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comatonse newsletter.009 - 06.15.99

in this issue:

1. cup & squeeze
2. project updates
3. performances

 
1. cup & squeeze

well, it has been a strange year for comatonse recordings thus far.
after some unexpected changes to our distribution support from japan,
our 1999 releases are still on hold. however, we are still hoping to get
things out by this fall, and are pursuing a number of options.

meanwhile, i have been using this downtime with comatonse releases to
work on projects for others, including a 7" for k嗟n's a-musik, and my
next release with frankfurt's mille plateaux which will feature piano
solos of gary numan titles (see project update, below)

i was happy to find that my as-of-yet unreleased collaboration with the
taiwanese jazz ensemble 'funk shui' has received an 'honorable mention
in digital musics' from the 1999 orf prix ars electronica (aphex twin
walked away with the cash cow). for those who are unfamiliar with prix
ars, it is an annual competition in various categories of electronic
media, sponsored by austria's orf. the new 'digital musics' category has
replaced the 'computer music' category, which has traditionally been
very academic biased. over the last three years or so, major attempts
have been made to diversify entries, as well as thematics. since prix
ars was 'the' major competition for computer music, i had originally
hoped these changes would focus on an opening of issues of diversity in
relation to digital synthesis - something i have obviously struggled
with in my own productions. however, a paradigm shift away from digital
synthesis and toward electronica formats which dominate the marketplace
has definitely occurred (my prediciton is that prix ars will ultimately
become somewhat like the "electronica grammys"). this shift is reflected
in my own prize for a composition which is only digital through its use
of MIDI. while i think opening the competition to non-academic forms of
digital music (including those occupying the marketplace) is a good
thing, i think the current shift away from digital synthesis as a
bastion of the academic establishment, and into the arms of electronica
as a baby-bastion of the capitalist establishment, runs the risk of
continuing to ignore important digital synthesis producers whose work is
concerned with issues of cultural inclusiveness - a type of work which i
had hoped to finally see acknowledged. however, since the dominance of
academia in the old competitions alienated such producers as well, there
is no actual loss of venue - only a loss of potential in a time of
transition. putting the historical drama aside, when i consider my
'honorable mention' as an acknowledgement by a jury which included some
of my top heroins such as robin rimbaud and jim o'rourke, i am totally
flattered and happy. thanks! (and don't get pissed by this  ;)

love, terre 

2. project updates

terre thaemlitz: "a-muzak" 
text & imagery: not yet available online
label: a-musik 
release date: 6/99 
red 7" vinyl only 
    A-Musik presents a program of A-MUZAK featuring arrangements by Terre 
Thaemlitz
    For generations MUZAK has functioned on a secondary level, "heard but not 
listened to." Similarly, MUZAK's pretense of leisure withholds a secondary 
agenda. MUZAK broadcasts around the world have been used to increase production 
of capital, create passivity in social contexts, and further exploit existing 
hierarchies...
    Today MUZAK gives way to A-MUZAK
    What once had the appearance of
    A-POLITICALITY assumes POLITICALITY
    Millions of people, internationally, find inspiration in A-MUZAK's demand 
for attention to the cacophony of the periphery.
    This A-MUZAK program was specially engineered to reflect multiple stages of 
production and utilization, giving proper audibility to digital residue 
generated during compositional production; surface residue incurred during 
manufacturing; and your own contributions of noise to be determined by wear 
patterns resulting from normal usage.

terre thaemlitz: "replicas rubato: piano interpretations of gary numan
titles" 
text & imagery: http://www.comatonse.com/writings/replicas.html
label: mille plateaux 
release date: fall 1999 (world) 
cd: mpcd71  vinyl: mplp71 
replicas rubato is the second installment of thaemlitz' rubato
releases, which feature piano renditions of songs by influential
electronic producers. the melodies on replicas rubato are drawn from a
number of gary numan's albums spanning 1978 to 1983. as a continuation
of thaemlitz' previous piano renditions of kraftwerk titles, die roboter
rubato (cd: mp34), the performances were composed through a combination
of annotations digitally stepped in note by note, open-meter (rubato)
improvisation, and computer aided composition. in keeping with numan's
cyborg theme of replicas inspired by sci-fi author philip k. dick,
thaemlitz uses technology to create highly ﾔhuman'-sounding piano
performances filled with spontaneity, sensitivity and unexpected turns
of melody. in thaemlitz' own words, "as replicas of their namesakes,
they are lies at worst, ambiguous half-truths at best." as usual, there
is an agenda behind thaemlitz' audio production other than pleasure. his
accompanying text to replicas rubato interprets numan's lyrics in
relation to the u.k.'s post-glam sex-panic and policing of gay male
cruising in the 1970s, as well as ambiguity in the media about numan's
sexuality, and goes on to theorize the various implications of numan's
portrayals of sexual deviance in relation to behavior rather than
identity. questions are also raised about the lack of discussion around
such contents in numan's music, as opposed to commonplace discussions of
his music in relation to science fiction. thaemlitz' arrival at these
analyses is positioned in relation to his admittedly obsessive childhood
relationship to numan's music and its impact upon his own perception of
sexuality, which ultimately helped facilitate his adaptation of queer
theory and transgenderism as strategies for self-definition. 

 
3. performances

architettura at the anchorage, new york city 
saturday, june 19, 1999 from 9pm to 1am 
(terre starts around 9:40) 
located at the brooklyn anchorage 
(the brooklyn-side base to the brooklyn bridge) 
$8.00 advance, $10.00 door 
creative time and caipirinha productions are sponsoring this
evening of performances by taylor deupree, unit, somatic, datach'i and
terre thaemlitz. the site will feature installations focussing on
contemporary architecture/design and electronic music of the late 20th
century, as well as slide and film projections during performances.
contact caipirinha music at  212 766 1450, email arroz@caipirinha.com,
or visit the creative time website: www.creativetime.org

steirischer herbst 
september 25 & 26, 1999 
graz, austria 
both ultra-red and terre thaemlitz will be performing at this event, 
focussing on documentation of transgenderism during the '60s and '70s, 
combined with contemporary analyses and current goings on in global 
transsexual communities. ultra-red's performance will focus on issues 
around the fight for transsexual rights in u.s. labor unions. terre 
doesn't have her shit completely together yet, but plans to perform 
'replicas rubato'. terre's performance will also hopefully include an 
appearance by frankfurt's nightmare on heels, timo! 
contact: steirischer herbst, sackstraｧe 17/i, a-8010 graz, austria 
t: +43/316/823007 
f: +43/316/835788

fall 1999 mille plateaux european tour 
a fall tour of several mille plateaux artists will be making its way 
through europe during the first few weeks of october, including stops 
in the u.k., austria, germany, belgium, and possibly france. details 
wlll be provided as they become available.