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2024 Ecotonus Midwest tour
December 14, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
ECOTONUS
a new composition by Edward Breitweiser
for ARP-2500 synthesizers and computer
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Sunday, 11/17. St. Louis, MO at Synoptic Frequencies with Maria Chavez + Christopher Douthitt
Saturday, 11/23. Bloomington, IL at pt.fwd with Christopher Douthitt + Gabe Raines + Oxherding
Saturday, 12/14. Chicago, IL at Elastic Arts with Choir Siren + Liz Flood + Hunter Whitaker-Morrow
ABOUT
Using the works of pioneering French composer Éliane Radigue (b. 1932) as a point of departure, Ecotonus draws from improvisations that I recorded on the ARP-2500 that was custom-built in 1971 for the Electronic Music & Recording Studio at Washington University. The 2500 was Radigue’s primary instrument and is known for its uniquely noisy “matrix switch” design, which can result in quirky, unstable interaction between sounds. While improvising, I sought simple sounds that would behave unpredictably and evolve into unexpected complexity through the beauty of this rare machine.
Drawing inspiration from Radigue’s concept of “music-as-transition” and the water-based, self-scaling structure of her OCCAM series of compositions, Ecotonus (from the word “ecotone”, a transitional area between two ecosystems) follows the transitions between two recently-discovered features throughout the Universe: the “gravitational basins of attraction” that draw matter together similarly to water systems on Earth and their counterpart, the empty, foam-like voids that remain after matter is gone. These two dynamics – filament and void – ultimately structure all matter in the Universe, enabling life to form (and, much later, to discover these dynamics among the cosmos).
BIO
Edward Breitweiser is an Illinois-based artist, musician, electronic instrument builder, and writer who creates moments of sonic life. Spanning improvised and composed music, electronic instrument design, installations, and non-profit administration, Breitweiser’s projects embrace the contrasts between ecology and technology, solo and collective, clarity and density, DIY and infrastructure, stasis and surprise, simplicity and complexity. Breitweiser founded and serves as Director of pt.fwd, a contemporary music and sonic arts performance series featuring new work by local and regional artists in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.