Pretty Gritty #9

Sunday Sept 21, 2014

the sectret life of objects

The last Pretty Gritty for 2014—#9 (number 9, number 9)—features four artist-alchemists who lure sounds out of peculiar materials. Peter Blamey channels energy allowing his instruments to play themselves; Dale Gorfinkel is a mad professor of small motors and long tubing; James Heighway is on a quest to extract 1000 dialtones from his analogue synths and modular instruments; and Rainbow Vomit And Cum Bubbles (RVACB), well the name speaks for itself, but I will say just looking at the waveforms on soundcloud fills me with excitement and fear.

 

James Heighway

James lives in the Blue mountains and has been working, improvising and recording in the noise/improv scene for many years including What is music?, NOW now festival and many other underground gigs and is renowned for his loud and intense soundscapes, big set ups and huge recording projects such as 100 moments, 24 hrs among many others, using everything from multiple guitars and amps to modified and hand made electonics as well as improvising and working with many of Australia’s great sound/noise artists. His latest project is Dialtones, recorded over the last year and consisting of analogue synths, mixing desks and modular electronics to record 1000 pieces all played in live and improvised format.

https://soundcloud.com/the-spiders

Rainbow Vomit & Cum Bubbles

Rainbow Vomit And Cum Bubbles (RVACB) consists of an undefinable person who makes an undefinable sound, using self circuit bent childrens toys that are modified to produce sounds similar to demons screeching in the darkest depths of hell.

Also known as B (originally from the US), B is currently based in Sydney as a noise producer and event organizer, who brings together a bunch of fellow experimental artists from all over Australia to an event called FUCKFEST, a trimonthly gig solely based around pure depravity, ear torture and soul crushing intensity. Rainbow Vomit And Cum Bubbles, in a drunken stupor, smashes out harsh chaotic noise that brings leaves you discombobulated, with an entire new perception on experimental music and whichleaves you feeling the need to reevaluate your entire life.

https://soundcloud.com/rvacb/004-1

Dale Gorfinkel

Dale is a multi-instrumentalist, improvisor, instrument creator, installation artist, educator, and community builder. Dale’s work aims to reflect an awareness of the dynamic nature of culture & the value of listening as a mode of knowing people & places. He is interested in finding fresh ways of presenting and making music, bringing creative communities together & shifting perceived boundaries of scenes, styles & artforms.

Dale enjoys building automated sonic contraptions and modifying other instruments, especially the vibraphone and trumpet. He often uses common materials to create unexpectedly wondrous & immersive sonic environments. Dale has recently been playing around with footpumps, garden irrigation and balloons.

His current activities include Out Hear (www.outhear.com), West Head Project, the masked troupe Prophets, Sounds Like Movement with dancer Peter Fraser, and facilitating a community music group at the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre.

www.dalegorfinkel.com

Peter Blamey

Peter is a Sydney-based artist whose practice largely revolves around what might be called ‘open electronics,’ exploring themes of energy, reuse, waste and the reinterpretation of technology. His work is typically grass roots, using available (and often discarded) everyday electronics to produce sounds in performance and as readymade materials for installation projects. Beyond that, Peter plays drums in Your Intestines and is part of the duo Hard Hat (with Kusum Normoyle). He has performed extensively over the last however many years, and in 2012 released the CD Forage on Avantwhatever.

http://peterblamey.net