“Tales from Imperial Towers: Live from Nick’s Garage” is an 86 minute sonic journey created primarily using VCV Rack, an open source, virtual modular sound design environment. Consisting of 13 pieces that each explore different facets of VCV Rack, this collection of soundscapes often explores Euclidian and other aleatoric approaches to random or at least semi-random sequences of notes and tone modulation. Each time these pieces are performed, they are slightly different. This live performance, in front of a small live and web-streaming audience, is from the 2019 Summer Space Jam series in Lawrenceville, NJ. This live capture, from the mixing board, is a very good representation of what I was hoping to achieve, even with some scars and bruises.*
From meditative and contemplative moods to expressions of chaos and discord, “Tales from Imperial Towers: Live from Nick’s Garage” expresses the upheaval of my recent relocation to Philadelphia and the process of leaving behind one life to start another. The performance is interspersed with whimsical juxtapositions to lighten the mood from time to time. However, it remains a darker work compared to much of my previous output.
Mesmerizing arpeggios collide with foreboding drones and barely intelligible, mysterious voices from beyond. These aren’t tales from a single place, but many places, captured from the ether… from people’s brain waves… from the Other Side… from space… from Imperial Towers. Headphones recommended!!
*Disclaimer: As a live recording, there are a few glitches here and there. Though these might only be recognizable by audiophiles, it’s worth mentioning that this recording hasn’t been produced with my usual process. I’m putting this out anyway because it marks a distinctive point in my recorded output that I’d like to share with more people.
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Tales From Imperial Towers: Live from Nick’s Garage
