ShiVna Kaun

Shivna Kaun is an Experimental Electronic Music project consisting of :









Vinny Bhagat—laptop/percussion/field recordings
Kym Gluyas – Saxophone/electronics
Chris Martin – Electric piano
Maria Fava - Video camera and Projections










Collaborations with other Artists:

Tyrell Blackburn : Laptop
Derek Pasco - Saxophone
Jay Dabgar - Tabla
Josh Benett : Sitar,guitar
Ashhar Farooqui : Voice and Fx
Tom Buchanan : Live Art
W.T Masseli - Art display
Maura Oregan : choreography
Lea Czikowski : choreography
Luke Toop – visual projections and video camera


Our performance is like a journey, which can start with ambient minimal found sounds and climbs to various areas of abstract sonic art and electronica. The music is created through code, artificially synthesized sound, rhythm’s and field recordings, all of which are processed in real time and accompanied by more human players on various acoustic instruments , video camera , objects and tools, that often puts the listener into an unfamilair "interesting-spatial" environment. The spontaneous nature of the music means you hear a one off performance.

History and Gigs:
Meeting at The Elder Conservatorium Of Music, University Of Adelaide we started an improvised computer music project in April 2005 that began with our first live performance on South Australian Composers Symposium - Radio Adelaide.Thanks to presenter Alex Carpenter for his offering.
Originally only putting the group together for this performance, we found our selves being offered a show for the opening of The Delicatessen Gallery @ 2005 and then a slot on the bi monthly COMA performance’s (Creative Original Music Adelaide) by the listeners for the Hipnote Autumn Sessions 2005. Since then the group has evolved into various streams of experimental music, computer music and visual Art and now its led by Vinny Bhagat often inviting other artists from diverse backgrounds from Adelaide, interstate and overseas to perform in the concerts. Distributed performances is an highly interesting concept, breaking all the barriers of distance, performers in one physical place and traditional musical practises. Still a long way to go, but definately this is/will be/can be the new way of performances.

Shivna Kaun Quartet

*noise
*nature
*hammers
*landslides

“Whereas, in the past, the point of disagreement has been between dissonance and consonance, it will be in the immediate future, between noise and so called musical sounds”(John Cage 1966)
Noise is often thought of as the opposite of music, something that is undesirable and ugly. Music of different cultures have made a clear distinction between musical sounds and noise. To Helmholtz musical sound was “…. a perfectly undisturbed, uniform sound which remains unaltered as long as it exists” (Helmholtz 1954). The term ‘noise’ is itself a description of a timbre. In comparison, musical tones are ‘regular and uniform’ whereas noises are ‘confused and irregular’. Splashing of water, whistling of the wind, a boiling kettle or a passing truck are all examples of musical noises. “Noises are useful to new music as so called musical sounds for the simple reason that they are sounds”(Walker 1970).

“However if the word “music” is sacred and reserved for eighteenth and nineteenth century instruments, we can substitute a more meaningful term: organization of sound” (John Cage 1966)
“Music Concrete, one of the early forms of electronic music grew out of the fascination with the musical possibilities of environmental noise”. (Abraham 1960). Percussion music on the other hand is influenced from a similar idea where the point of reference is the underlying rhythm, to the extent that any sound is acceptable to the composer.
Electronic music is only limited by the relationship that exists between the human ear, the mind and the acoustic sound. However “it is clear that the composer of electronic music should not attempt to imitate timbres of traditional instruments”(Stockhausen 1962), it becomes a necessity for the audience not to accept any familiar patterns and sounds their ears are use to.
Shivna Kaun looks to stretch the scope of deep listening and sonic meditations to a larger audience.
2005 Gig Guide
* South Australian Composers Symposium - Radio Adelaide, 11am, 21 April 2005
* Opening of the Delicatessen Gallery, July 2005
*COMA (Creative Original Music Adelaide) 15 Aug'05 –Wheatsheaf 8PM

2006 Gig Guide:

* Fringe 06- Fresh Bait , 27 Feb & 6 March, Fowlers live 68 North Terrace
* Tyndall Assembly – 16 March , Delicatessen Gallery 7PM
* Lizard Lounge ,Hindley Street 19 March 8PM
* Local Noise 9 May Radio Adelaide 101.5 FM 9 Pm
* ACMC'06 and Ear Poke at Jade Monkey 12 July'06 -- 8pm onwards
* Adelade University - Uni Bar 28 July'06 6Pm
* SALA Exhibition 7 August’o6 (opening night)
* COMA (Creative Original Music Adelaide) 21 Aug 06 –Wheatsheaf 8PM

