Curtis Roads - Half life, part I: Sonal atoms (1999)

Curtis Roads — Point Line Cloud Digital / CD DVD 4th September 2019 « In memoriam Ivan Tcherepnin. Beneath the level of the note lies the realm of microsound, of sound particles. Each particle is a pinpoint of sound. Like the quantum world of the quarks, leptons, hadrons, gluons, and bosons, the microsonic domain remained invisible for centuries. Recent advances let us probe and manipulate the microacoustical world. Sound particles dissolve the rigid bricks of musical composition–the notes and their intervals–into more fluid and supple materials. The sensations of point, pulse (series of points), line (tone), and surface (texture) emerge as the density of particles increases. Sparse emissions produce rhythmic figures. By lining up the particles in rapid succession, one can induce an illusion of tone continuity or pitch. As the particles meander, they flow into streams and rivulets. Dense agglomerations of particles form clouds of sound w