“Carbon” is a composition for live electronics, alto clarinet, and saxophone centered around coal. This material, formed by the carbonization of plants that lived thousands of years ago, has profoundly influenced societies, economies, and landscapes through its use as fuel.
The performance begins with a piece of coal that is heated, causing its internal molecular structure to gradually break down and alter its electrical conductivity. This process is made audible through electrical contacts: without a microphone, but using needles and metal plates, sounds, clicks, and impulses are extracted from the coal.
Windisch processes this sound material live using the software PureData. Martini responds with sounds that explore the acoustic spectrum of the alto clarinet and saxophone, using advanced techniques and an effect board By diffusing the sounds through four speakers, the duo creates a dynamic and immersive listening experience.
“Carbon” is a composition for live electronics, alto clarinet and saxophone centered around the material coal. During this electroacoustic concert, the duo experiments with the density and spatial distribution of their sonic material, evoking the cyclical transformations of carbon and its impact on our world today.
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Formed in 2022, the duo MARTINI WINDISCH is dedicated to improvised electro-acoustic music with a focus on spatialisation.
Martini explores the saxophone’s acoustic spectrum using extended techniques and hardware effects, while Windisch employs custom Pure Data patches to modulate and transform sounds in real-time, enveloping the audience with four loudspeakers.
Their debut We’ll See, We’ll See, released in October 2023 by Cologne-based label Hobbykeller, received positive reviews and led to performances across Germany, Belgium, Austria, and the Czech Republic. ‘Ricorrenza Traspositoria’, a second release for Belgian ‘Why Keith Dropped The Sʼ, was released in August 2024.