I had been eyeing the Disquiet weekly projects for some time. On Thursdays, participants get a prompt, and they have to post a track by Monday. It’s mostly for making ambient or other kinds of textural sounds or music, though results are across all kinds of music universes. I sent the announcement for the project to one of my frequent collaborators, Justin, and didn’t expect much and it would make it that much easier to put off for another week.
Right away he was interested, so we went for it. After many false starts, we ended up with the track below. Someone told me, “It’s spooky. Like a Gothic western. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but with lake monsters.” That might be my favorite review of anything I’ve done.
The assignment was:
Celebrate Earth Day on or for another planet.
Step 1: Each Disquiet Junto project begins on a Thursday. This Thursday happens to be Earth Day. Reflect on the concept of Earth Day, and how it might map beyond our big blue marble.
Step 2: Record a piece of music or sound celebrating Earth Day for or as if on another planet.
I began using a contact mic a friend built for me on the foundation of my house, but the tracks weren’t what I wanted. I then did a series of backyard field recordings. For me this literal reading of the prompt was a way to get started. I sent this to Justin who did a series of whistles and vocal parts in response to my edited field recordings. I liked the texture of the whistling and the sound of his breath so I removed my field recordings and focused on the vocals. I added two synth tracks. Sometimes I’m happy with it, and I sometimes think it’s too dense, that I would peel away more layers with more time.
More on this 486th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Earths Days (The Assignment: The Assignment: Celebrate Earth Day on or for another planet) — at: https://disquiet.com/0486/
More on the Disquiet Junto at: https://disquiet.com/junto/
Stephen McClurg 