Digitally Imported Forums - View Single Post - Terry Riley

Francis Vaughan · Oct 17th, 2007, 01:28 AM

I pretty much agree with your definitions. Indeed the phrase "demand attention" really nails it. I think Brian Eno used a similar phrase in the very early days of his ambient works to help describe the idea.

Ambient should never demand attention. It should reward attention, but never demand it. Voices that are clear and forward in the mix demand attention like no other sound. Our brains are wired this way. The thing I hate is the way a voice starts our mental processes of semantic analysis going. This isn't a musical reaction.

There are very good uses of sampled voice, one of my favourite early ones would be Brian Eno and David Byne's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". Also the track NY3 from Robert Fripp's Exposure. Nothing more than samples of two people have a bit of a domestic argument underpinned by Robert's edgy guitar. It works very well. But I would shudder to have it played here.

A favourite work that mixes film track samples and bits of radio samples is Simon Fisher Turner's 'Nadja" soundtrack. He uses these samples in a very intelligent and restrained manner. Unlike the heavy handed blundering of some of the tracks we do hear here. Nadja would go well here.

Oct 17th, 2007, 01:28 AM	#15 (permalink)
Francis Vaughan Junior Addict Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 28	I pretty much agree with your definitions. Indeed the phrase "demand attention" really nails it. I think Brian Eno used a similar phrase in the very early days of his ambient works to help describe the idea. Ambient should never demand attention. It should reward attention, but never demand it. Voices that are clear and forward in the mix demand attention like no other sound. Our brains are wired this way. The thing I hate is the way a voice starts our mental processes of semantic analysis going. This isn't a musical reaction. There are very good uses of sampled voice, one of my favourite early ones would be Brian Eno and David Byne's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". Also the track NY3 from Robert Fripp's Exposure. Nothing more than samples of two people have a bit of a domestic argument underpinned by Robert's edgy guitar. It works very well. But I would shudder to have it played here. A favourite work that mixes film track samples and bits of radio samples is Simon Fisher Turner's 'Nadja" soundtrack. He uses these samples in a very intelligent and restrained manner. Unlike the heavy handed blundering of some of the tracks we do hear here. Nadja would go well here.