January 16, 2022

Electronic Music by Design: The Instruments and Music of Hugh Davies

1 hour 30 minutes

Episode 64

Playlist

Hugh Davies, “Shozyg I” from the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The file was produced in Davies’ home studio and dates from 1968. 8:16

The Music Improvisation Company, “Tuck” from The Music Improvisation Company (1970 ECM). Electric Guitar, Derek Bailey; Live Electronics, Hugh Davies; Percussion, Jamie Muir; Soprano Saxophone, Evan Parker. Recorded on August 25th, 26th, 27th, 1970 at the Merstham Studios, London. 3:14

Gentle Fire, “Group Composition IV” (excerpt) from Explorations (1970 - 1973) (2020 Paradigm Discs). Recorded live At ICES 72 (The Roundhouse, London, 14th August 1972). Cello, Michael Robinson; Springboard, Hugh Davies; Performer, Gentle Fire; Recorder, EMS VCS3, Graham Hearn; Tabla, Richard Bernas; Trumpet, Cello, Stuart Jones. 4:33

Gentle Fire, “Edges” from Earle Brown, John Cage, Christian Wolff – 4 Systems, Music For Amplified Toy Pianos, Music For Carillon, Edges (1974 EMI Electrola). German recording of the Christian Wolff piece “Edges,” performed by Gentle Fire. Graham Hearn, Hugh Davies, Michael Robinson, Richard Bernas, Stuart Jones. 10:17

Hugh Davies, “Music for Bowed Diaphragms” from the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The file was produced in Davies’ home studio and dates from October 7, 1977. 10:08

Hugh Davies, “Salad” from the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The file was produced in Davies’ home studio and dates from February 19, 1977. Davies performs on four different egg slicers, two tomato slicers and one cheese slicer. 13:55

Hugh Davies, “Toads” from the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The recording dates from 1980. 5:50

Hugh Davies, “Spring Song” from the National Sound Archive of The British Library. The recording dates from 1980. 4:56

Borbetomagus, “Concordat 7” from Work On What Has Been Spoiled (1981 Agaric). Live Electronics, Hugh Davies; Guitar, Donald Miller; Saxophone, Don Dietrich, Jim Sauter. 4:57

Hugh Davies, “Porcupine” from Warming up with the Iceman (2001 GROB). Solo work from 2000. 5:08. Porcupine was a more recent instrument invented by Davies in 2000. It comprised a disc shaped contact microphone and some wires that create a glissandi when touched with a finger. 5:08

Hugh Davies, “From Trees and Rocks” from Tapestries: Five Electronic Pieces (2005 Ants). Music for an installation at the Diozesanmuseum in Cologne called Walkmen that ran from April to September of 2000. A work in which “all the sounds were related to the processes that would have been undergone in order to transforms trees and rocks into works of art, especially sawing and chiselling; to these sounds I added others which were produced by treating the tools themselves as if they were simple musical instruments” (Davies). This CD is noted for the generous and informative biographical notes by David Toop, a friend and sometimes collaborator of Davies. 9:49

Background music:

Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mikrophonie I (excerpt) (1967 Columbia). A key work for which Davies contributed while he was working as an assistant to Stockhausen. Filters, Potentiometers, Hugh Davies, Jaap Spek, Karlheinz Stockhausen; Microphones, Harald Bojé, Johannes Fritsch; Tamtam, Fred Alings, Aloys Kontarsky. 13:02

Notes: Many of the works attributed to the National Sound Archive of The British Library are also available on the following commercial recording:

Hugh Davies, Performances 1969 – 1977 (2008 Another Timbre), a UK CD

The Hugh Davies Collection: live electronic music and self-built electro-acoustic musical instruments, 1967–1975. Researcher/scholar James Mooney, of the University of Leeds, UK, keeps the Davies flame alive with his contributions around Davies handmade instruments and music.

Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz.

Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.

For additional notes, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

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By Thom Holmes

4.9

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