Our L5 and L6 students will have the opportunity to develop projects and ideas around programming and sound design for games with this special four part series of workshops. More info on the poster below.
Masterclass with Olivia Louvel: Document and Construct: sound, women and battles.
Monday 3rd December 2018, 4:30-6, Performance Studio, GP
Our current student Olivia Louvel will be leading the next masterclass on a very inspiring range of topics: sound women and battles.
About the session
Document and Construct: sound, women and battles.
I will explore the relationship between documentation and creation throughout my most recent works, Data Regina, inspired by the reign and writings of Mary Queen of Scots as well as the audiovisual piece, Afraid of Women, produced to bring awareness to Rojava, the autonomous region in Northern Syria.
Finally I will share my experience as a member of female:pressure, the international network of female, transgender and non-binary artists in the fields of electronic music and digital arts founded by Electric Indigo.
The session will be punctuated by sound intermission and live performance.
About Olivia
Olivia Louvel is a French-born, British composer, producer and artist whose work draws on voice, computer music and digital narrative. She operates on the frontier of art and electronic music. Her work also ranges from video art to live performance. Over the last decade, she has released six solo albums published on various labels, Angelika Koehlermann (Austria), Optical Sound (France) and on Cat Werk Imprint, her own production tool.
Her largest project to date Data Regina is a multimedia suite in which she explores the reigns of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, delivering her own singular transposition through an interactive digital platform and a cd publication. She was featured with Data Regina in The Wire magazine.
Her work has been supported by the Arts Council of England. In 2011, she was awarded the Qwartz Album for Doll Divider at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards.
Olivia Louvel has received extensive airplay on significant radio programs such as BBC Radio 6’s Freak Zone, BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction, Resonance (UK), RTE Lyric FM’s Nova (Ireland), Radio Eins’s Elektro Beat (Germany), NRK’s Harald Are Lund (Norway), RTVE Radio 3’s Fluido Rosa, RTVE Radio 3’s Atmosfera (Spain), RAI 3’s Battiti (Italy), and France Musique’s La Matinale.
She has presented her work at venues and festivals such as Spirit of Gravity (Brighton 2017), Nawr (BBC Hall, Swansea 2017), Brighton Digital Festival (2017), Iklectik (London 2016), CTM (Berlin 2016), Dear Serge (De La Warr, Bexhill 2015), Culture Night (Dublin 2015), Earsthetic Festival (Brighton Dome 2013), at Tri XL (Antwerp 2010), Le Cube (Paris 2009), Ososphere Festival (Strasburg 2009), Electron Festival (Geneva 2008). She has opened for artists such as Japanese avant-garde artist Phew at Iklectik London, Planningtorock at the Earsthetic Festival Brighton Dome and Recoil for various concerts on the European ‘Selected’ tour.
Joshua Legallienne to support Charalambides | The Rose Hill, 24 Nov
DMSA Alumni and current member of the DMSA team, Joshua Legallienne will be supporting the texan acid-folk duo (although this is a limiting label to their music) Charalambides on their Brighton concert at the Rose Hill on 24th November. Joshua will be performing a solo set for acoustic guitar which will be the perfect openenr for the duo’s hazy folk repertoire.
Charalambides founders Tom & Christina Carter dedicate themselves to a vision of iconoclastic music as transformative force. Touching on the outer limits of acid folk, psych rock, and improvisation, their sound remains uniquely personal & consistent. Formed in Houston in 1991, Charalambides has produced dozens of releases on labels like Siltbreeze, Time-Lag, Kranky, & their own imprint, Wholly Other. The duo will be touring in Europe in support of their forthcoming release, Proper, coming out in the autumn of 2018 with Drawing Room Records.
More info on the event here.
DMSA Feature: Laurence Owen
We talk to Laurence Owen ahead of his masterclass on Monday the 26th. Laurence graduated from the course in 2011 and since then he has led an amazing career as a freelance composer, songwriter, sound designer and voice performer. He has written music for the BBC, Toyota, O2, Stella Artois, Sipsmith, ARTE, The Beano, Historic Royal Palaces and the V&A Museum, and provides sound design for critically-acclaimed multimedia theatre company 1927.
