Transmission · Dream
Introspections
Introspections is a series of improvised drone pieces I recorded and filmed from 2015, on Continuum and Kyma, with duet partners. Three are public: “For Lovers,” with Jacob McCoy, filmed on March 2, 2015; “Sunset Meditation,” on SoundCloud; and a clip from the Warper Party in New York, September 2015.
Musical explorations that build on the Tai Chi and Meditation tracks I did with Lou Reed, and the shows we did with Ulrich Krieger as The Metal Machine Trio. Drones, improvised transformation, and hypnotic symbols create a collaborative sound field. I’ve explored these ideas in venues ranging from Lolapalooza, The Royal Festival Hall in London, and The Sydney Opera house ... to some of my favorite performances at intimate events.
For LoversOn March 2nd, 2015, Jacob and I got together to record some Linnstrument / Continuum Fingerboard duets. It was also Lou Reed’s birthday, and this piece reminded me of things we explored together. Drones, close intervals, sum and difference frequencies. And Lou loved his Continuum Fingerboard. So this is dedicated to him.
Sunset Meditation
A solo piece, on SoundCloud under the name noisegroove.
Imagine stillness moving through space. If Energy flows where attention goes, where does it take you? What shall we make of it? Who Are You? Who Am I? What really Matters?
Sarth Calhoun, the Introspections page of his own site
Warper Party, 2015
Forty-one seconds from a Warper Party set in New York, September 2015. On Vimeo.
Reflections
I have been fortunate enough to explore these ideas with great improvisers, including Laurie Anderson, Moldover, John Zorn, Sxip Shirey, Marc Ribot and Rob Wasserman. In the first video, Sxip is creating the drones and structure using an amplified shruti box, while I play continuum. In the second, Jacob McCoy creates drones on the Linnstrument. I worked with sound artist Michael Clemow on a project called “The Drost Effect” ... named for the phenomenon known also as mise en abyme, two mirrors face each other and create endless reflections ... in our process we each sampled and transformed the other’s sound creating realtime infinite recursion.
Contemplations
What is the dialogue between sound and consciousness? I worked with Jeremiah Brimlau to bring this work to retreat centers and yoga studios. His guided meditations helped the audience to move through the sound experience.
Conspiracies
It builds on the meditation music I made with Lou Reed and on Metal Machine Trio with Ulrich Krieger. The instruments are on Devices.
The creditIntrospections: Sarth Calhoun, Continuum Fingerboard and Kyma, improvised drone duets from 2015 with Jacob McCoy, Linnstrument; Sxip Shirey, shruti box and prepared guitar; and others.
My paragraphs are from the Introspections pages of my old Squarespace site, put in the past tense, and my Vimeo note for For Lovers.