Quiet design presents a new release by composer and sound artist Mike Vernusky, Music for Film and Electro-Theatre. Handcrafted, cinematic textures of noise and acousmatic sound composed for experimental films and live actors with electronic sound. Whereas Vernusky's previous effort, Blood consisted primarily of acoustic and electroacoustic works, this one inhabits a wider sonic spectrum: from remote field recordings and live actors to disintegrating noise, operatic singers and modern mythological archetypes.
Molding sounds like a sculptor, Vernusky provides an alternative mode of communicating his musical language. By employing disruptive devices that puncture listener perceptions, his works become inherently ephemeral and dramatically beautiful. Intense.
'Mike Vernusky succeeds beautifully in combining genres, using the evocative power of music to createa subtle and amazing electroacoustic atmosphere.' - Ethereal Webzine
Reviews:
Tokafi.com, Tobias Fisher
On "Drawn Inward“, the final piece of his previous full-length, 2006's Blood that sees the light, Austin-based Mike Vernusky took a bold stab at electronic symphonics, fusing a shimmering string ensemble with suggestive synthetics. A definitive highlight of the collection, it seemed to mark a point of departure for his future work and for a style both smart and sensual, still tied to a centuries-old tradition of Western music while tapping into the potentials of the digital age. As follow-up Music for Film and Electro-Theatre now proves, however, Vernusky had his sight set on something even more profound and forward-thinking than that. On display here is a meticulous realisation of a vision, first expressed in an article for the NewMusicBox-website last year, of the composer as an „auteur“ - a storyteller equally adept at devising intriguing new sound worlds and narratives as well as of marrying the results to adjacent (visual) medial disciplines such as film, video art, installations, painting and design. Most striking in this regard are the two collaborations with friend, playwright and theater artist Greg Romero, on which the duo creates vivid multisensorial impressions through the radio-play-like linking of acted scenes, words and acoustic environments.
Eleven-minute-long "Dallas“, based on the biography of Clint Hill, the secret service agent who spectacularly (but belatedly) boarded John F Kennedy's carriage in an attempt of saving him after the president had been assassinated, is a case in point: Through dialogue and rapid sonic transitions, the piece links a scene in a „24-hour greasy spoon diner in Dallas, Texas“, where Hill is sitting at a table, with flashbacks to his hearing about details of the incident by Warren-commission-member, Republican-party-defect and former Senator of Pennsylvania Arlen Specter. The unique capacity of music of speaking directly to the imagination and of expressing that, which cannot be put into words, is exploited to the full here: The past doesn't just reside in Hill's memory. It physically creeps up to him like a kirlian materialisation, slowly growing in intensity until the Kennedys, still alive and unharmed, come walking into the cafe, confronting the agent - distinguished and honoured, but forever plagued by regret about being seconds too late to catch the bullet - with his failings.
Even though these stories seem to be guided by a clear plot and structure, conventional logic is side-lined. There is no traditional denouement to „Dallas“, just like there is neither a beginning nor end to the second Romero-co-operation „Under My Coat is the Truth", a scenic piece conveying the impression of being ripped straight from a dark, apocalyptic science fiction flic. The same goes for the majority of the other pieces here, which, by partly sharing identical titles, hint at hidden connections without decoding them. The metallics of a timbrally-approached percussion set, enigmatically processed guitars, Vanessa Diamond's seductive soprano voice and Cory Allen's threatening Moog-motives lay down a fascinating and occasionally strangely erotic, yet all the same sharp and visceral sound, provoking the synapses and putting all senses on edge without untying the knot in a happy-end.
Vernusky, as one finds out through close listening, hasn't given up on the notion of electronic symphonics one bit: His technique of arranging his materials doesn't so much resemble the act of sculpting, as the press release claims, but hints instead at an intriguing parallel with orchestral scoring: At times, he approximates the vertiginous sensation of standing at a precipice at night – beyond it, whispering and beckoning, there is nothing but a mysteriously glowing abyss of sound.
NewMusicBox, Alexandra Gardner
Sometimes "soundtrack" CDs can invite a degree of skepticism, in that often the music composed for film or video does not stand alone as effectively as when paired with its accompanying medium. However, the second release from Austin, Texas-based composer and sound artist Mike Vernusky is an example of such a format that does not suffer from being presented as audio alone. This is a collection of music composed both for film and "electro-theatre," defined as music for live actors with electronic sound, which creates a vivid radio play-like journey through sculptural forests of sound.
