Agent Fresco - BinauralAirwaves.com - Acoustic Set at Nordic House - Iceland Airwaves 2010 by BinauralAirwaves
Congratulations to Agent Fresco on their newly released CD!
Check it out at Gogoyoko.
Aaron
Perceptually Ergonomic 3-Dimensional Sound for Headphones.
Headphones are required for the effect.
Headphones are required for the effect.
Showing posts with label Iceland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iceland. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Icelandic Volcano Eyjafjallajökull run off: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
The volcano in Iceland!!!:
Behold, the run off of Icelandic Volcano Eyjafjallajökull, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:
In light of the recent epic volcanic activity in Iceland here is my recording of one of Iceland's most scenic waterfalls that originates from the glacier the volcano is melting that, in turn, is causing flooding. In fact, the bridge we drove on to get to the falls is in the midst of the floods. Here is how it sounded before the most recent eruption.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:
(Use Headphones for All Recordings--they're "binaural recordings")
Song/Piece: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Microphone Setup: In-Ear Microphones
Master Recording Format: 44.1kHz/24bit
Streaming Format: mp3 LAME 3.97 variable bit rate ~240 kbps 44.1kHz
Be aware that throughout this recording I am wearing the 2 mics in my own ears and am turning my head quite a bit to check out the place. Therefore, your perception of where the waterfall is will likely make drastic spatial shifts often.
...On Monday I went on a road trip with the Icelandic Band Rökkurró (they have an AWESOME forthcoming album as of April 2010) along Iceland's scenic south coast. There was a lot of green moss and grass, volcanic rock, and fog. Rugged yet beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the Oregon Coast sans trees.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in the distance as we arrive by car:
2008:
The first waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, we stopped at was unique in that you could walk in back of it making a complete 360 walk of the waterfall. This 360 encircling of course meant you got pretty soaked with icy waterfall spray but that was no big deal-rather refreshing.
About to go behind Seljalandsfoss:
In back of Seljalandsfoss:
At the end of our walk we decided to try some pure Icelandic water direct from a stream. We used our hands to ladle the water out and it tasted quite deliciously pure. This was rather Vikingtastic I guess.
A fine grained look at the ultra-green moss that gives so much to the landscape:
We then made a stop at a second and far more internationally known waterfall called Skógafoss. To me, this looks highly similar to the "waterfalls" in NYC that were installed in the Summer of 2008. This is why I say "far more internationally known": replicas of this waterfall appear all over NYC. In my mind, this looks very similar to many of Elias Eliasson's waterfalls because the water exits the stream in a wide parallel formation (even though aspect ratios vary between Eliasson's falls). I'll agree that the aspect ratio of the fall is not exact to any one of Eliasson's falls but the exiting of the stream across a seemingly sharp 90 degree linear edge seems to be highly similar to this waterfall in Iceland.
***Disclaimer: I have not investigated much of Eliasson's theory other than seeing his exhibits first hand in NYC. Though, perhaps my innate visual perception of the falls is far more primary than a relation to an abstract theory convoluted by an artist for one's exhibit: a general conclusion, not a railing on Elias Eliasson.
A picture is worth 1000 words... Skógafoss Waterfall:
Along the ride we saw many interesting and beautiful sights.
...
Man, Icelandic Horses are sickeningly cute.
If they mated: Viking horses + '80s hairband =
(pssssst, where are their crazy guitars? and spandex? and pyrotechnics?)
We finally made it to the very coast where, in a quaint small town, there was amazing food.
Tumultuous Icelandic Coast in Stokkseyri (there is a rock wave break kind of far out):
The really great meal we had was at the restaurant where Dave Grohl ate when he came to Iceland. Amazing lobster. The really funny story about Dave Grohl eating here is that he heard some local teenage band practicing nearby and invited them to play a song to open for the Foo Fighters. Nilfisk is the band's name. It means "No Fish" (This is a fishing town). They'd been playing together for, effectively, just days. Pretty awesome story. You can see video coverage in the film "Screaming Masterpiece".
