Pulses Round
Fixed media piece for AKS Synthesizer and Loudspeaker Orchestra (2015)
6′ 25”
Premiere: December 6, 2015, Studiosaal, Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, Germany – performed on the Berliner Lautsprecherorchester
Berliner Lautsprecherorchester
November 11, 2016, Altes Finanzamt. Berlin, Germany – with light performance
Altes Finanzamt
November 27, 2016, Sacred Realism Series, Studio 8, Berlin, Germany – with light performance
Evelyn Saylor at Studio 8
April 6, 2017, Madame Claude, Berlin, Germany – with light performance
Evelyn Saylor at Madame Claude
February 19, 2019, broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s program Late Junction
Broadcast on Late Junction
“Pulses Round” explores many variations of pulses and signals, which often result in the phasing of overlapping or simultaneous motives. All the sounds in this piece were created with the Synthi AKS, an analog synthesizer from 1972, and have undergone no additional effects. A theme that I perceived while realizing this piece was that of playing with what was given and pushing those limitations further, especially through the loudspeaker orchestra. The AKS presented at once limitation and also possibility within that limitation. I helped the instrument to act of its own, having it create melodies and rhythms and change the sound through the interaction of its own elements. I also “played” the resonances of the spring reverb, which were fixed as well. The loudspeaker orchestra allowed me to push limitations the most, transforming an essentially mono piece with no movement and a limited range of spaces to a piece where the elements of movement, position in space, and many different types of acoustic spaces all play important roles.
“Pulses Round” was premiered on the Berliner Loudspeaker Orchestra. Subsequent performances in live solo sets were accompanied by an audiovisual performance using blinking, colored lights.
Evelyn Saylor 