The first of two programmes presented by The New BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The first is a portrait of composer, performer and sonic artist Lauren Sarah Hayes.
With an abundance of music and freely available technology we can often forget why we are making music in the first place. In this episode I’ve tried to explore two of the main themes that are important within my work. The first aspect is that of the social: how we relate to others; how we can explore these relationships through improvisation; how we make choices about what we do musically based on our own experiences and aesthetic choices. For example, in most of my live electronic music and sonic art, it has been important for me to find ways of making physical the impalpable binary data of digital sound. After spending years playing the piano, when I moved to making music with computers, it made no sense to me that I could click a button and hear a loud powerful sound that involved no effort from me as a performer. This led to a long exploration of finding ways to embody the realm of electronic sound. In the first half of this episode I explore these ideas in relation to four of my musical works.
1. Hakemira [Lauren Sarah Hayes / Paul Keene / Christos Michalakos / Jules Rawlinson]! This excerpt is from a live collaborative performance that took place in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2011. While most of us had worked together in one form or other, this was the first time that we had played as a quartet. Aiming to make an album recording, the first set did not record. For better or worse we recorded a second set, late and sleepy, after the audience had left.
2. kontroll (2010) for prepared piano, self-playing snare & live electronics [excerpt]
3. Contactor (2014) [excerpt, Absence of Wax]! ! 4. antistrophe (2013) by Můstek [Lauren Sarah Hayes / Christos Michalakos] from the album Node/ Antinode
In the second part of the episode I present three new works. Or rather, I present documents of these works. These are experiments in which I try to explore the importance of space and location. Each site that I visit comes with its own history and sonic qualities. But as a performer I also bring my own narrative and my personal relationship to these locations. In the recordings, I do not try to conceal the fact that I am present as a performer. While I’ve enjoyed playing in some unusual places, these are the first works that I would call site specific.
1. landfill_2 (2014) live performance near Kirknewton, Edinburgh, Scotland.! The machinery here provides such a harmonic drone that it hardly needs any intervention at all. On the night of the performance we hadn’t expected to encounter any other people around since it’s hardly a well-known spot. Oddly there was one guy there, riding his motorbike in circles around the plant for the whole time that we were there. For me it happily added another layer of welcomed oscillation.
2. electromagnetic fields (2014) live performance near the Edinburgh-Glasgow Central train line.
3. innocence (2014) live performance in the Innocent Railway Tunnel, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The duration of this piece was determined by a practical variable: power. The battery pack that was powering the loudspeaker had a limited life. Towards the end you can hear it emit its high pitched screech as it sounds its warning sound before finally shutting everything down. A definite way to end.
Biography
Lauren Sarah Hayes is a composer / performer / sonic artist from Glasgow who specialises in creating bespoke musical performances by exploring unique spaces and new technologies. Her music lies somewhere between contemporary classical, free improvisation, electronic dance music, noise and jazz. She has been an associate of the New Radiophonic Workshops since 2013.
www.laurensarahhayes.com
www.thenewradiophonicworkshop.com
(photo top credit: Tobias Feltus)