Aaron
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Rökkurró @ Iðnó, Saturday 8pm (On-Venue)
Rökkurró @ Iðnó - Iceland Airwaves 2008 by BinauralAirwaves
Over my time in Reykjavik the frostline on the Reykjanes Mountains had dropped day after day and Saturday was the coldest day. It was crisp and clear as the temperature ducked below freezing and puddles became solid. Inside the airy and reverberant acoustics of the venue Iðnó, Rökkurró took the stage.
Iðnó during sound check:
Iðnó during sound check:
Rökkurró is currently headed on tour across Europe and will be featuring a choice selection of my ultra hi-fi binaural recordings of their Iceland Airwaves 2008 performances on a limited release special edition EP that will also include brand new songs. Check their site for info www.myspace.com/rokkurro. If you have a chance to see them: do not miss it!
Aaron
Monday, January 12, 2009
Klive @ Hressó (On-Venue)
Klive's Hressó performance was really great. The guy behind Klive is the same guy who did the Lighthouse Sound Installation that I posted previously. His style as Klive is this nice mixture of electronic sorcery melded with soothing acoustic samples which works particularly well with Klive at the helm. Playing live, Klive had a stellar female vocalist and 4 fantastic brass players who had previously played with Björk.
Klive
On-venue: Hressó
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 15, Wednesday, 20:00
Hressó with stage against the far back wall and the bar directly to the left (out of view):
The Scene:
Hressó has a small concert area which you can't even really see in the above picture but it's basically against the farthest wall which you can see. This is connected to the larger dining area, in the opposite direction of the photo, by a narrow barway (kind of like a hall but with a bar in it-Ok, I just made that up). I was near the end of the barway relatively far back from the stage. So, you'll likely hear people walking around, making weird comments about the binaural manikin, and eating/drinking in close proximity. Take a gander.
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
***There is a slight cut out near the beginning of the 1st song-it's not loud and going to make you go deaf, it simply cuts out and then back in. I think I was readjusting a cable after moving the setup.
Klive @ Hressó - Iceland Airwaves 2008 by BinauralAirwaves
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
If you're a fan of this, you should check out Klive's CD here.
Aaron
Hressó has a small concert area which you can't even really see in the above picture but it's basically against the farthest wall which you can see. This is connected to the larger dining area, in the opposite direction of the photo, by a narrow barway (kind of like a hall but with a bar in it-Ok, I just made that up). I was near the end of the barway relatively far back from the stage. So, you'll likely hear people walking around, making weird comments about the binaural manikin, and eating/drinking in close proximity. Take a gander.
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
***There is a slight cut out near the beginning of the 1st song-it's not loud and going to make you go deaf, it simply cuts out and then back in. I think I was readjusting a cable after moving the setup.
Klive @ Hressó - Iceland Airwaves 2008 by BinauralAirwaves
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
If you're a fan of this, you should check out Klive's CD here.
Aaron
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Rökkurró @ Mál og Menning (Off-Venue)
Rökkurró @ Mál og Menning (Off-Venue) - Iceland Airwaves 2008 by BinauralAirwaves
The manikin taking in the scene from across the bookstore before the performance started:
Rökkurró
Off-venue: Mál og Menning (Language and Culture) Bookstore
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 15, 17:00
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
This was Rökkurró's first performance of Airwaves and the first official show I heard of the Iceland Airwaves festival. It was an "off-venue" show that was free to anyone, as opposed to the "on-venue" shows which required the Iceland Airwaves Pass.
Off-Venue Shows=Short and Sweet:
The off-venue shows were all around Reykjavik in nice little spaces like record shops, cafes, and bookstores. There were so many concerts happening at the same time in different places that there was naturally a ton of running around to catch all the shows that you wanted to hear. It was impossible to not miss good music since there was so much. It kind of felt like a real world incarnation of hitting "Scan" on your radio and getting all of these little glimpses of different bands in a short amount of time.
