76.0-108.0 FM (2019)

for electric guitar and spirit box

performed by Jesse Langen of Ensemble Dal Niente, commissioned through The Walden School Faculty Commissioning Project

 

Program Notes:

A spirit box is a modified radio used by paranormal investigators to communicate with ghosts, spirits, and other paranormal entities. The box sweeps through local radio frequencies and outputs a garble of static, words, and other raw sound. The seemingly random noise output of the device provides sonic material that can be manipulated by entities seeking to communicate with the living.

76.0-108.0 FM uses a spirit box to explore patterns of unreliability and interference in human and electronic communication. In this case, the performer searches for musical meaning in the spirit box's garbled radio broadcasts and interprets them as a sound world unique to this time and place.

Performances:

-world premiere by Jesse Langen/Ensemble Dal Niente at the Walden School Young Musicians Program (Dublin, New Hampshire), July 2019

-early draft performed by composer in live set of original improvisations and compositions (for electric guitar & electronics) for Telemetry @ The Bridge PAI, June 12, 2019

Find more about Ensemble Dal Niente: dalniente.com
And the Walden School: waldenschool.org