DMSA: Where do we find you now?
LO: Physically, I’m catching up on some admin in my living room in Norwich. Mentally, I’m formulating the music and lyrics for an upcoming musical adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde that I’m working on.
DMSA: Three important words that represent you as a creative person
LO: 1. Craft – I’m more interested in making things that serve a function than making things that exist purely for themselves.
2. Accessibility – I don’t personally subscribe to the “if anyone else likes what you’re doing, that’s just a bonus” philosophy (but completely respect anyone who does).
3. Narrative – I like stories, and I like making (and consuming) music and sound that involves storytelling elements.
Laurence Owen – Composer Showreel from Laurence Owen on Vimeo.
DMSA: When did you start working with sound and music?
LO: I started writing and recording music when I was 14. I really hope I’ve improved a little bit since then.
DMSA: In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?
LO: Having the space, time, equipment and permission to work was, on its own, hugely helpful. But I also left feeling actively encouraged to blur the lines between sound and music, art and design, highbrow and lowbrow. The DMSA course taught me that there are no set paths into the creative industry, and no set careers when you arrive in it.
DMSA: Can you tell us a bit more about The Time Machine?
LO: The Time Machine is the most recent of four productions I’ve co-written with my writer wife Lindsay for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It’s a musical adaptation of HG Wells’ novel, and although it’s a Victorian story, we’ve chosen to tell it in the style of a 1950s radio play. We have a table of foley sound effects, and I’ve written a Bernard Herrmann style B-movie score, as well as playing live theremin during the show. We’ve been touring the country with it for a year, and it’s just about to be retired so that we can work on our next production.
DMSA: Other plans for the future? projects, events, visions?
LO: Our Jekyll & Hyde show is the next major project I’m working on. Aside from that, I’ve always enjoyed scoring factual/documentary work, so I hope to do more of that. I’m also seeking to score more experiential entertainment – theme parks, VR attractions, interactive museum installations, and so on. But truthfully, I never know what’s around the corner. That’s what keeps this job exciting, and a little scary… but in a good way!
Imagined Title Sequences at CINECITY
Please pop in to the opening event of Imagined Title Sequences by School of Media students, which will be running in rotation from 4.30-6.00pm this Thursday the 22nd in the foyer of Edward Street.
The project was produced in association with CINECITY The Brighton Film Festival. All of the sequences have been made by the BA Design for Digital Media students in Level 5. Some of the students have used footage kindly leant by Screen Archive South East and some of the sequences have been made in collaboration with Level 5 students on the BA Digital Music and Sound Arts course.
It will also be screened on Fri 23rd, Sat 24th & Mon 25th Nov 10am-5pm.
Masterclass with Laurence Owen: How to be a Jack-Of-All-Trades Composer
Monday 26 November, 4:30-6, Performance Studio, GP
We are thrilled to have critically acclaimed composer Laurence Owen (DMSA alumni 2011) back to give a masterclass.
About Laurence
Laurence Owen (DMSA 2011) is a composer, songwriter, sound designer and voice performer. He has written music for the BBC, Toyota, O2, Stella Artois, Sipsmith, ARTE, The Beano, Historic Royal Palaces and the V&A Museum, and provides sound design for critically-acclaimed multimedia theatre company 1927. His film credits include the Sundance Film Festival official selection White Morning, which earned him two music award nominations at SoundTrack Cologne Festival. Laurence has produced music and sound design for productions at London’s Young Vic and Trafalgar Studios theatres, and was nominated for Best Theatre Sound at the ProSound Awards for his work on 1927’s Golem. He has also co-written four original musicals for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (one of which won a 2015 Malcolm Hardee Award), and was composer and musical director of Cat & Mouse, a Village Underground and 1927 co-production.
Website:
www.laurenceowen.co.uk
About the session:
How to be a Jack-Of-All-Trades Composer
For the last seven years, I’ve been professionally making music for a wide array of film, theatre, radio, TV and corporate clients – mostly just a few days’ work at a time. It’s not all been glamorous, but it has all been solid, paid composing work. By not specialising with laser-focus on any one area, I’ve built up a diverse and ever-growing network of clients that has provided me a livelihood.
