Journal  

A selection of soundscapes and recordings, past prototypes and drafts, archival findings, field notes and ideas. 

2021/05/29

news / ‘Switchblade Grassland’ part of the Baltic Triennial 14, showing at the Contemporary Art Center in Vilnius between 04.06 – 05.09.2021

2021/05/10

prototype / Wwise recording 210218_001 – granular voice improvisation over generative chord system (2021).

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A rough and unpolished recording of an “improvisation output” of sort, definitely a work in progress but quite satisfied how it sounded so decided to put this here. A few chords randomly generated from a predetermined scale, cut up and put in a number of random containers, recorded straight from Wwise. The ”wind intrument” is a processed and tuned recording of my wife’s voice, improvised and ”played” on an iPad using granular synthesis. As with the chords these are also pre-recorded phrases that unfolds in various combinations from a number of random containers. In the background there is a processed field recording of a beach at Ar (Gotland, Sweden) and some layers of synthetic wind/air from Wwise’s SynthOne. Screen capture from Death Stranding on a PS4 (720p).

2021/04/23

archive / Acne Studios SS21 campaign by Anders Edström. (2021)

Two days spent in the outer archipelago of Stockholm recording on-set and additional field recordings of sea, forest and birds around Södra Stavsudda. The recordings were later used to design six short soundscapes for the final 16mm videos. 

2021/04/22

field recording / ‘Answering’ – Woodpeckers at dawn, Stiby Backe (2021)

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2021.04.21 – 06:45. Two woodpeckers at Stiby Backe nature reserve. Duration: 04:54 minutes. Lom Usi Pro + Zoom F8. 

2021/03/17

archive / ‘Big Science, Small Country’ by Erik Thörnqvist (2020)

Two excerpts of the music I wrote for Erik Thörnsqvist´s ‘Big Science, Small Country, shown at Luleåbiennalen 2020.11.21 – 21.02.14.  

“In 1970, the first Chinese satellite Dong Fang Hong I passed over Norrbotten. One of its tasks was to broadcast the national anthem with the same name (The East is Red). For the work Big science small country, Robin Rådenman has produced and fed a software system with the satellite transmission and based on the results composed a new piece of music. The original notes remain but are fragmented and out of line, randomly falling into a kind of artificial improvisation.”

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Many thanks to Erik Thörnqvist. Make sure to check out his work: https://erikthornqvist.com

All photos by Thomas Hämén. 

https://www.luleabiennial.se

2021/03/23

field recording / Ice release, spring (2021)

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An edit of processed and unprocessed field recordings of ice and water recorded throughout March 2021 around Stockholm.

2021/03/06

archive / Toga Spring Summer 2021 presentation film by Anders Edström (2021)

Toga-studio

Sound design and soundtrack for japanese fashion brand Toga, filmed and directed by Anders Edström. I was responsible for recording all sound on set. I also brought some recordings of wooden pipes and harmonica and re-recorded it in the empty studio and used that as the base for the soundtrack.

Creative Director: Jop van Bennekom, Styling: Eliza Conlon, Sound design: Robin Rådenman

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archive / ‘Switchblade Grassland’ w/ Monika Janulevičiūtė (2018)

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A movie by Monika Janulevičiūtė in close collaboration with the musician Celyn June. This film is a part and extension of Celyn June’s recent release called “Portion Park”, on W-I. 2018

Monika Janulevičiūtė

Celyn June

Film website and interview

prototype / Wind system using only Wwise Synthone (2019).

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A quick experiment with using Wwise Synthone creating an interactive wind system.

archive / INVERSES (2014)

Soundscapes for INVERSES, a multi-sensory project and collaboration between six artists in five countries. The result is a set of items consisting of an illustrated storybook, a soundtrack, and a trio of custom scents. All works share a common narrative about the journey of a roving cardboard box.

Listen to the complete album

archive / Susurrus w/ Joanne Lam (2012)

Soundscape composition is a form that heavily emphasizes environmental awareness. This is achieved by extracting, exposing, and promoting sounds that commonly go unheard in a specific environment. Although soundscapes are constructed with such purpose in mind, the intent is often lost upon reception. After all, soundscapes rely on imagination rather than recognition. The soundscape is itself a fabricated sonic environment that is not representative of the complete context from which the sounds were derived.

Susurrus plays upon these various tensions inherent in soundscape composition. The piece is constructed out of the reverberations of a cello being played inside Stockholm’s Högalidskyrkan. As is the case with most churches, the space inside Högalidskyrkan is purposefully designed to disseminate sounds in a specific manner. This controlled environment therefore lends itself to resonant yet waning echoes – imprints of the architectural body that hosts them.

Susurrus employs these echoes as the building blocks of an oceanic soundscape. The result is a composition that fundamentally inverts the context from which its source sounds were derived. What was originally light and ephemeral is now weighted and perpetual; what was once channeled and contained is now vast and unravelling. Most importantly, Susurrus calls upon recognition first – of waves and maritime noises, familiar but not exact – before engaging the imagination as a journey through the seas.

 

Chosen for presentation at The Global Composition 2012 in Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany

Cello: Joanne Lam
Sound design and mixing: Robin Rådenman
Concept and copy: Joanne Lam

Recorded at:
Högalidskyrkan in Stockholm, Sweden
March 16th 2012

Special thanks to Calle Stenqvist (Plan8)

archive / Untitled (2013)

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Archival finding, originally written for the release video of Henzel Studio / Andy Warhol Foundation collaboration. Made in 2013, this is an extended version.  

archive / ‘Georgiana, Jay & Laura’ – Anders Edström & Karen Langley for Another Magazine (2017)

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Directed by Anders Edström, styling by Karen Langley. 

Sound recording on set, post production and mixing.

“A film about the banality of getting dressed and going out” – Another Magazine

archive / Fuurin w/ Joanne Lam (2013)

Collaboration with Joanne Lam for the Sapporo International Art Festival

© 2013-2021  Robin Rådenman