Cobalt waters run... beneath cobalt skies

Davismoon, SM

Abstract

A soundscape composition gathered from several soundwalks around Austin Texas.

I composed Coloured Waters Run…Beneath Cobalt Skies (2015) as a result of several soundwalks around ‘Music City’ Austin Texas. It stands as a multi-movement work characterized by sonic memories gathered beneath the city’s cobalt skies and along the banks of its coloured (Colorado) river. I wanted to compose a piece that would celebrate Austin’s sonic diversity: birdsong, street musicians, sirens and a busy vibrant diner as well as attempting to capture aspects of its past – the Alamo memorial and the other environs and gardens of the stunning Capitol building.

Given the contemporary reputation of Austin as (live) ‘Music City’ I wanted this piece to dance, to groove even. I strove to achieve this through very careful and gradual control of the gating and micro-spatialisation simultaneously across the many layers of very the small loops that make up the work’s fabric. As with some of the other pieces that I mentioned above – through the use of microsound techniques – I attempted to blur sonic boundaries, locations and histories; celebrating diversity but hopefully bringing a sense of monism to the listening experience along the way.

Citation

Davismoon, S. (2015). Cobalt waters run... beneath cobalt skies. [Digital Audio File]

• Other Type: Composition
• Acceptance Date: Oct 18, 2015
• Publication Date: Oct 18, 2015
• Deposit Date: Dec 9, 2015
• Additional Information: Composition Type : Soundscape; Funders : Metanast;University of Manchester; Projects : MANTIS Festival