The music composed for film includes the work Nylah, for filmmaker Scott Nyerges, which creates an arc, beginning as a smooth, metallic drone that is punctuated with slowly increasing droplets of percussive sound, transitioning into layered washes of what could include processed guitar and helicopters, and traveling back to the initial sonic world, ending with a single scraped metal guitar string. Missing combines an especially otherworldy mix of electronic sound with archival musical material that was created for filmmaker Daniel Maldonado. The triptych of short, intense pieces that comprise the work Hidden, also created for Maldonado, are sprinkled throughout the recording.
Thou, parts one and two—also presented separately—are thickly layered variations on primarily pipe organ recordings. Part 1 is more of a darkly ambient wash that builds to a frenzy and features two dramatic "false stops" in the middle of the work, while Part 2 explores the more rhythmic side of processed organ that nimbly morphs into field recordings of birds.
The largest work on the disc (in both scope and theme) is Dallas, which relates a surreal tale based on the biography of Clint Hill, the secret service agent who rushed to the body President John F. Kennedy immediately after he had been assassinated. Under My Coat is the Truth, is the shortest work, a bite-sized ride in an elevator from a strange, hazy dream.
Music for Film and Electro-Theatre would be perhaps best enjoyed with headphones, or very high-quality speakers, to fully take advantage of the musical gestures throughout the stereo field that help emphasize dramatic elements in the works. The sonic material, which is extremely well-recorded, thoughtfully orchestrated, and deftly mixed, is consistently rich and made of varied textures, ranging from smooth and silky, to bright and shimmering, to gritty and extra crunchy.
Although I found myself wishing for more information in the form of liner notes about the works and the media with which they are paired, there is an advantage to not having access to this information. Dramatic through lines are not at all forced, and the listener is free to let imagination take over the interpretation of the progression of musical events. And even though many of these works were originally created for presentation in tandem with other art forms, they have absorbing tales to tell on their own.
Ethereal, Fabrice Allard
On avait déjà rapidement croisé Mike Vernusky, sur la compilation Spectra : Guitar in the 21st Century aux côtés de Tetuzi Akiyama, Keith Rowe ou encore Cory Allen avec qui l’Américain co-dirige le label Quiet Design. Il s’agissait alors d’avoir un panorama des différents usages qu’il peut être fait de la guitare de nos jours. Le travail de Mike Vernusky est en fait assez éloigné de la six cordes puisqu’il est actif dans le domaine du cinéma et du théâtre avec une musique expérimentale, une ambient imagée composée à partir de sources électroacoustiques.
Music For Film And Electro-Theatre est le deuxième album de Mike Vernusky après Blood That Sees the Light, déjà sorti chez Quiet Design en 2006. Comme son titre le suggère, l’album compile divers travaux réalisés pour le cinéma et le théâtre, mêlant sons ambiants, spoken words issus de scènes jouées, et sonorités/effets électroniques. De part sa forme, la musique de l’Américain est à rapprocher de la musique concrète, avec une mise en scène, des ambiances et une volonté de raconter une histoire qui confère à l’album sa dimension cinématographique. Vernusky travaille avec de nombreux artistes, musiciens, acteurs, dramaturges, maintenant réunis sous le nom d’Electric Wolf, que l’on retrouve sur ce disque, en particulier sur Under My Coat is the Truth et Dallas, deux pièces foncièrement narratives, avec acteurs et voix off afin d’aider à imaginer la scène. Le terme de "cinéma pour l’oreille" n’a jamais aussi bien collé à cette "musique", véritable mise en scène de sons au sein desquels évoluent les acteurs, ambiance de film noir, pluie, piano, bruits de rue et de foule illustrant le témoignage de Clint Hill, célèbre agent secret responsable de la sécurité de John Kennedy lors de son assassinat.
La tonalité générale est sombre, mystérieuse, faisant assez souvent penser à la BO d’un film de science-fiction se déroulant en milieu urbain (Under My Coat is the Truth). Un des choix original de l’artiste est de disséminer sur l’album des pistes qui d’après leur titre devraient former un tout cohérent, comme cet Hiddendécoupé en trois parties d’une ambient concrète et crépitante, d’abord tourmentée avec ses fréquentes cassures, ses sonorités jouées à l’envers, ses drones et field recordings bucoliques, s’achevant dans des chœurs d’opéras et craquements de vinyles.
