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Mind & Machine
Doug Bielmeier composer
Jon Bellona composer
Julius Bucsis composer
Herbert Deutsch composer
Bill Whitley composer
Jim Schliestett composer
Bob Bliss composer
MIND & MACHINE is the first of two electro-acoustic compilations to be released on RAVELLO RECORDS. Featuring the work of seven composers on six tracks, MIND & MACHINE explores the incredible range of works that can be categorized as electro-acoustic, a music in which styles are dictated by the technology that is at the heart of its performance.
As far-ranging as are the works themselves are the composers of these pieces. Herb Deutsch (Moog to Mac) originally collaborated with musical pioneer Robert A. Moog on the development of the Moog Synthesizer in the 1960s. Jon Bellona (Currents) is an intermedia artist and composer who specializes in digital technologies, and Doug Bielmeier (Costa Mesa Rocking Chair) is a studio and live engineer. Also based in the technology realm are Jim Schliestett and Bob Bliss (Sunrise Sonata). Julius Bucsis (In the Interest of Time) is an award-winning composer, guitarist, and music technologist, and Bill Whitley (Absent Light) is a composer and pianist.
On MIND & MACHINE’s six selections, this diverse assortment of composers utilizes such elements as incorporating instruments – cello, viola, violin, piano, lap steel guitar – and vocals; creating new musical works divorced from their source content; or, somewhat conversely, sounding out the intersections of our current electronic state while referencing its history; and exploring the relationship between subtle rhythmic shifts and the sense of groove. Each composer uniquely demonstrates how electronics play an equal, if not greater, part in the overall concept of their piece, proving that the possibilities for the creation and manipulation of sound are endless.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Costa Mesa Rocking Chair | Doug Bielmeier | Doug Bielmeier, lap steel & computer | 9:32 |
| 02 | Currents | Jon Bellona | Jannie Wei, violin; Wyatt True, violin; Kimberlee Uwate, viola; Eric Alterman, cello | 5:25 |
| 03 | In the Interest of Time | Julius Bucsis | Julius Bucsis | 4:03 |
| 04 | Abyss | Herbert Deutsch | Patricia Spenser, piccolo; Grace Anderson, messo-soprano | 7:01 |
| 05 | Absent Light | Bill Whitley | Elena Talarico, piano & celesta; Francesco Zago, electric bass & electric guitar; Fedele Stucchi, trombone; Federico De Zottis, soprano; Stefano Grasso, vibraphone; Giuseppe Olivini, electronic tanpura | 13:20 |
| 06 | Sunrise Sonata | Schliestett & Bliss | Jim Schliestett; Bob Bliss | 8:58 |
Costa Mesa Rocking Chair
Recorded October 2017 – January 2018 at The CLEAR Lab, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology in Indianapolis IN
Recorded, Mixed & Performed by Doug Bielmeier
Currents
Recorded October 28, 2017 at Track Town Records in Eugene OR
Recording Session Conductor Jeremy Schropp
Recording Session Producer Jon Bellona
Recording Session Engineer Victor Franca
Editing and Mixing Jon Bellona
In the Interest of Time
Recorded, performed, composed, and engineered early 2011 by Julius Bucsis
Abyss
Text Sonia Usatch (1994)
Original Editing & Mastering Darryl Kubian of xtreme medium
Used by permission of 4Tay Records, from the album Woman in Darkness
Absent Light
Recorded May 16, 2017 at Indiehub, Via Bramante da Urbino, 39, 20154 in Milano, Italy
Recording Session Producer Francesco Zago & Bill Whitley
Recording Session Engineer Gabriele Simoni
Editing, Mixing & Mastering Francesco Zago
Sunrise Sonata
Composed, Performed & Produced in the spring of 1987 by Jim Schliestett & Bob Bliss in Santa Cruz CA
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Brandon MacNeil, Marina Altschiller, Chris Robinson
Audio Director Jeff LeRoy
Engineering Manager Lucas Paquette
Mastering Shaun Michaud
Design & Marketing Director Brett Picknell
Design Emily Roulo, Ryan Harrison
Artist Information
Douglas Bielmeier
Doug Bielmeier creates commercial drone and experimental electronic music tailored for boutique audiences and media. His 2017 release of “Betty and the Sensory World” on Ravello Records explores his technique of Windowing, which deals with the manipulation of found sound files by the stretching and compression of time, sample rate, bit depth, and window size.
Jon Bellona
Jon’s work has been shown in concerts, festivals, and galleries across North America and Europe, including Kyma International Sound Symposium (KISS); Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS); the Smithsonian Museum of American History (D.C.); International Computer Music Conference (ICMC); with special performances at the Casa da Musica (Porto, Portugal) and CCRMA (Palo Alto, CA). His music and media explore environmental sustainability, data-driven interactivity, site-specific sound, and choreographic composition. Jon is a co-director of Harmonic Laboratory, an interdisciplinary arts collective focused on art and technology collaborations.
Julius Bucsis
Julius Bucsis is an award-winning composer, electric guitarist, and visual artist. His compositions span a range of genres and include works for acoustic and electric instruments as well as computer generated audio and video. Since 2011 his works have been presented at almost 200 events across the world. His compositions have been included on albums released by Ablaze, Ravello Records, RMN Classical, and Soundiff. He received a Doctor of Arts degree from Ball State University.
Herbert Deutsch
Herbert Deutsch is a composer, author, educator, and performer, and was Professor of Music at Hofstra University for 57 years. He is a composer of music in various media and his work has been widely performed, and commissioned works have been featured at national and regional conferences. In 1972, Deutsch co-founded the Long Island Composers Alliance. During his career at Hofstra, he founded Jazz Ensemble, Electronic Music Studios, New Music Ensemble, and created the B.S. Degree programs in Jazz, Composition/Theory and Music Business. He received the George Estabrook Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996 and the Hofstra Alumni Achievement Award in 2001. The Music Department has established the Herbert Deutsch Award for highest honors in Music Education.
Bill Whitley
Bill Whitley works with shapes and patterns, correlating musical materials to kinetic sculpture. His music is defined by interlocking, often hypnotic patterns interspersed with passages of intense rhythmic energy, while placing linear content in the foreground.
Jim Schliestett
Jim Schliestett studied French horn with Ralph Pyle of the LA Philharmonic as a youth, recalling as a highlight performing with orchestra Mozart's Concerto #3. He studied electronic music and composition with Gordon Mumma and David Cope while at UC Santa Cruz in the 70s, and the seeds were planted for an abiding interest in Eastern European contemporary classical music.
Bob Bliss
Bob Bliss is a musician, software engineer, and instrument designer residing near Santa Cruz, CA. Born in Michigan, he was playing guitar in his first band at age 10, and bass guitar and keyboards soon after. He studied the French horn and composition in middle and high schools, and by age 16 was building electronic music synthesizers in his basement. Interleaving college and music, he played bass in two college jazz bands, and by 18 he was playing pop, rock, and funk keyboards nightly as a professional, while still studying electronics technology, computers, piano, and music theory.
