Electronic music

compoistions with pure tones

a series of very abstract compositions, for which the source material was generated through additive synthesis with pure sine tones. The pitch, envelope and volume of 100 oscillators was controlled via algorithms to create a wide variety of sounds and sonic evolutions. A selection of those sounds was then further processed and combined in several layers manually. All sounds were created with use of Pure Data.

Some examples of sounds generated this way:

To emphasis the abstract nature of the pieces, also very abstract, meaningless titles where chosen.

1. BIN.GSAT
2. DHISP.CRON
3. MPL.EXICKS
4. NDES.HIFT
5. SRO.FITS
6. RCETS.PIC
7. GRAC.BTN

peral.situal (2014)

The source material for this piece are several field recordings i made over the years that i didn’t find good enough to present as field recording on their own, but which still did contained a lot of interesting sonic material. I started off with the idea of making a collage with the most appealing sounds from the field recordings, but ended up processing them quite heavily, so not much of the original sounds can be recognized in the end. Still the natural origin of the sources is reflected in an organic feel to the sounds, and their overall shapes determine the structure of the piece.

Darkroom (2012/2013)

This piece is a collaboration with Laura Maes.
It was created for the Darkroom project, which investigated the effect of darkness on the brains and creativity of artists. All sounds are based on an EEG scan of artist Hallveig Ágústsdóttir while she was drawing in the dark.

ATTR-X (2009/2010 – variable duration)

An ongoing audiovisual project together with yvan vander sanden. Yvan is developing a rather unique surround concept based on rpg in-game audio. I’m adding soundscapes created in Pure Data

S.N.T. (2006/2009 – variable duration)

S.N.T is not a traditional, fixed in time composition, but a modular, ever-changing and ever-growing modular system, programmed in Pure Data. Each performance is partially outlined in advance, partially improvised. The different modules can be simply superimposed, behaving independantly from each other, but they can also interact by exchanging parameters or sound materials.
The task of the performer is to control the different processes on a metalevel, while the pre-programmed modules fill in the details themselves.

Premierd on the Ipem concert: ‘Music & Motion’

145+ (2007 – 5’19”)

‘145+’ was written for the ‘Buurtgeluiden’ (Neighbour sounds)
project, organised by the Logos Foundation, for which several
composers where invited to create a composition with noises recorded
in the neighbourhood of the foundation.

In my piece you hear the sounds of kids playing, a ringing bycicle,
the machinery of a local bakery, … sometimes unprocessed, sometimes
transformed to the point where the original sound can’t be recognized anymore.

The title refers to the neighbourhood park where the piece was
premiered, which is loacted at Ham 145+, Gent.

Redshift (2007 – 7’50”)

Redshift is, after Phass, a second electroacoustic piece in which i explore the creation of new sounds using several layers of a sample with different frequency and phase shifts. With this technique, i created a variety of sonic material derived from a limited number of source samples.
The title refers to the physical fenomenon where light, or another kind of radiation, is shifted down to the lowest (red) end of the electromagnetic spectrum. This can for example happen due to a Doppler effect when a light source moves away from the observer.
One of the main sound effects used in this composition is a Doppler plugin that allows extreme parameters, mimicking very fast and big movements of a sound source so that the frequencies are shifted out and back into the hearable range from the viewpoint of the listener.

N-SIR-C/X-SAR (2005)

Interactive installation for PicRadars and real time sound processing. Premiered at the Sounds of Sience festival, Nijmegen, 2005

Phass (2004 – 10’8″)

Phass is an electroacoustic piece. The source material consists of all sounds i could produce with a plastic bottle. These sounds where processed electronically, in a way that made them for the most part irrecognizable. The piece is a study of the effects that originate from the layering of several instances of one sound with slight and varying phase differences. With this technique, a whole range of sounds can be produced, ranging from piercing drones to pulsating rhythms.

Untitled(2002 – 3’51”)

Collaboration with Laura Maes for the Cling Film project at the Kaapstad site at Brugge 2002

Kitch `N Glitch (2002 – 40′)

This is an electro-acoustic piece by Kristof Lauwers and Laura Maes.

All kind of kitchen sounds were carefully recorded, cut and paste and finally transformed into an electro-acoustic composition. Most sounds are unrecognizable. Outside their normal environment the recorded sounds are getting a total new dimension. A video was made by Leen Ghyselinck and Jens Vanysacker. a review by Roel Meelkop in Vital Weekly:

LAURA MAES & KRISTOF LAUWERS – KITCH ‘N GLITCH (CD by Cling Film)

A first release on her own label by Laura Maes, who runs Cling Film together with Kevin van Volcem (aside from all the organisational work they do in their surroundings). As the title of this disc already suggests, all the raw material was recorded in a kitchen (Laura’s) and later manipulated in the studio. With a total duration of just over 37 minutes, this is a dense work, that requires close attention from the listener. There is a lot happening here and more often than not, it is pretty subtle. One of the most interesting phenomena for me is the way Maes and Lauwers move with their sound from sheer electronic to acoustic and back again. From raw material to its manipulation or vice versa. The seven tracks are well placed and spaced, so one can listen to the whole CD as one work without a problem (this has defenitely got my preference). All tracks have strong compositions and very good timing and, most importantly: it’s very juicy (and I mean this in the most positive sense!). Another one that is highly recommended. (MR)

Simbalism (2000 – 7′)

All sounds used in this electro-acoustic composition originate from four symbal samples. This samples were splitted in several layers using bandpassfilters, making the original cymbalsound irrecognisable. Editing of sounds was done using Soundscape and Samplitude, montage on Soundscape. This piece was made at the Logos electronic music studio.

Processing #5 (1999 – 5’55”)

I started constructing the piece Processing #5 out of digital recordings of a large number of different kitchen knives and other cutlery. These appear both untreated and processed (stretching, filtering and reverb). The piece was edited on Soundscape and the digital processing of the sounds was done with Soundscape, Samplitude and Lexicon. This piece was made at the Logos electronic music studio.

Processing #2 (1998 – 8’39)

Processing #2 is an algorithmic composition. It is based on continuous five voice transformations of a theme never heard in its original form. A MIDI-recording was made of the original computer program, which had limited real time interaction possibilities. I chose particular patches on a Proteus EMU 100 synthesizer, that allowed me to add some envelope control of the sounds. Pitch, rhythm and panning are determined algorithmically. This piece was made at the Logos electronic music studio.

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