Dan Senn: Music and Texts A new recording from Newsense Intermedium by Tom Nunn, Experimental Music Instruments, January 9, 1993
Music and Texts by Dan Senn presents a fascinating approach to electroacoustic music (electroacoustic in origin, often electronic in sound). Four curious solo speaking voice pieces provide a contrast to the predominantly abstract music. A fascination with phase relationships, amplified found objects, feedback systems and sampled sound is apparent. Much of the music is continuous and apparently related to precomposed processes, though the actual realization may be improvisatory. One piece in particular (Late Takes) breaks with this character being... almost pointillistic in nature, using a sampler, and -- get this, audience thrown coins!
Senn has invented what he calls Scrapercussions, essentially assemblages of resonant found objects that are connected via threaded steel rods..., and supported by a frames of PVC pipe. Some of the objects ("scraps") also have output transducers which feedback the instruments own signal back into itself, creating a feedback system that can be manually controlled or by computer. Each Scrapercussion is unique in makeup and design, and undoubtedly requires its own playing technique. The objects are struck, bowed or scraped to produce sound, and [as with his Shmoos Harps some objects may be twisted or turned or moved in some way creating friction and stretch in the nylon lines that also produce sound. There is a level of interest in wondering which sounds are being produced by which objects. The timbral palette of the Scrapercussion #7 is rich and varied. I would love to see a live performance of these instruments, as I can only imagine how much the movement of the players would add to the overall musical impression.
A concept underlying Dan Senn's music and instruments is "nonlinearity", essentially implying unpredictability ["purposeful awkwardness"], nonscalar pitch sequences, and a musical character that springs directly from the specific instrument. Senn believes the nonlinear instrument is the musical composition or score since its uniqueness, rather than a separate abstract system, accounts for so much for the character of the music it produces. In a sense it is a "participant" in the in the music [as if it were an improvisational partner]. I couldn't agree more!