Protagonists Improvise with Graham Dunning's Open Sound Group

On August 25 of 2011, Protagonists were cordially invited by the drummer and all-rounder Graham Dunning, and underwent an experiment to improvise with Open Sound Group in his warehouse in Manor House, London, in an amalgamation of characters who had mostly never met. The instrumental and sound exploration was so exciting - the soundscape, wide and all-inclusive of harmony, sound, rhythm and textures, some melody... so multifariously caught between the electronic and acoustic, the musical and almost 'foley'. But it wouldn't have been if not for the attentiveness of all the players listening so well to the whole sound we were making. That was a relief for those of us who had played in free improv groups where a noise competition catches more popularity. The recording was made on a stereo portable recorder only, and remastered by Jonas Golland months later, now re-released at the link below.

It took many minutes of forgetting the time for David to begin speaking, to find the right moment to start his controlled speech improvisation. What resulted is track 3 ('3 Open Sound Group - OSG02 Three', download link below), a patched-together experience of illusory modernity (oh well that's what I made of it). I love the helplessness of the images in the world of the music. Words and images David collaged together from the free daily London strew he ripped as he read, while the wondrous background textures created only by everyone at once, and the sporadic events within it, conversed with him the way a whole city ambience would if it could focus its light and potent imaginings small around the little utterance. It's very meditative, and references things from the text that it denotes but doesn't connote. It's really worth a listen, I've not heard aught like it.




SUMMARY


"Participants at the event were: James Alaska, Tom Mudd, Andrea Night of Pan, Colin Webster, David Gadsdon, Jonas Golland, Sharen Sum, Justin Paton, Carlos Slazenger, Caveman Joe, Cathy Gerber and Graham Dunning.

Instruments used included prepared piano, gamelan, violin, saxophone, laptops, turntables, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, spoken word, drums, didley bow, synthesizers and voices."




FREE DOWNLOAD
http://www.archive.org/details/OpenSoundGroup-WarehouseOne

COMPETITION TO SUBMIT NEW MUSIC TO OSG


for details, visit http://opensoundgroup.wordpress.com/:

"To celebrate a year of nine releases and over 1800 downloads I'm putting together a compilation of tracks from some of my favourite artists, musicians, improvisers, noise makers and composers - that means YOU!"