I'm used to 1 hour sets minimum in the US with a pretty big chunk of setup time in between bands. However, the off-venue shows were typically only about 25-30 minutes which is really short in my mind. It worked amazingly well though. Many bands had an at least one off-venue show and then an on-venue show. So, sometimes you might have only been able to catch an act off-venue because their on-venue performance overlapped with another group you wanted to see only but had that one on-venue performance. It seemed a daunting task at first but it worked out quite well.
A close up of the band obscured by a cool looking light fixture and tons of other stuff:
The Scene:
Rökkurró had a great turn out and played quite well. This concert was in Mál og Menning, a bookstore who's name translates to "Language and Culture". It's located on the main drag of Reykjavik: Laugervegur. It should be interesting to compare the acoustics/ambiance of this performance to Rökkurró's 12 Tónar off-venue performance (and soon to their Iðno on-venue performance after I post it).
As you can see from the photos, I'm way across the room at the top of the stairs. I wanted to capture the acoustics of the large room by being away from the group and give the sensation of standing in the crowd, like you would have been doing if you had been there.
Some things to listen for:
Aaron
Rökkurró
Off-venue: Mál og Menning (Language and Culture) Bookstore
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 15, 17:00
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 5.6MHz/1bit Direct Stream Digital
This was Rökkurró's first performance of Airwaves and the first official show I heard of the Iceland Airwaves festival. It was an "off-venue" show that was free to anyone, as opposed to the "on-venue" shows which required the Iceland Airwaves Pass.
Off-Venue Shows=Short and Sweet:
The off-venue shows were all around Reykjavik in nice little spaces like record shops, cafes, and bookstores. There were so many concerts happening at the same time in different places that there was naturally a ton of running around to catch all the shows that you wanted to hear. It was impossible to not miss good music since there was so much. It kind of felt like a real world incarnation of hitting "Scan" on your radio and getting all of these little glimpses of different bands in a short amount of time.
I'm used to 1 hour sets minimum in the US with a pretty big chunk of setup time in between bands. However, the off-venue shows were typically only about 25-30 minutes which is really short in my mind. It worked amazingly well though. Many bands had an at least one off-venue show and then an on-venue show. So, sometimes you might have only been able to catch an act off-venue because their on-venue performance overlapped with another group you wanted to see only but had that one on-venue performance. It seemed a daunting task at first but it worked out quite well.
A close up of the band obscured by a cool looking light fixture and tons of other stuff:
The Scene:
Rökkurró had a great turn out and played quite well. This concert was in Mál og Menning, a bookstore who's name translates to "Language and Culture". It's located on the main drag of Reykjavik: Laugervegur. It should be interesting to compare the acoustics/ambiance of this performance to Rökkurró's 12 Tónar off-venue performance (and soon to their Iðno on-venue performance after I post it).
As you can see from the photos, I'm way across the room at the top of the stairs. I wanted to capture the acoustics of the large room by being away from the group and give the sensation of standing in the crowd, like you would have been doing if you had been there.
Some things to listen for:
- The women speaking in Icelandic directly to the left (literally right next to the manikin)
- Espresso machine ~8m to the left.
- People chating and drinking coffee in the cafe seating area in back and to the left.
- Something I thought was kind of funny happened near the end of Ferðalangurinn where this older woman walked up the stairs and we had this exchange:
She seemed to ask this same question in Icelandic to me and I gave a confused look back and she switched to English...
Woman: How long is this going, do you know that? How long is this going, do you know that?
Aaron: I think about another 20 minutes.
Woman: Ok [snicker], then I'm leaving.
What a hater haha. Though, I guess if you're into browsing books you wouldn't be so keen on tons of people blocking all of the books while they check out a cool concert.
Anyhow, it was indeed a great concert.