Pour autant l’artiste est tout aussi à l’aise sur la longueur comme le prouveMissing avec ses près de 11mn d’une ambient proche du drone, jouant d’oscillations, cassures crépitantes donnant l’impression de franchir une porte, nappes fantomatiques dark-ambient, ballet classique, orchestre féérique et ronronnements grésillants.
Mike Vernusky réussi magnifiquement à marier les genres, se servant du pouvoir évocateur de la musique pour créer une ambient électroacoustique étonnante et subtile.
Planet.dyne.org, Aurelio Cianciotta
Metallic drones, forced puffing sounds, sub-frequencies and sculptural space-induced drifts: thus begins “Music For Film And Electro-Theatre", the latest project of Mike Vernusky, who is, along with Cory Allen, the co-curator of Quiet Design Records, an experimental and eclectic label based in Austin, Texas, which effectively promotes artists such as Alvin Lucier,Tetuzi Akiyama, Yoshio Machida and Kioku (to name a few who have already appeared in our reviews and who add to this label’s multi-faceted and qualitatively rich catalog). Despite a rather extreme level of abstraction, the work appears to include narrative elements. In "Dallas" a tribunal is staged, evoking memories of the security officers of the Kennedy parade, as in a strange radio play. In other episodes pictures are brought to mind; simple environmental cues that suggest dreamlike and non-linear passages. In short, this is a kind of "sound script" that does not seem to be driven by an easily explainable plot or structure, a fascinating reportage, never dull or scarce in its evocations.
Liability Webzine
Avec Cory Allen, Mike Vernusky dirige le label Quiet Design mais ses oeuvres discographiques ont autant de portée que son collègue. Vernusky et ses expérience acousmatiques ont déjà séduit outre atlantique mais aussi au Japon où il a déjà été récompensé dans le cadre des Digital Art Awards. En Europe, on le connait encore mal mais son travail sonore et éditorial commence à briser quelques barrières. Music For Film And Electro-Theatre, son dernier album en dâte, est assez symptomatique de sa démarche globale. En effet, l'environnement de Verunsky est comme le suggère le titre du disque : théatral et cinématographique. Le tout est minutieusement inséré dans des strates électroniques aussi contemplatives que légèrement bruitistes tout en passant par des évocations des plus baroques. En bon constructeur sonore, Vernusky sait se rendre inattendu, sensible, ouvrant des portes vers l'inconnu mais reste proche de nous, de l'humain, de ses défauts et de sa versalité. Donc comme toute oeuvre de musique concrète et électro-acoustique Music For Film... se révèle assez imprévisible mais n'oublie pas de susciter chez nous la curiosité.
En ce sens Vernusky est des plus inventifs. Ses musiques évolutives et millimétrées sont parfaitement "orchestrées", dans le sens où habituellement on a toujours cette impression d'improvisation, de collages abstraits, ici tout semble organisé, chaque son pesé et placé au bon endroit afin qu'il puisse donner toute son intensité. Et l'intensité ne se résume pas à la force du volume mais bien à son impact global. Dans cet exercice, Mike Vernusky sait à merveille doser ses effet. Ce n'est pas un hasard si il fait rencontrer l'acousmatique avec le cinéma et le théatre. Les trois disciplines s'interconnectent sans créer de réels problèmes jusqu'à mêler le monde vivant avec l'irrationnel. Ainsi, un morceau comme Dallas qui met en perspective les interrogatoires de la commission Warren, une voix-off, des flash-back, des stridences sonores, un piano perdu et grave est tout à fait à même d'expliquer et de représenter à lui seul cette mise en scène permanente de la musique de Mike Vernusky. Music For Film... est une oeuvre pleine et entière qui sort quelque peu de l'académisme européen. Nous sommes preneurs.
Vital Weekly, Frans de Waard
Vernusky delivers an absolute fine release, which stretches out beyond the ordinary, serious acousmatic composer and that has a great quality of its own.
Chain DLK, Marc Urselli
Definitely worth your time if you are interested in expanding your vision and stimulating your imaginative mind.
Artist: Mike Vernusky
Title: Music for Film and Electro-Theatre
Format: CD
Catalog: Alas012
Release: 2010
Tracks:
1. Thou
2. Hidden, part 1
3. Under My Coat is the Truth
4. Nylah
5. Hidden, part 2
6. Dallas
7.
Missing
8. Thou, part 2
9. Hidden, part 3