In this session, I’ll tell you about the steps I’ve taken up to this point, ever-available opportunities that you could exploit, and how to keep you well-prepared and confident in this competitive field. Since DMSA students all have different specialities, I’d also like to find out your individual skills, and discuss how you might apply them to kickstart this kind of composing career.
SPECTRES, XENOFUTURISMS & THE ANTIVOID #2
This friday 16th November, Stephen Mallinder will join Creative Sound & Music member and current PhD research Caleb Madden and artist and scholar Luke Pendrell for an event combining talks, perfrormative presentations and improvisation. Titled ‘Spectres, Xenofuturisms & The Antivoid #2’ the event will take place in the Performance Studio, between 3-4pm. It is free and no reservation is needed.
Professional Practice Masterclass: Louis Sterling
Monday 19 November 2018 | 4:30 -6(ish) | Performance Studio, GP
The next masterclass will feature Louis Sterling, currently on his 3rd year in the course. Louis will be discussing
the release of his upcoming album on David Augusts’ label 99Chants, and tips about leading a career as a freelance recording artist, both musically and with labels.
Louis is currently on tour with David August. Catch him playling live his new set of ambient material on one of the dates.
About
Louis Sterling, formerly known as Auxx, is a multi-genre recording artist from Bath, United Kingdom.
A classically trained musician, he toured under Dr. Peter King with the Bath Abbey Cathedral, absorbing the unique melodic and textural elements of traditional world music; a foundation to his flexible sound design, electronic synthesis and sonic programming consisting of up to 80 different layers. To this day, he proceeds to creatively explore composition and sonic art forms with electronics, acoustic instruments and the contemporary visual arts through a range of technical approaches and aesthetics.
He is also the proud owner of ID Spectral, a brand, record label and multi-disciplinary arts collective that promotes the talents of both up and coming creatives worldwide. The imprint is currently in partnership with the University of Brighton, Resonance Extra and Radio Cascabel London.
Experimental Film Workshop
We are happy to have Louise Colbourne from Design For Digital Media with us to lead two workhops on experimental film.
Places are limited so please email Louise (l.a.colbourne@brighton.ac.uk) to secure your place. Information on the two sessions can be found below.
DIRECT ANIMATION Room:225 5pm 15th November 2018
This workshop will to offer you the opportunity to work directly with celluloid 16mm film using the technique of direct animation.
This is a practical workshop in which you will be provided some 16mm film stock to work on top of to create a loop of a few seconds in length. We will then join the loop and play the outcomes through a 16mm projector. It is possible to capture the projected images on a camera or phone if you would like to use them in the future.
You will also be shown how to effect and adapt the optical sound track.
The process of direct animation involves either scratching into the surface of the film’s emulsion to make sequential patterns and shapes, or drawing / painting images, textures and shapes on to clear leader.
CONTACT PRINTING Grand Parade Dark-room 7th February 2019
A further workshop will be held in a darkroom facility where you will be able to process your own short film strips. The technique used is contact printing (or photogram) and an optical soundtrack can also be created here. It is possible to create contact prints by exposing small objects and other film strips onto high contrast film stock which then creates an inverted, negative image.
Further research
Cinema of Attractions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQpcaoc4X3Q
Stan Brackage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALUc4cx4LZI
Liz Rhodes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts5uT0Pdj4c
Lynn Loo:
http://dewfields.co.uk/work/filmwork/vowels_and_consonants.html
Norman McLaren:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bqzgWkEsws
Oskar Fischinger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xc4g00FFLk
Ian Helliwell:
http://www.ianhelliwell.co.uk/
Sally Golding
http://sallygolding.com/performances/super-grotesquerie
Marcel Duchamp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXINTf8kXCc
Bruce McClure
https://vimeo.com/18499974
Tutor:
Louise Colbourne:
l.a.colbourne@brighton.ac.uk
DMSA Feature: Alan Myson Aka Ital Tek
Since graduating from the course, Alan Myson has been leading a quite successful career in the electronic music scene for over a decade now as well as working as a sound designer and composer for films, TV commercials and video games including Roll7-505Games’s award winning Laser Leage. We talk to Alan about his background, inspirations, impressions from the course and his recent release on Planet Mu, titled ‘Bodied’.