Aaron
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Finn @ Organ (On-Venue)
Finn was dressed like some type of of medieval troubadour or something. He played a great stripped down set however, consisting of guitar + voice through 3 microphones, for various effects. This song in particular reminds me very much, in chordal progression and vocal melodic/rhythmic/relation to the guitar, of Radiohead's "True Love Waits". I don't think I'm crazy. Judge for yourself.
Finn @ Organ (Iceland Airwaves 2008):
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
Finn @ Organ - Icelands Airwaves 2008 by BinauralAirwaves
Song/Piece: Unknown (Think Radiohead's "True Love Waits" for the 21st century)
Microphone Setup: In-Ear Microphones
Master Recording Format: 44.1kHz/24bit
Aaron
Monday, November 10, 2008
Rökkurró @ 12 Tónar Record Store (Off-Venue)
And now the band that is responsible for me going to Iceland Airwaves in the first place. Those bastards...
Rökkurró playing inside 12 Tónar (ultra hi-fi binaural manikin head in foreground):
Rökkurró:
www.myspace.com/rokkurro
Album: Það kólnar í kvöld...
This quintet melds warm contemplative candlelit dynamics with jazzy syncopated tapestries as they swap instruments and create interesting contrasts of mood, often sounding more cinematic ensemble than rock quintet.
Meaning of the Name "Rökkurró":
For those of us who don't speak Icelandic it might seem their name is merely some Icelandified version of "Rockers" or something like that. Though, this is not even close. In fact, "Rökkurró" is the combination of 2 Icelandic words with much deeper meaning:
Rökkur (sunset / twilight) + ró (quiet / calm) = Rökkurró
This basically describes the time of day when the sun is setting and everything seems calm and relaxed.
How apt: I couldn't believe how perfectly fitting a title this seemed to be for their unique sound after thinking it was some derivative of "Rock___" for so long.
Impressions of the Rökkurró Sound:
Indeed, like a setting sun, the bright warm vocals seem to cast beautifully long winter shadows, with their internal dialogue of swooning cello, while conversing with the rich smoldering accordion lines. These tender but elegantly reasoned lines seamlessly mesh with the integral guitars that vary from tonally rich chords and arpeggiation to jazzy-surf counterpoint and even ethereal textures that all sum to create the underlying harmonic backbone-often adorned with sweet glockenspiel.
Bonding these elements together is the sleek dark bass that is at once exacting and particular in highlighting the overall harmonic direction and relating it to the often nuanced syncopation of the unifying percussion that cleverly reminds: the drum set is indeed a melodic instrument. The carefully crafted drum patterns ebb and flow-sometimes recursive and subtly phased while, at other times, Rock. While there are legions of groups who anchor their paradigm on shock, Rökkurró have somehow reinvented awe.
Reykjavik - Clearing Thursday Weather:
The Scene:
The cozy space in 12 Tónar was packed wall-to-wall. People overflowed to the entry stairs but, listening to the recording, you'd probably think there was no crowd at all because everyone was so quiet and attentive. The set list includes songs from their release Það kólnar í kvöld... (English: "There's a chill in the air tonight...") as well as a new song. I would highly recommend checking this album out: you will not be disappointed.
Rökkurró
Off-venue: 12 Tónar (best record shop ever)
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 16, 17:00
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
Iceland Airwaves 2008 - Rökkurró at 12 Tónar by BinauralAirwaves
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 88.2kHz/24bit
This is chronologically out of order with the rest of my posts but I couldn't resist since it was easily one of my favorite Iceland Airwaves concerts plus I have 2 other concert recordings of Rökkurró. So, I figured I'd spread them out.
I hope you'll enjoy rehearing their 12 Tónar concert as much as I have. As I said, Rökkurró and their music are really responsible for drawing me to Iceland to make these recordings. And since I have enjoyed their music so much I am compelled to give a heartfelt personal stamp of approval and recommendation for their album because it is really quite sublime. Check it out: Það kólnar í kvöld...
Aaron
Rökkurró playing inside 12 Tónar (ultra hi-fi binaural manikin head in foreground):
Rökkurró:
www.myspace.com/rokkurro
Album: Það kólnar í kvöld...
