Blurred Perceptions
The title of the piece refers to the perceptual blurring that occurs when objects are physically distant or partially obstructed from the observer. An object can look very different when it is not in full view. A piece of driftwood in a lake can look like an animal, or even a monster, when seen from far away or captured in a low-quality image. The processing of violin sounds through BLUR is meant to create a similar perceptual blurring in audio format.
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Contact Kylan for the max patch and further instruction on running the patch:
hillmankylan@gmail.com
An Anthem of Connectivity
During a recent vacation to Norway, I was struck with the marvel of modern transportation. With airplanes and ships, humans have created ways to exchange culture with other humans all over the world. I thought about how these exchanges bring with them both the meaningful connection of existing in spaces together and sharing culture but also the alienation and isolation of language barriers, cultural differences, and conflicting global interests. As a person interacting with people of backgrounds and experiences different than mine, I have a kind of responsibility to be aware of both the joys and pitfalls of cultural exchange. The piece is dedicated to my wife, Madison Pfeiffer. Without her, I would never have had the courage to get on a plane and explore the world.
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Clipping
Clipping is based on the phenomenon of the same name where if a parameter is taken to an extreme that a device was not built to facilitate, information is lost. In audio, this is commonly heard when too much gain is added to a signal, resulting in a distorted sound. Throughout Clipping the performer is asked to play at the extreme ends of their instrument whether that be through pitch, dynamics, tempo, etc. The decoupling techniques played by the performer also create the effect of losing information. Harmonic glisses obscure pitch information; detached rhythms in the mouth obscure rhythmic information in the fingers; singing into the instrument while blowing create interference between the sung and blown pitches. The performer is invited to accentuate the contradictions in the gestures they are asked to play and embrace the complexities of the resulting sounds.
I’m Just Burning My Memories 3
I’m Just Burning My Memories is a series of pieces inspired by the Caretaker album Everywhere at the End of Time. In that album, samples of recordings from the 1920s-1940s are broken down and processed until they are completely unrecognizable. I adopted this idea as a starting point for my own compositional work and began writing music based on electronic processes that distort and obscure material. The third installment of this series began as a freely written piece for bassoon midi that I scrambled using randomized playback in Max/MSP. I then notated the result, asked a bassoonist to record themselves playing it and transformed that sound into various textures, loops and drones. The piece consists of bassoon solos, electronic solos and many passages containing both. Because the sections of the piece change so rapidly it is very important for the bassoonist and the laptop performer to create a cueing system that allows them to change between sections seamlessly. The bassoon should not be amplified during a performance of the piece.
Specters of Who I Once Was
I remember what I’d like to forget
Creating memories haunted by others
Haunted by myself
– Kylan Hillman
Kylan Hillman 