Soundwalk 2008

“Cell-a-Phone Rap”

John M. Kennedy, interactive sound

Robert Martin, interactive video/sound

Cell-a-Phone Rap is an improvisational performance inspired by Robert Martin’s letter of invitation to Professor John Kennedy and his music composition students. The original performance occurred in different stages, discussing the suggestions which were broadcasted on a video screen at CSULA, exploring suggestions for tampering with the sound, and the final improvisation.

Step two involved calibrating everyone’s phone by texting a printed series of terms to each other or to their own cell phone.  The differing tones and timing elicited random counterpoint.  The terms are from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Stimming” called “Magic Names” represent a brief homage to the composer who passed away one year ago, short of his 80th birthday. 

Some of the more interesting tones were run through digital processing effects on a laptop.  The basic sound application “Garage Band” was used to loop and distort some of the sounds and used as a backdrop to the improvisation, the “rhythm section.” Cell-a-phone Rap becomes a surprise that breaks sounds into its basic elements of pitches and timbres into abstract dramas.  

Tonight’s live element added in this incarnation is similar to the original sound event recorded in video.  Audience cell phones are set to vibrate and placed on sound reflectors, ranging from junk percussion (cans, pots, boxes), drums and pipes.  Through various cues, cell phones on the reflectors will be called from other audience phones, recorded and looped in real time improvisation. This group improvisation will occur at regular intervals throughout SoundWalk. Assistants are also recording and sampling cell phone sounds through out the SoundWalk area(s) to be added to the mix.