Stephen Christopher Stamper
Begin Anywhere
RM006
The Music:
Possibly the most otherworldly release from
Runningonair to date, “Begin Anywhere,” Stephen Christopher Stamper’s debut,
evokes imagery of desert landscapes, star-filled skies and the solar wind
buffeting the earth's magnetic field. Ranging from harsh, crackly
soundscapes to music of an almost religious intensity, the variety is quite
stunning. At the same time, reoccurring harmonic material helps to bind the
album together into a cohesive whole. Emotionally the work is rich, subtle
and complex, revealing new facets on repeated listening.
Here, Stephen outlines his working method:
“An interest in natural VLF radio phenomena and the work of Stephen P.
McGreevy, algorithmic composition, Karplus-Strong string synthesis and
open-source software led to a period of prolonged experimentation with the
Debian GNU/Linux operating system, Miller Puckette's Pure Data visual
programming language and the Audacity audio editor.”
This album collects together 11 of the most successful of these many and
varied audio experiments, combining them to form an intriguing work of the
highest quality.
The Release:
The CD-R release is made using recycled card covers and quality “Aquaguard”
matt finish CD-Rs. Download codes will be issued with CDr purchase.
____________________________________________________________________
Reviews:
Vital Weekly (820)
A varied album of great textured music, which doesn't just stay in one safe place but moves all over the spectrum of experimental music, and that's quite nice. Certainly a new name to remember.
It’s very otherworldly and I’d say if you’re into things on labels like 12K and Room 40 you should check this out.
