Well this is post #50, one year on from the start of the blog, and over 1000 views later. Throughout all this time, I have neglected to mention one particular artist who has long been inspired by natural forces. But last year, in my hometown of Manchester, Björk unveiled her latest venture parallelling my very own: Biophilia.
Thanks David, my perpetual inspiration and collaborator. Nature, Music and Technology then, are the focus of the Icelandic sirens particular project. And as per usual she takes it to another level, creating a wholly new concept of an Ipad app based album, where tactile imagery simulations match her 10 tracks, inspired by lunar cycles and gravity, viruses and DNA, the crash of lighting and the slow juddering of tectonic plates. I recently snuck into an Apple store to have a play around with the app on one of their display units (no ipad for me sadly readers). Whilst initially intriguing, I imagine that these software simulations ultimately distract from the real success of the project, the songs themselves.
The electro/drum and base rhythms work effectively to capture the physical process of nature, whilst the celestial choirs and sweeping orchestral strings used in previous albums such as Vespertine continue to tap into the romanticised vision of Icelandic landscapes. A combination of technologies were used to capture the gravitational pull of the moon or movements of the planet in order to calculate a musical time signature most suited to the natural mood. The resulting 'Solstice' and 'Moon' really do sway and undulate like a rising and falling tide.
Björk will be touring the concept later this year (please come to Paris!), in addition to premiering further multimedia installations inspired by her very own Biophilia.
Thanks David, my perpetual inspiration and collaborator. Nature, Music and Technology then, are the focus of the Icelandic sirens particular project. And as per usual she takes it to another level, creating a wholly new concept of an Ipad app based album, where tactile imagery simulations match her 10 tracks, inspired by lunar cycles and gravity, viruses and DNA, the crash of lighting and the slow juddering of tectonic plates. I recently snuck into an Apple store to have a play around with the app on one of their display units (no ipad for me sadly readers). Whilst initially intriguing, I imagine that these software simulations ultimately distract from the real success of the project, the songs themselves.
The electro/drum and base rhythms work effectively to capture the physical process of nature, whilst the celestial choirs and sweeping orchestral strings used in previous albums such as Vespertine continue to tap into the romanticised vision of Icelandic landscapes. A combination of technologies were used to capture the gravitational pull of the moon or movements of the planet in order to calculate a musical time signature most suited to the natural mood. The resulting 'Solstice' and 'Moon' really do sway and undulate like a rising and falling tide.
Björk will be touring the concept later this year (please come to Paris!), in addition to premiering further multimedia installations inspired by her very own Biophilia.
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