Lebensfunke II (2009)

for Bass drum and 8 channels-Live-Electronic
EDIZIONI SUVINI ZERBONI – MILANO

Grant : Experimentalstudio for akustische Kunst e.V., Freiburg,
Bass drum, Isao NAKAMURA
16 min 10 sec,
26.01.2010, Ultraschall Festival 2010, Radialsystem, in Belin
(Production in Experimentalstudio des SWR in Freiburg)

Lebensfunke means spark of life.
"Lebensfunke II" is a piece of my trilogy for bass drum and electronics.
("Lebensfunke" (2007) for bass drum and electronics, "Rayons Crépusculaires" (2007-08) for bass drum, large ensemble in three groups and eight channel live electronics and "spark of life II" (2009) for bass drum and 8 channel live electronics) It was composed and produced in Experimental Studio des SWR in 2009.

In my piece "Lebensfunke II " which has about sixteen minutes of "life-span"I wanted to represent the evolution of various conditions of living creature with such breaths (scratch sounds), heart beats (pulses), awakening (Saltando on the rim), "spark of life" such as continuous flow blood in the body as a energy of life (granulated sound and divers tremolo).
The bass drum has a very rich spectrum. In my composition, I used six different zones of the instrument, four zones on the skin, one on the rim and one on the frame (sound board) to obtain different timbers and the pitches.
Using live electronic transformation, I tried to intensify the character of the sounds and gestures from base drum and also tried to find a harmonious synthesis between the acoustic instrument and the electro-acoustics. During the performance, some gestures of the bass drum transformed into electronic sound and flow together. It also allowed me to create various trajectory of sound movements and their layers in the space. I wanted to make the piece more organic, closer to my sensibility.