2007 Gig guide

* Allans Music Store -- Adelaide : 19 January, 5pm
* "Hope for Genreation" Producers bar -- 1 July, 11pm
* "Tyndall Assembly", Gallery De la catseen -- 26 July ,8pm
* Visa expiration Party -- COMA, Wheatsheaf -- 10 September, 8pm
* Exeter - experimental wednesdays

2008 gig guide
* Exeter - experimental wednesdays..2 jan
* Coma, Hipnote Summer series @ Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide - 7th Jan
* NowNow Festival.."Festival Club".. Blue Mountains..NSW.. 18,19Jan..
* Dela catseen Gallery, Adelaide. 7th Feb'2008 .. 7pm
* Togetherness Show.Adelaide.. Rymel Park. 17 Feb 2008.. late avo..

=======
WORKS
=======

* Excerpt : Video Feedback, 2007
( Music by Vinny Bhagat and Video by Maria Fava )

Tracks: ( All tracks written and composed by Vinny Bhagat)
* Chattswood ( 2008 )
* Sonic Textures (2007)
* Timbre Tree (2007)
* super_network work(2007)
* Mosque in war times (2007)
* Birth Chart (2006 )

Concert excerpts:
* HipNote Winter Sessions @ Wheatsheaf,Adelaide 7.1.2008
Excerpt 1 Excerpt 2 Excerpt 3 Excerpt 4 Excerpt 5

* Angry Jam,2006
* Allans Music, Adelaide, Jan 2006
* Fowlers Live, Adelaide Fringe 2006
* Kym's place,2005

Sound Design Works
* What is Music ( 2007 ) Film By Daniel Murtagh
* Worms ( 2007 ) Animation by Tim Forbes and Christina Erdos
* Emergence Games Sound Logo (2006)
* L'vertie Incroyable. Film by Tamas Major ( 2006)
* Bushanza..Animation by Ronald Keller..( 2005)


Tribute
* Om Jai ( Indian Prayer for the Gods )
* Hot Rodes : to hand playing

Video Exploration
* Incident of Video Feedback ( Music Work in Progress )

Jazz: Whats Next

“What’s next?” an article by John Szwed raises a lot of questions in my mind really to do with preserving the culture and traditions associated withJazz. Music that came out in that era is a symbol of cruelty faced by blackpeople. It’s an expression of people who were weak, poor and were inpain. Now in today’s world we can transcribe their solos and play everynote that they played but what about the state of mind they were in. Have we seen the hard time those guys had to experience? No, then how can we play the music like them. Recordings made during the early days is one of the most important source which tells the sound of early jazz and help musicians to do a study on them. Clearly jazz musicians of today’s world improvise on tunes made few decades ago.” 1Jazz can never repeat its past nor escapes it, it constantly adds and modifies everything that has gone before”. To me, the most important characteristic of jazz is to change, to modify, to improvise, to alter and express. Another important characteristic of jazz is to be innovative, break rules, do some thing new and what is weird is good. Humans always look for change and there is always the next step. There has been no looking back ever since human existence. Jazz will constantly modify itself, (2"which is quite clear from the twists and turns taken through out its short life) may be now, by making use of modern technologies..!“3Such a music cheerfully escapes definition and prognostication”.

Bibliography:
Szwed, John F.2000. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to learning and loving Jazz. New York:
Hyperion. Chapter 31. “ Whats Next?” pp 289-292

Refrences:

http://www.monkzone.com/biographyHTML.htm 27 march’06
Black America. John F. Szwed. Basic books Inc. New York, NY. 1970
http://www.americanclave.com/1-kip.html 27 march’06
Lerner Murray 2004, A Different Kind of Blue . Miles Electric - DVD Commentry
1 Szwed, John F.2000. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to learning and loving Jazz. New York: Hyperion.
Chapter 31. “ Whats Next?” pp 289-292
2 Szwed, John F.2000. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to learning and loving Jazz. New York: Hyperion.
Chapter 31. “ Whats Next?” pp 289-292
3 Szwed, John F.2000. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to learning and loving Jazz. New York: Hyperion.
Chapter 31. “ Whats Next?” pp 289-292

Week 12

Why do we play music : If you are an African there is no such thing as "art music". Music is a part of everyday life.Every ceremony and religious activity is complimented by music,to an extent that if drummers are not present the ceremony would not take place..If you are an Indian, u wont have your first meal before you sing a small prayer in your private temple..If you are none of that you still want music to be the most imortant thing in your life.


