Touch Currents, by James May

Touch Currents

by James May

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Stephen Weigel A kaleidoscope of invitingly rich sounds Favorite track: two.

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1.	one 09:27	buy track
2.	two 05:50	buy track
3.	three 09:25	buy track
4.	four 08:18	buy track

about

These four improvisations were performed by myself using a live processing patch developed in Max/MSP. While the patch contains some familiar effects (vocoders, auto-tune, and a freezer) I control it in atypical ways. I can set a register, but can't choose a pitch. I can sing multiphonics, but can't know how the auto-tune will interpret that information. The patch is, in essence, a new instrument to learn and explore, one that pushes back and turns me in different directions—these are some of those directions.

While I was studying for an MA in Cork, Ireland, I had the fortune to work with Yvon Bonenfant. In one of his first presentations he suggested that the human voice is, inherently, a transmitting sensation of touch, a tactile medium for human contact. The voice is a place for connection and a venue for our identities, and we should explore our voices and perform them to their fullest extent. In the main, "Touch Current" refers to the measurement of electricity moving from an appliance through a body; for me, it's how my improvisation is inspired by Yvon's research.

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released July 3, 2020

James May - voice, electronics

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about

James May New Orleans, Louisiana

James May is a composer, improviser, conductor, and writer.

jamesmaycomposer.com

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