Memetic Orchestra #1: NEMO - pt 2/2

Premiere of the composition Mimetic Orchestra #1: NEMO by Doug Van Nort performed at Elebash Hall on April 3rd 2009 as part of the NYC Electroacoustic Music Festival.

This piece was written for the trio Triple Point, which includes Jonas Braasch (saxophone), Pauline Oliveros (digital accordion) and Doug Van Nort (GREIS -granular feedback system).

The work explores the use of timbral/textural analysis, gesture recognition and evolutionary algorithms. The sound qualities of the sax and accordion are analyzed and the 'sonic gestures' are recognized on the fly by an artificial 'agent' who then steers a genetic algorithm, influencing Van Nort's software performance system. Therefore, acoustic performers influence an agent, who in turn influences the software system that is being performed by a laptop performer who influences the listening of the agent and all are influenced by the overall sound output.

In the first few minutes of this piece the agent controls the sound processing with minor human tuning (pt 1 video), and then over the final 7-8 minutes the laptop performer first plays in concert with the agent before taking over to play the GREIS system (via wacom tablet and midi fader box) as well as the evolutionary process itself (pt 2 video).

While the piece does explore complex systems and some heavy algorithms (the power of two laptops were needed to run all software), at its heart it is really about listening for all three performers - to the electronic/acoustic balance, to the role of the agent, to the intentions past and present, to the evolutionary trajectory, and so on.

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Tags:

• Doug Van Nort
• Pauline Oliveros
• Jonas Braasch
• experimental music
• genetic
• mimetic
• agent
• texture