Test: How much Is music Important to you ??
Light a candle..
Put your hand on the flame..
Now start counting till 10..(bpm = 6000 ms)
Start questioning your self ..
Is my max patch working ?
Have I done my blog ?
Is my mix peaking ?
Can I play 1 4 7 3 6 2 5 1 in all 12 keys ?

I f you answered all of that,in no time you will be a legend..
If not, you will feel that nothing in this world is more important than the last breath you just took...

Week 11 ..Stephen Whittington

Stephen Whittington (b.1953) Composer, pianist, writer and music critic.
Director - Electronic Music Unit at the the Elder Conservatorium Adelaide where he teaches composition, music theory, acoustics and electronic music.
"As a pianist, he is renowned as an interpreter of contemporary music."
List of few works:
^1988 - X is Dead , Homage to Pierre Boulez
^1994 - Distributed Improvisation live to air on ABC - Fm
^1996 - 1988 - Distributed Synchronicity experiments
^2000 - Music Of The Spheres,
Contemporary Art Center of South Australia
^2003 - Pitch Web Improvisation , Museum Brisbane
^2005 - Present Ongoing experiments using VOIP (Voice Over internet Protocol)

Distributed Music Performance : "Any music perfrormance in which the performers are not in close proximety to one another. They may be anywhere from the other side of the hall to the other side of world"... OR may be in a different galaxy.
This can get really interesting when tried with people of similar thinking or close ones.The result can be taken as a measure of their closeness to one another.
It would give even more interesting result when tried with people who have no clue whom they are playing with and dont know each other or may be they are playing totally different genre of music ..
I think the later one is an extreme case, "Handle with care" .
I can imagine that music and cant stop saying, "WHAT"....

^ Ventures in Vocoding (Hardware of software implementation of speach based compression algorhythm)
^ Utterence : Any human vocal sound including but not restricted to speech and speech like sounds.
Music Of Spheres : Performers will assemble a variety of quotations related to the idea of music of spheres.
Read : Serious Immobilities : On the centenary of Erik Satie's Vexations - Stephen Whittington

References :

Whittington , Stephen .2006. Presentaion at the Forum : Ventures in vocoding and Distributed Music Performance. 25 May ' 2006.University Of Adelaide
Original image source : http://www.emu.adelaide.edu.au/about/staff/stephen.whittington.html

Week 10.. Music Copyright LAw

This is some serious stuff man..Understand it fully.A lot of this stuff is not meant to please you but make sure to take due care..
Important information for Music Copyright Stuff for musicians -
" Statue based - coptright Act :
Automatic - no registration needed .. Once you create anything it becomes your property
Protects 'works , musical and sound recording. Protects expression, not idea. "
check websites : link

www.weatherall.blogspot.com

week 9..

Listening :
"The objective was to experience mainly popular music in unusual ways. The outcomes were to hear strikingly different artists remixed as a short encore-like package by Christian Marclay and as a long expanded "Theme and Variations" form with Pink Floyd."


Christian Marclay : Born 1955, San Rafael, California, USA.

1. Johann Strauss
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. John Cage
4. Maria Callas
from "More Encores"
ReR Megacorp 1988
ReR CM1 2677
original picture source : http://www.furious.com/perfect/christianmarclay.html



Pink Floyd " So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
...
Do you think you can tell?"
Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-XI 1975
from "Wish You Were Here"
1975 Pink Floyd Music Limited
SBP 234651
http://www.lyricsondemand.com/p/pinkfloydlyrics/wishyouwereherelyrics.html , 3 June'06

week 8..

Listening:

The objectives are to experience the use of electronic instruments and methods in different genres. The outcomes were to hear the use of a theremin in the Led Zeppelin, tape collage methods in Pink Floyd's "Relics" and the Pierre Henry and the use of the VCS3 in the Pink Floyd track "Breathe".
---------------------------------------------

1. "Whole Lotta Love" 1969
Led Zeppelin
from "Led Zeppelin II"
Atlantic SD 8236
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin





2. "Bike" 1968
Pink Floyd
from "Relics"
DRUM 8026
SOELP 9791
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=484861043&c=c&search=587&cat=122&GCID=s15100x008%2DMusic&KEYWORD=Pink+Floyd+posters


3. "Breathe" 1973
Pink Floyd
from "Dark Side of the Moon"
EMI SHVL 804
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=484861043&c=c&search=587&cat=122&GCID=s15100x008%2DMusic&KEYWORD=Pink+Floyd+posters


4. "Voile d'Orphee" 1953
Pierre Henry
harmonia mundi
HMA 1905200
http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?what=R&obid=321972