This quintet melds warm contemplative candlelit dynamics with jazzy syncopated tapestries as they swap instruments and create interesting contrasts of mood, often sounding more cinematic ensemble than rock quintet.
Meaning of the Name "Rökkurró":
For those of us who don't speak Icelandic it might seem their name is merely some Icelandified version of "Rockers" or something like that. Though, this is not even close. In fact, "Rökkurró" is the combination of 2 Icelandic words with much deeper meaning:
Rökkur (sunset / twilight) + ró (quiet / calm) = Rökkurró
This basically describes the time of day when the sun is setting and everything seems calm and relaxed.
How apt: I couldn't believe how perfectly fitting a title this seemed to be for their unique sound after thinking it was some derivative of "Rock___" for so long.
Impressions of the Rökkurró Sound:
Indeed, like a setting sun, the bright warm vocals seem to cast beautifully long winter shadows, with their internal dialogue of swooning cello, while conversing with the rich smoldering accordion lines. These tender but elegantly reasoned lines seamlessly mesh with the integral guitars that vary from tonally rich chords and arpeggiation to jazzy-surf counterpoint and even ethereal textures that all sum to create the underlying harmonic backbone-often adorned with sweet glockenspiel.
Bonding these elements together is the sleek dark bass that is at once exacting and particular in highlighting the overall harmonic direction and relating it to the often nuanced syncopation of the unifying percussion that cleverly reminds: the drum set is indeed a melodic instrument. The carefully crafted drum patterns ebb and flow-sometimes recursive and subtly phased while, at other times, Rock. While there are legions of groups who anchor their paradigm on shock, Rökkurró have somehow reinvented awe.
Reykjavik - Clearing Thursday Weather:
The cozy space in 12 Tónar was packed wall-to-wall. People overflowed to the entry stairs but, listening to the recording, you'd probably think there was no crowd at all because everyone was so quiet and attentive. The set list includes songs from their release Það kólnar í kvöld... (English: "There's a chill in the air tonight...") as well as a new song. I would highly recommend checking this album out: you will not be disappointed.
Rökkurró
Off-venue: 12 Tónar (best record shop ever)
Reykjavik, Iceland
2008, October 16, 17:00
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
Iceland Airwaves 2008 - Rökkurró at 12 Tónar by BinauralAirwaves
Binaural Recording Info:
Microphone Setup: Ultra Hi-Fi Binaural Manikin Head
Master Recording Format: 88.2kHz/24bit
This is chronologically out of order with the rest of my posts but I couldn't resist since it was easily one of my favorite Iceland Airwaves concerts plus I have 2 other concert recordings of Rökkurró. So, I figured I'd spread them out.
I hope you'll enjoy rehearing their 12 Tónar concert as much as I have. As I said, Rökkurró and their music are really responsible for drawing me to Iceland to make these recordings. And since I have enjoyed their music so much I am compelled to give a heartfelt personal stamp of approval and recommendation for their album because it is really quite sublime. Check it out: Það kólnar í kvöld...
Aaron
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday, Reykjavik House Show: Úlfur Hansson Lighthouse Sound Installation
Grótta Lighthouse Sound Installation
Grótta Lighthouse which is an island at this moment:
Elín Hansdóttir, b. 1980
ICELAND
www.elinhansdottir.net
Úlfur Hansson, b. 1988
ICELAND
www.myspace.com/kliveisklive
Selkórinn
ICELAND
Project: Helix
Location: Gróttuviti- lighthouse in Seltjarnarnes
Date: October 12, 2008, 21:30
About the project: Vocal installation in Grótta lighthouse in collaboration with local choir Selkórinn.
The house show wrapped up and we had very little time to get to Úlfur Hansson's lighthouse sound installation--we had to make it to Rökkurró rehearsal soon after that. Karl AKA "The Heir Electric" grabbed a ride with Árni, Hildur, and myself. It becomes very "cozy" in the car when you have 4 people and a cello.