DMSA: Where do we find you now?
AM: Hi! I am currently in my studio in Norwich where I have just very recently moved to from Brighton. Sad to say goodbye to Brighton after having been there for so many years but fancied a change and it’s a beautiful part of the world around here.
DMSA: Three important words that represent you as a creative person
AM: Naivety: I think it’s really important as a musician to keep learning and (at least try to!) hold on to the magic of why you love making music in the first place. It is so easy after years of working in music to get stuck in your ways or start thinking of it purely as a job, I find I have to keep finding new ways to keep myself inspired and excited in what I’m doing, surprise myself and not take things for granted.
Experimentation: This is kind of an obvious one but there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re sticking to your comfort zone. It can feel like a safety net if you’ve established a certain way of working and if you just keep repeating that you’ll stay fulfilled or productive, but for me I just can’t work that way. I don’t believe anyone does their best work when they are too comfortable!
Process: By this I mean I’m a firm believer that nothing is really wasted in art or music. Everything you do is a process and you have to take a lot of wrong turns, missteps and frankly write a lot of crappy music in order to get to the good stuff. You also never really know when you’re going to come back to an idea from years ago which at the time seemed like nothing. I have on countless occasions re-appropriated some weird idea I had previously or had even forgotten I’d written. I think its important to just churn out as much music as possible, you always learn something even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time!
DMSA: When did you start working with sound and music?
AM: I’ve been involved in music since a very young age at school where I was in orchestras and sang in choirs, played in bands and the like, but I would say my real passion for creating and writing music rather than just performing was when I got my first electric guitar around aged 13. That opened the door for me into the world of experimenting with effects pedals and loopers. From there I began making very lo-fi electronic music and beginning to teach myself the basics. Once I managed to get myself a computer and a copy of Ableton Live around 2004 I was just totally obsessed with it and have been ever since.
DMSA: In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?
AM: We had a great bunch of people on the course whilst at Uni, I feel we all inspired each other and I still regularly collaborate with and keep in touch with a few people from my DMSA days. I was signed as an artist just as I was starting the course in 2007 so it was a really good time for me to experiment and learn both on the academic side and starting out on my career as well. I was able to combine techniques and experiences from the course into my work straight away as I was doing both in parallel.
DMSA: Can you tell us a bit more about Bodied, your recent release on Planet Mu?
AM: I definitely feel I’ve had a change in my musical approach and attitude over the last few years with my album ‘Hollowed’ in 2016 and this latest album ‘Bodied’ I’ve had a strong urge to change things up. Over the last couple of years making this album I’ve also been working on a fair few composing projects for video games/film and other stuff. Doing this gave me some space from my own work and let me look at it in a different light. It was refreshing for my own solo musical output to not be my only creative outlet. Having been working as a musician for over 10 years now I found it really important to give myself a new focus and way of working. This album features a lot more live recording, which is usually totally mangled. It’s very firmly an electronic record but I’ve used recordings of Cello, Guitar, Piano etc as a backbone for a lot of the textures. I was also keen to work with a vocalist to give the record a human element, it’s totally non-lyrical – more ghostly and choral but gave me a different sound palette to work with than on previous material of mine.
DMSA: Other plans for the future? projects, events, visions?
AM: I tend to take a bit of a break from writing any of my “Ital Tek” music for a while after completing an album. I’ve been working on a number of composing projects and have some that I’m excited about coming up but unfortunately I can’t mention! I’m also working on a few collaborative projects which is not something I’ve done a great deal of in the past. I’m a bit of a control freak with my own music so it’s refreshing to get involved in projects where I have to leave that at the door. It makes me work in a different way and leads onto results that I could never have come up with myself.
Links:
www.italtek.co.uk
www.alanmyson.com
www.twitter.com/italtek
Alan will be giving a Masterclass to our students on Monday 12th November, at 4:30pm in our performance studio. More info here.