A Stage in the Journey
by Daniel Leduc |imed_9945-0001|
The four pieces on this compact disc mark an important stage (dating from
1994 to 1997) in the dozen years that I have been involved in sound
production. They were realized in the middle of the period of aesthetic and
technical transition that confirmed my compositional style, which is one that
draws from a range of influences and approaches to sound work. These include
the transition from analogue to digital techniques, the confirmation of a
compositional style that draws on the sources of acousmatics, from techniques
used in radio and from the sound environment, and the choice of a fixed sound
medium, be it magnetic tape or the digital file in its many forms, including
the compact disc.
It was through a process of ‘active’ listening to my sound
work that I produced the pieces presented here. They are miniatures intended
for the stereophonic medium. While in Die Winterreise (The
Winter’s Journey), the main work, the contribution of the speaking
voice in all of its forms is important, references to, evocations of and
inspiration from the sound landscape are absolute, above all as metaphorical
illustrations. The same is true for the other pieces on the disc, where the
spoken voice gives way to the singing voice or to the voice transformed, and
to the sound landscape.
Regarding matters of style, my affinities run to the minimalist and the
impressionistic. The ultimate goal of such a preference is to allow the
fusion of the various sound elements selected to take place. These components
will finally retain their character even as they give birth to something
quite different and autonomous.
Finally, my method of composing relies on portable sound-sampling
equipment and synthesizers for the pre-production stage (sound generation)
and on a computer for production (composition and processing) and
post-production (mixing). Current work in sound creation sets up a dynamic
that is very different from the one created in the past, when we were using
analogue tools. Nevertheless, a few minor variations aside, composition
technique remains completely unchanged; it is rather the technical precision
that is unequaled today.
Daniel Leduc
[iv-99]
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