’s available (as opposed to having any sound/effects available electronically) and the results can be interesting."   

3) Is any aspect of the Fluxus movement/sensibility an influence on your ideas?

"Fluxus held some inspiring roots to my own experiments with sound and visuals, and my work naturally links to many ideas brought up around this time and in earlier great movements such as Dada. I do however aim to divert from the conceptual field. Art-music, or Sound-art of today likes to show off its processes and intellect, which can be great for some, but irritating when it overpowers the final result. I think it’s equally, if not more important to make art and music accessible and pleasurable enough for anyone to enjoy it the moment they see/hear it, regardless of what they know about art."

4) Did you try to create an ‘original’ medium for your music? If so, how did you think the compromise between the physical machines and musical information would translate and communicate better to an audience?

"Having spent 8 or 9 years messing around with computer-made music, the machines grew out of an obsession to make electronic sounding music with physical objects. Through building my machines I discovered differences between the sampled/synthesised world and real instruments. It’s important to remember that real (traditional) instruments are sound making devices, which have evolved for people to play. Removing the human performer and providing a robotic replacement is not only very tricky, but also pointless. I realised that instead of an attempt at copying the human performer, a position should be taken against it; one that focused on the capabilities of what ever I could build myself – instruments should be adapted to suit visually attractive mechanisms. If there were a specific medium for creating my music it would be to compose with the sequencing potential of a computer and perform with characteristics of a physical non-human moving objects."

5) The idea of triggering your machines to respond and perform accordingly to midi data is quite a simple concept and has been done in various ways before. But creating the balance between the two is the most interesting part. Do you feel settled with the balance you have? How do you feel you can expand on your sonic journey and push the boundaries further, and what is your ultimate visual aim in relationship to your sound?

"Yes, the technology I currently use is nothing new. However, my approach to the midi-instrument setup is directly inspired by the music of today. Music has become specially designed for speakers. Software can produces a range of sound taking advantage of what a sound system can do. There are enough companies out there rapidly advancing software modelling and sound reproduction all fit for sound systems, and all tried and tested for producers to create with. I’m interested in the treatment and adaption of musical instruments alone – how they can become performers in their own right. In a way a musical instrument is a speaker with less sound making potential. But this can be enhanced with robotics and lead to exciting ways of making sound with acoustic amplification. Above all, this approach automatically fills the visual gap that most music makers want. Robotic design and engineering need to play a larger role in music making.  My ultimate visual aim is to make as many sound making kinetic machines (without need for speakers) as possible!"

6) What is the relationship between the performance of the machines and the interaction of the audience?

"This works best in a gallery space where the audience can come up close to the machines and hear the detail or stand away to hear their effect in the acoustics of the room. I do have a setup with an interface using sonar sensors to read how close an observer is standing; the nearer they get the faster the preprogramed musical sequence plays. There are various options for gallery and installation setups and I’ve experimented with a few. Personally I’m keener on building the machines as performance devices. I find audience interactive pieces can sometimes be gimmicky and therefore short-lived."

7) What is the most important part of your work, to you?

"Building the machines is probably the most enjoyable part. Using tools in a workshop to eventually make something I can plug my laptop into is more important than making a piece of music on a laptop alone. Its important to look at how other skills may influence a music making process."

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