Árni and Hildur actually took me out to the lighthouse earlier in the day when it was light as it is very scenic. It's different from any other lighthouse I have ever seen in a very bizarre and interesting way: at high-tide the lighthouse becomes an island, at low-tide, it is a peninsula and you can simply walk to it.
Satellite image of the lighthouse:
Another view from farther away:
The concept for the lighthouse sound is pretty interesting. There was a choir singing descending pitches so the music always sounded like it was falling but it never really fell.--a gerbil wheel of musical descent. Karl said this reminded him of an electronic music piece that had a similar effect but used falling sine waves. It is a really cool effect.
To even get to the lighthouse you first arrive in the parking lot and you can see the lighthouse off in the distance with a path marked with large flames that show you the way to get to the lighthouse. Following these flames you walk over rocks and seaweed and sand, basically unable to see much of anything. It took about 5 minutes to reach the lighthouse. It was packed--what a great turnout.
The view looking back toward the parking lot and Reykjavik from the lighthouse. You can see the flame outline of the path:
This recording is quite long (19:20) and a lot of that is due to waiting at each of the landings between staircases since there were so many people packed in there. I was expecting a spiral staircase but this lighthouse had floors every ~6m/20ft which were connected by straight staircases. People had to go both ways on the narrow steps which was not easy. And, as you got close to the top, where the choir (and fog machines!) were, it became even more packed with people. At the very top there was a bright light, fog machines, and the choir behind a white sheet covering the highest staircases entry to the next landing.
Looking up at the top of the lighthouse:
The recording includes my descent down the stairs as well all the way until I get outside. This is what it sounds like:
Sound Installation:
(Use Headphones for All Recordings)
Ulfur Hansson Lighthouse Sound Installation - Sequences Festival - Reykjavik, Iceland by BinauralAirwaves
Artist: Úlfur Hansson
Song/Piece: Lighthouse Sound Installation @ Sequences Festival
Microphone Setup: In-Ear Microphones
Master Recording Format: 44.1kHz/24bit
It was very eerie as you ascended in this haze of fog while the descending pitches grew louder and louder. Perhaps this is an allusion to the sensation of vertigo--these contradictory senses of ascending (the lighthouse) and falling (the sung tones of the choir), while you swirl around landings and up the lighthouse stairs, in a haze (fog), but never getting to a destination, only the sound growing more and more intense. Very cool.
Klive is Úlfur Hansson's alter ego under which he makes really cool electronic music (very much different from this sound installation). Here is what Klive's Iceland Airwaves bio says:
Playing a self-devised genre he dubs 'concrete', this tongue in a cheeky-chappy slaps sexy female vocals over abstract electronica. Klive sounds a lot like Aphex Twin and Jackson & His Computer Band.Look forward to these recordings from Wednesday. I recorded his performace at Hressó with female vocalist (amazing voice) and 4 brass players (who were Björk's brass players). This was a great show. I'll be posting them soon.
Aaron
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Balmy North Atlantic Weather in Iceland
And by "balmy", I mean "cycloney". This is completely off topic but I just saw this really cool satellite image of Iceland in the midst of tandem cyclones. For full resolution and a description from NASA (the photographer), check it out here. By the way, in case you are not some sort of geography/country-border-silhouette buff: the island of Iceland is right about in the middle of the top edge of the image--hard to see beneath the cyclone(s) cloud(s). For reference:
Ok, enough of this... why am I making small talk about the weather from Nov. '06??? The real issue here is how much this weather pattern looks like an owl. Allow me to introduce...
Case closed.
Forced Segue:
As I was saying: Binaural Recording!!! Back on topic! Hooray!
Aaron
Ok, enough of this... why am I making small talk about the weather from Nov. '06??? The real issue here is how much this weather pattern looks like an owl. Allow me to introduce...
Exhibit 1:
Case closed.Forced Segue:
As I was saying: Binaural Recording!!! Back on topic! Hooray!
Aaron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
