11.10.20 by Ryan Masteller

I was really nervous about this one – I honestly thought this might just be field recordings of the HVAC system at the Snell-Hitchcock Quad at the University of Chicago. That would have been a killer for me, because I probably would have had to have been on some sneaky drugs to get any enjoyment out of something like that, but I don’t do any drugs, sneaky or otherwise, so I was ready to be lulled right to sleep. Ever try not to sleep to AC hum? It’s virtually impossible.

Fortunately, Stephan MOORE did a little MORE to make this a MORE enjoyable experience. He outfitted a few benches in the quad with speakers, and then played music through them that fit the timbre and rhythms of the Searle Chemistry Lab’s ventilation system that could be heard in Snell-Hitchcock. People could sit on the benches and experience immersive audio ambience in real time. This whole thing was part of the “Chicago Sound Show” exhibition.

I wasn’t there, but I can imagine spending some time on one of Moore’s benches was a remarkable experience, each bench clued into its own sonic environment. And on “Dreamwalk with Solo Voice,” Moore shows us how he adds to the experience with a far-out array of ambient synth washes and otherworldly chords. Even on the closing “Anatomy of a Voice,” a harsh blast of “the singing apparatus up close,” Moore sticks to the script of immersive experience. Also, the cassette shells themselves are fun and sparkly!

Check this out on Dead Definition.

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