Sound Junction 2019
At what point does sound become music? Music, in its most basic form, is a collection of organised sounds. All sounds have some kind of meaning, image, or nostalgia associated with them. Take, for example, the sound of an old steam train clattering over the tracks, or the sound of water trickling down a drain. They’re sounds that we’re familiar with, which evoke certain impressions, feelings, memories or emotions.
Acousmatic music is a form of electroacoustic music that takes these ubiquitous sounds that usually go unnoticed and transforms them into the focal point of a composition. Using the microphone as a microscope, acousmatic music delves below the surface and hones in on hidden spaces within the raw sounds, teasing out subtle details such as timbre, density, colour and movement. Through manipulation, reconstruction and layering, the anonymous sounds take on a new, personal meaning.
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Sound Junction is a series of five concerts on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th April with one central aim: to make acousmatic, electroacoustic music accessible to a wider listening public. Presenting the most innovative and exciting music from Sheffield and other corners of the globe, including works by Manuella Blackburn and David Berezan, Sound Junction will use a purpose-built sound diffusion system to create ideal acousmatic listening conditions.
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It’s a well-known fact that as one sense diminishes, another increases. So, favouring sound over sight, audiences will be plunged into darkness. Surrounded by strange yet familiar sounds, the darkness gives your mind space and allows your imagination the freedom it desires to take you on a personal journey through the soundscapes.
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