Superfield [Mumbai]

Superfield [Mumbai] was a commissioned by Bradford Mela Festival (UK) and Mumbai Festival (India). During January 2009 I spent a week in Mumbai compiling a unique library of sounds recorded from the streets. The aim was to capture an impression of the place, using field recordings of people and places, traffic and city life, street music, nightscapes (using time lapse recording), under water hydrophones, weather, environs, countryside etc. The festival also suggested interesting environments ranging from the transport hubs to projects in the slums to late night on the commuter trains to the seafood festival etc.

Upon return to the UK I mastered these sounds and then composed ‘Superfield Mumbai’ a 40 minute music-performance using this found sound library. In this piece sounds are randomly chosen from this library and mixed in real time using a software environment (co-developed with Matthew Paradis). The audience sit in low lighting, listening to this extraordinary assemblage of sounds and will be, metaphorically, taken on an individual journey to their “Mumbai”

Each performance of the piece will be different because of the random sound file selection process; but also very similar as they are all different sound images of one place, one library, during one period of time. The purpose of this process - introducing randomly chosen sound from a fixed library - is to open the performer, the composition, and the audience to new possibilities.

RECORDING EQUIPMENT

Edirol R-44 four channel recorder

Sennheiser MKH 30

Sennheiser MKH 40

OKM Soundman binaural mics

HP IPaq PDA running Luci Edit

N>Trans D-A CFcard

Core Sound Tetramic

Sharp MD-MT20 mini-disc

Sony ECM-MS907

Aquarian Hydrophones

HHB Portadisc