concrete field recordings

by cichenski

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1.
birds and machine 17:53
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2.
grinder, saw, airplane and hammer (part 1) 14:17
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3.
grinder, saw, airplane and hammer (part 2) 28:03
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4.
thunder and glass 08:31
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5.
bells, hammer and suitcase 05:15
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6.
trains and engines (crushed, part 1) 25:35
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7.
trains and engines (crushed, part 2) 27:13
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8.
bonus track: piano impro in blue (birds and machine) 17:54
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9.
bonus track: synth chords (bells, hammer and suitcase) 05:27
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about

[please, play it loud or on headphones]

"I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise."
George Gershwin

This is how my surroundings sounds. This is how it sounds to me. Field of this recordings is shaped by architecture - concrete, brass and ceramic ground surfaces and buildings covered by polystyrene and glass. A kind of square courtyard is a (anti-)natural effects gate - delay, reverb, echo, amplification and equalizer modify sounds coming from different directions.

I chose material from everyday recording sessions, defined the beginning and end of each piece (which expose their internal structures) and added some more EQ in accordance with my political and religious views. Distortion (bitcrusher) in "trains and engines" represents my anxiety felt that day. Through such minimal operations (decisions), these fragments became (conceptual and concrete) compositions.

And the concrete walls are ironically painted green.

Instead of listening to music I often sit on my balcony and meditate random structures of city noise. I tune myself to the harmony of saws and engines. I set my tempo to the rhythm of trains and hammers. Pleasure and relax come from strange, bass tones. This is my own concrete ASMR.

BONUS TRACKS*:
I wonder how it is possible to create in such audio-sphere. I imagine George Gershwin who wrote his "Rhapsody in Blue" in a train, inspired by industrial noise of America.

Working and living in such audio-circumstances (and during the last months isolation) affects (mental) health. My current, everyday mental state is represented by a modest piano improvisation, a kind of expression made in relation to what I hear every day from 8 AM to 9 PM. My everyday rhapsody.

Second bonus track is an older variation of "Bells, hammer and suitcase" pumped with some chords that I've heard sitting on my balcony that day. It was released earlier as a single track and inspired me to work on this album.

*I hate an "idea of bonus track". I was always upset that some original albums of my favorite artists had additional track (the greatest and only hit) in re-editions.

Prices are ridiculously related to the length of each piece... For the whole album coma is moved by one place for those who really want to download 230 minutes and 10 seconds of music (1,53 GB).

cover design: Julia Kosek

credits

released June 3, 2020

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all rights reserved

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cichenski Poznań, Poland

cichenski.com

"...Cicheński is also a musician. He composes music for theatre, creates sound installations and electroacoustic drama. He played bass guitar in several bands and as a flutist and drummer he was involved in many projects related to traditional music. He was a leader of Babolband and sometimes used self made instruments of his own design..." ... more

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