Excavated Shellac

A website dedicated to 78rpm recordings of folkloric and vernacular music from around the world. These items are from my own collection (unless noted) and have been transferred to the best of my abilities, without the aid of expensive noise reduction software. They are for research purposes only. With just a few rare exceptions, I post items that are not available on CD in any way, shape, or form.

The Other Forecast: Ellie Harrison

Eric Leonardson - The Springboard

Aside from an interest in the sonic potential of coil springs, I began with no preconceived idea of how the Springboard should sound or look. Initially, I did not aim to make a musical instrument. I knew springs had been used in early artificial reverb effects, and I was simply intrigued by the sounds of retracting springs for screen doors and garage doors, and I was intent on using readily available materials. What developed is a device that amplifies a variety of readily available objects and materials. The Springboard not only generates a wide range of sounds, it has become an extremely flexible and unique instrument.

Attached across the top of an aluminum walker is a 2" x 6" board. A singlepiezo disk contact microphone is mounted inside a small cavity in the underside of board. By extension, the high sensivity of the piezo pickup enables the entire board amplify anything attached, hence it is transformed into a receiving surface for amplification of any number of vibrating objects I choose.

Bernhard Leitner

More on Bernhard Leitner to come, but for now I just wanted to post these images which I find fascinating. These investigatory sketches exemplify the rigorous method through which Leitner first studies and then proposes manipulations of sound and its movement through three dimensional space. Of course these are only the visual elements of a thought process that involves extensive spatio-temporal-sonic testing and exploration.

Source: Bernhard Leitner. Vol. no. 122. Berlin : Köln: SMB Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berln ;DuMont, 2008

Source: Bernhard Leitner. Vol. no. 122. Berlin : Köln: SMB Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berln ;DuMont, 2008

On Another Note - Sarah Kenchington

On Another Note from Keiba Clubb on Vimeo.

Sarah Kenchington - a Scotland-based sculptor, musician and performer - uses bits of junk to make her own bizarre mechanical instruments. This documentary reveals a charmingly quirky personal portrait of Sarah, her work, and her community. The film was produced for an Honours dissertation project at the University of Stirling, and was Shortlisted for Shooting People's Film of the Month for May 2012.

"...this surprising singular story emerges. I loved the themes of technology and nature and their relationship. And the role of magic.” - Larry Charles.

Sonic Landscapes: understanding the world through sounds

LSE Literary Festival 2014

Speaker(s): Professor Trevor Cox, Caroline Devine, Aleksander Kolkowski
Chair: Professor David Hendy

In a world dominated by the visual, we can all benefit from opening our ears to the glorious cacophony around us, which can enrich our understanding of ourselves and our environment. 

Trevor Cox (@trevor_cox) is professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford and president of the Institute of Acoustics. He has presented numerous science radio documentaries and has written for the New Scientist. He is an associate editor for an international journal of acoustics and author of Sonic Wonderland: A Scientific Odyssey of Sound. 

Caroline Devine is a composer and sound artist whose practice investigates the boundary between sound and music, encompassing electroacoustic composition, sound installation, radio and theatre.

Aleksander Kolkowski is a violinist, composer and sound artist who uses historical sound recording and reproduction apparatus and obsolete media to make contemporary mechanical-acoustic music. 

Nicolas Collins - Essays

Richard Serra - Boomerang (1974)

Originally aired on ABC-affiliated KVII-TV channel in Amarillo, TX, this film has Nancy Holt struggling to cope with her own delayed voice through headphones as well as dealing with suggestions by male attendants behind the camera. Additionally, words doesn’t seem to be her own, but a pre-written statement. Note how momentary technical difficulties are tagged as “Audio Trouble” around 04:29.