The works on Solid State expose multiple strands of my compositional thought. The majority of my
compositions tend to be improvisational to some degree, employing open forms and variable elements.
Thus a piece can be performed in radically different ways and yet retain characteristics unique to the
particular work. The works also represent a diverse range of musical groupings, ranging from fixed digital
playback in Swarm to live electroacoustic ensemble performance and traditional chamber instruments in
Solid State and 153 x 56.
Swarm is a binaural recording, designed to simulate a three-dimensional acoustic space with more realism than with a casual stereo recording. Originally composed for a twelve-speaker system (with four speakers suspended from the cealing), sounds appear above and all around the listener and create not only a linear musical flow, but also a synthetic sonic environment. The work is both an experiment in technology and an attempt at creating a clearly sectionalized piece of music that avoids the tendency towards ambient drone common in the style.
Solid State is an improvisational work for networked laptop ensemble and solo acoustic performer. Similar to the game of telephone, melodic data obtained from the instrumentalist travels around a circular network, gradually being corrupted into a single tone and eventually forming a single ensemble sonority - a solid state. The performers design their own instrument to play the changing melody and react to the data transmitted as quickly as possible while it travels the network. In place of a score, software which the individual performers modified to personalize their sounds was used.
153 x 56 is my attempt to create a piece which depends on the creativity and invention of the performers. It allows for being played by musicians of varying skill levels, encouraging an improvisatory and textural style, and perhaps most importantly, rewarding multiple performances by its different outcomes. The two versions included in Solid State are by the same ensemble and yet the sonic result is much different due to the interpretational nature of the work, although some similarities are still retained with each performance through a carefully designed structure.
Greg Surges
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The release is available as both single mp3 download and entire package including artwork. Some browsers may automatically play the file rather than offering a dialogue what to do with the latter, so in this case downloads may not be that straight forward. In case your favourite browser happens to exhibit exactly that behaviour, simply right click the link, and then a context menu should appear that offers something like "Save as" or "Save location as".
| 1. | Swarm | 4 min 37 sec | 7'914 KByte | mp3, 32-320 kps VBR |
| 2. | Solid State | 8 min 12 sec | 13'746 KByte | mp3, 32-320 kps VBR |
| 3. | 153 x 56 [04.05.2009] | 10 min 05 sec | 16'598 KByte | mp3, 32-320 kps VBR |
| 4. | 153 x 56 [05.15.2009] | 10 min 33 sec | 17'692 KByte | mp3, 32-320 kps VBR |
| Artwork | Cover art for prints | 598 KByte | 24x12 cm & 11.8x14.8 cm at 300 dpi | |
| Everything | Entire release plus artwork | 55 MByte | zip archive |
Music © 2009 Greg Surges and the Petcord netlabel.
Cover art © 2009 Olliver Wichmann and the Petcord netlabel.