Music out of chaos

saturdayindex · Post by **saturdayindex** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:02 pm

In a recent interview with the NYTimes (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/arts/ ... =1&emc=tnt), Mike Sandison mentions that "you can pick out a melody from the squeaking rusty chains of a swing."

This reminds me of an interesting experience I once had. I was walking through a city, sober as ever, when I heard the most beautiful melody emanating from around the corner of a building up ahead.

I couldn't believe how gorgeous it sounded. It was otherworldy, totally unlike any music I'd ever heard before. It was textured and percussive, yet perfectly chordal and repetitive, with three chords flowing into each other in a warm, ethereal, regular progression. I wondered what could be around that corner... expecting to see some decks, or a giant boombox, or some strange alien quartet.

I turned the corner, and walked right into... a construction site. All of those sounds I had heard were the harmonics interplaying between a dump-truck, a couple of bulldozers, and a backhoe loader. The interplay of their hydraulic pumps, engines, and the clanging and scratching of metal on metal had all been harmonious--it was almost magical.

Any other similar experiences?

FernieCanto · Post by **FernieCanto** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:30 pm

Yeah, I had something similar, except it was in a bathroom, which has a narrow, horizontal window. Then this sound started to seep in. It was a jet engine flying nearby, but thanks to the filtering effect of the window and the resonance of the bathroom (I believe), it became sort of like an ambient chord, slowly shifting and changing, before finally collapsing into noise.

It had such a strong impact that it inspired me to try to reproduce that sound on the computer. It's in my to-do list.

WeHadNormality · Post by **WeHadNormality** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:45 pm

Apologies for not being completely on topic but this did reminded me of The Singing Ringing Tree in Burnley, U.K.

A_Northern_Soul · Post by **A_Northern_Soul** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:44 pm

Oh, I often get that. Best example was walking along a corridor at work and heard the most incredible, disjointed abstract beat. Looked around for the source....

.... a metal trolley being dragged across an uneven marble floor.

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:40 pm

Yup - two stick in my mind.

(1) the sound of the air con in one particular corridor at work when nobody else is in the office (ie. early start!). Just the most perfect drone and if I was allowed to take tape recorders in without getting the sack, I'd have it sampled by now.

(2) the bridge in my home village in Northumberland when the wind blows in off the sea. Causes a howl like a banshee.

Both incredible.

OH! Almost forgot, the beat created by a flag pole and flag drawcord in a storm. Incredibly evocative.

OverTheHorizonRadar · Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:05 pm

There's a train track that runs by my school that I walk by on my way home, one time there was a train braking, and from a distance it sounded like the most beautiful oscillation ever, it was like someone was running their finger along a crystal glass from heaven.

Torn n Frayed · Post by **Torn n Frayed** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:31 pm

I was in an old school video arcade last Friday nite at this place where you can play all the games you want for $15 all nite. There were a few times when all of the noise started to take on this weird almost evil sound. I am going back in a few weeks and taking a portable recorder to capture it!

donacidae · Post by **donacidae** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:34 pm

I remember clearly once at school about age 12 in 1987 messing around with the BBC micros and the primitive dot matrix printer it was attached to. Those printers were quite noisy with their crude mechanisms, and the noise changed according to the rapidly changing pin patterns. I printed a page which was made with loads of *s and the printer made this incredible chordal harmony as the head swept from side to sound.

I printed several more pages of that character just to hear that timbre over and over again.

A_Northern_Soul · Post by **A_Northern_Soul** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 11:18 pm

^ I'm sure I've heard dot matrix printers used as a rhythm track on an album before. Fourtet's Rounds maybe?

saturdayindex · Post by **saturdayindex** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:03 am

Interesting experiences everyone!

donacidae wrote:I printed several more pages of that character just to hear that timbre over and over again.

That sounds like something RDJ would do.

El Camino · Post by **El Camino** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:53 am

I saw a play for school drama the other week and one of the characters was a mute, she got really frustrated so she started smacking the metal barrier with a cricket bat over and over. There were a lot of people covering their ears but it was making this really nice abrasive metallic sound, and it was just, oh man.

PiotrG. · Post by **PiotrG.** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:53 am

As a child I used to walk about the post German brewery in my hometown to listen to the noise made by numerous fans installed on the red brick wall. There was always slight change in the amplitude of sound the moment you pass one of them and slowly approaching another with different rotation. I guess my love for all the ambient/drone stuff has its own origin here. The same with the constant bass murmur of diesel locomotive.

A_Northern_Soul · Post by **A_Northern_Soul** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:34 am

I'm sure Iggy Pop said that the Stooges were partly inspired by the loud clanging coming from car factories in Detroit.

Shortwave · Post by **Shortwave** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:23 am

If any of you is into shortwave radio transmissions, there is lots of chaotic sounds among radio signals which sometimes sound at the same time, glitchy and melodic . Both noises and interferences, or regular flangered signals (like NATO buzzers) - which are my favourite ones.