"Himalaya", Notes by Carl Stone

Carl Stone and Akaihirume, photographed by Samantha Gore

Han Yan / Bia Bia / Jame Jam

All composed in 2019 and all make use of the MAX programming language and its ability to shatter audio into fragments that can be reorganized into new patterns and gestures, like glass into mosaic.

Kikanbou

From 2016 is rare venture outside the world of the laptop and MAX. Realized on an Elektron Octatrack, it is some ways a nephew to the early pieces Dong Il Jang and Shibucho, which used live processing of LP records with the needle dropped haphazardly. This time, once a basic rhythmic context is established, the looping functions of the Octatrack are fed with audio files selected but not previewed or cued up to any particular point, but instead started randomly at some position inside the track.

Fujiken

Part 6, the final section of a suite of pieces grouped together under one title. The entire Fujiken describes a dreamlike passge throughout Asia, with materials drawn from street-purchased cassettes and field recordings from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Singapore.

Himalaya

The title Himalaya is from Sanskrit Himā-laya, from himá (snow) and ā-laya (receptacle, dwelling). Akaihirume composed it for Carl with respect in 2016. The overall structure includes sections for improvisation. This version is recorded at STUDIO PLB in Los Angeles, September 2017.