[ANN] Weathersongs Album Release

Richard Garrett's icon

Hi all,

This is to let you now about "Weathersongs volume 1: Days in Wales", the
first album from my Weathersongs project which came out yesterday
(details below).

The project is based around an installation that turns weather data into
music in real-time using software written in Max/MSP with extensive use
of Lobjects and Fuzzy Logic.

Please take a listen

best wishes

richard

____________________________________________
Richard Garrett
Sunday Dance http://www.sundaydance.co.uk/
Weathersongs http://www.weathersongs.org/

======= WEATHERSONGS VOLUME 1: DAYS IN WALES ========

Weathersongs volume 1: Days in Wales is an album of 14 short pieces of
music derived, in real time, from the weather conditions in Southern
Snowdonia on 14 different days over one year. Each track was generated
by a computer program connected to an electronic weather station at
Richard's home in the foothills of Cadair Idris, North Wales. Data
output from the weather station (wind speed and direction, temperature,
pressure, humidity, rainfall) was used to compose music as conditions
changed,then selected results were recorded and edited for audio CD.

All the tracks on the album have common features: Temperature and
Humidity provide bass drones; Air Pressure gives higher pitched
accompaniment; while the Wind produces a lead voice whose pitch,
intensity and phrasing all change as the wind shifts direction, ebbs and
flows. Rain, when it rains, is heard as random percussive events
(typically bells) whose statistical density changes with the rate of
fall. When each track is edited, however, different timbres are applied
to the music accentuating the character of the individual pieces/ days.
Thus, the music ranges from the gentle ambient electronica of a cool
spring morning to wild, almost Free Jazz, saxophone as the westerly
gales of autumn hit Cardigan Bay.

Mp3 extracts from the album, as well as raw material from the
installation can be heard on http://www.weathersongs.org/

Weathersongs volume 1: Days in Wales is now on sale online at
http://www.sundaydance.co.uk/ and at selected record shops.